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The government yesterday explained the directive for secondary schools to pay fees on eCitizen platform amid growing criticism from education stakeholders.

Ministries of Education and Interior and National Coordination said what stakeholders termed controversial policy is meant to harmonise collection and enhance coordination.

Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the directive will promote transparency and accountability in addition to entrenching an effective monitoring system on compliance with the relevant policies and regulations governing levying and payment of fees in public secondary schools.

Access funds

“The directorate of eCitizen has set up a payment collection process that is convenient and transparent to ensure principals will be able to access funds received for their schools promptly and in full,” Bitok said in a statement.

To ensure a smooth roll out, the PS said the new payment system will be implemented in phases beginning with National schools and subsequently extended to Extra county and County schools.

Bitok said the implementation of the payment process through the eCitizen forum will be undertaken in consultation with stakeholders, even as he stated that the Government is open to discussions and other inputs that will support the objectives of the directive.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu also affirmed that payment of school fees on eCitizen platform is aimed at ensuring transparency and openness in management of schools.

 “The money belongs to the respective schools,” said the CS, who made the remarks at Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) yesterday.

Machogu urged education officials in the field to articulate government policies and initiatives on occasions that require countering misinformation on the work the government is doing in the education sector.

In a circular dated January 31, Education Principal Secretary, Dr Belio Kipsang said the directorate of eCitizen, in partnership with Information Communication Technology and Ministry of Information and the National Treasury have been coordinating the onboarding of all Government services onto the eCitizen platform to enhance service delivery.

“As part of the compliance with the requirements, it is directed that parents/guardians make fee payments for their learners in your institution through this platform,” Kipsang said.

Bank accounts

In preparation for the launch, Kipsang urged National school principals to provide their institution’s bank account details by today. This came as education stakeholders in the North Rift urged the Ministry of Education to put on hold this directive.

The stakeholders, including parents associations and guardians, warned the Ministry against rushing the new policy before public participation.

Led by Ben Kibet, the regional National Parents Association chairman, they faulted the government for not consulting all players in the education sector over the new directive terming its action as an ambush.

“We demand for public participation to be carried out so that parents, guardians and other players in the education sector can give their views on whether policy should be embraced or rejected in totality,” said Kibet.

Speaking in Eldoret town yesterday, Kibet explained some parents pay school fees for their children in cash and in kind, adding that it would be difficult for them to embrace the new method of remitting fees to schools.

Kibet asked the government to listen to Kenyans by stopping the implementation of the new directive noting that a majority of national schools will not be able to beat the deadline set due to various challenges.

Wilson Rotich, a member of the Hills Schools primary parents association echoed Kibet’s sentiments saying there was an urgent need of all stakeholders to be involved in the discussion for fairness to be seen in the process.

“Majority of the parents and guardians especially from the far flung marginalized areas in the country have no knowledge of the eCitizen platform and they need proper information from the concerned authority,” said Rotich.