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Harrison Kivisu and Brian Malila 

Fear of possible massive school dropout has gripped some learning institutions owing to the fact that many learners may fail to return to school next week for the second term due to lack of fees.

Parents and guardians who spoke to People Daily have raised concern that the condensed school calendar has made it impossible for them to raise school fees especially with the current hard economic times brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The tough times have pushed some to get exorbitant loans from informal lenders with no clear repayment plans.

Additionally, 10 counties in arid and semi-arid areas are experiencing severe drought even as schools demand full payment of school fees before their children are allowed back into class.

The outcry by the parents came just days after schools closed for the first term holidays last week and are expected to open next week for the second term. 

With the disruption occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, the government was forced to rework the school calendar so that the period lost during the long closure last year could be recouped.

In Mombasa county, Mwajumbe Salim, 46, a resident of  Jomvu is among the worried lot that her child, who is in Form Two at a Mombasa-based school may be forced to drop out of school saying she has  no means to raise school fees for her child in one week.

The mother of four, who ekes a living mending clothes, says she cannot be able to raise Sh15,000 required for next term in addition to fee balances and other levies.

“How will I be able to raise fees, shopping and transport of my child within a week, as a parent I’m strained that the only hope is to ask my child to stay at home because I have no job or any other avenue to raise fees,” Mwajumbe, a widow, told People Daily.

 Nyamvula Chimera, 42, says the burden on fees is just too much considering the condensed school calendar this year.

The mother of five says her two children at Mbuguni Secondary School in Kwale are likely to stay at home because of lack of  fees.  

“I sell mahamri to earn a living and the little I make is only enough to sustain my two children in secondary school.

Again I have other three children in primary school who are also straining us due to expenses brought about by the Competence Based Curriculum.”

 Another parent John Kasungo, 42, who has  two children at Johanna Chase Secondary School  in Makueni county says the calendar readjustments have burdened him especially after losing his job as a truck driver in Mombasa.

 “As we speak, I have a fee balance of Sh9,000 for my child in Form Four and Sh7,000 for my child in Form Two.

I am worried because I don’t know where I will raise that money from, considering the short break,” said Kasungo.

Mbeere South MP Geoffrey King’ang’i has also expressed  fears that students may fail to open school due to famine in his constituency.

The legislator urged the National Government to provide relief food to the schools in the area as they have run out of stocks. 

Speaking while issuing bursary cheques in Kiritiri, the legislator said some parts of the constituency such as Kiambere, Mavuria, Makima and Mwea wards were the hardest hit as the long rains failed this year.

“Students in these areas are in dire need of food aid and we are asking the government to consider sending part of the relief food here,” the MP said.

 King’ang’i  also called on the area County Government (Embu) to supplement the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) bursary kitty to ensure more needy students benefit.

Owing to the economic hardships occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic that has seen many families lose their livelihoods, King’ang’i said  demand for education bursaries had gone up and the CDF bursaries kitty alone was not enough to cater for the soaring numbers.

The situation has also affected Alternative Providers of Basic Education and Training dubbed APBET schools in the country, who  want the government to introduce a grace period within which parents should pay fees for next term and also ask head teachers not to send home poor children.

  According to APBET secretary general, Juma Athman Lubambo many learners may opt to drop out of school adding that the government should take cognizance of the situation and come to the aid of parents.

“We don’t want a situation where many learners will stay away from school.

The  government needs to know that parents are overburdened with school fees due to the condensed calendar, therefore, they should direct that poor learners not to be chased from schools,” said Lubambo.