Why principals are happy with fees directive

Irene Githinji and Dennis Lumiti

Monday’s directive by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha that parents clear outstanding fee arrears could not have come at a better time for secondary school principals.

For majority of school heads currently grappling with the enormous challenge of running institutions with limited resources, the announcement was music to their ears.

It has been a delicate balancing act for principals as they struggle to run institutions while observing policy frameworks set out by ministry to the letter.

Secondary school principals have found themselves in a fix, ranging from delayed disbursement of capitation funds to huge school fees arrears.

It is against this backdrop that retired principal Moses Kulabi Lumiti yesterday described Magoha’s directive as timely, saying school administrators have been having a rough time owing to inconsistent support from government.

“Government interference in running of schools has reached alarming levels and this is taking a toll on principals and boards of managements,” said Lumiti, who served as Cheptais Boys Principal.

“For instance, the government wants to offer free education yet it lacks the capacity to do so and that is why I support Magoha’s directive that somebody must pay for the service,” he added.

He recalled that in the past, the government would channel bursary funds directly to the institutions whose boards would identify needy cases and fund them.

“The decision to politicise these funds by channeling them through Constituency Development Fund offices has created a big problem.

How do you, for instance, give Sh3,000 to a needy student whose school fees is over 40,000? Who will pay the balance?” he posed.

He also termed it as improper for government to select Form One students for schools without considering the infrastructure available.

On Monday, Magoha directed school heads to ensure parents with fee arrears clear them immediately.

“Parents who are still refusing to pay the balance of their third term school fees, please pay up that fee without further delay.

A majority who are not paying fees can afford to pay,” said Magoha, speaking on the day students returned to their schools after the mid-term break.

Yesterday, thousands of learners were sent home over school fees arrears as principals moved to enforce Magoha’s directive.

Exclusion from class 

In Vihiga county, for instance, several schools including Ebulonga Secondary, Chavakali High, Mumboha Secondary, Moses Mudavadi Girls, Vihiga Boys, Nyang’ori High School and Ebusakami Secndary sent learners home over outstanding fees.

“We have been forced to take this action because these students owe the school huge amounts; our hands were tied because of the ministry’s policy which prohibited us from sending home students over fee balances but with the minister’s directive, we can now do that,” said the Principal of Ebulonga Secondary School, Eliud Inyanga.

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) secretary-general Wilson Sossion lamented the tough environment most school principals were operating in.

He said Magoha should go a step further and give room for imposition of some harsh measures for parents who refuse to pay fees, like exclusion from class for their children.

“The CS’s statement is right that some parents are deliberately refusing to pay fees.

It is the responsibility of principals to oversee schools and they require proper facilitations to avoid getting schools into chaos,” Sossion told People Daily yesterday.

Sossion demanded that besides compelling parents to clear outstanding fees, organisations disbursing bursaries to needy students should do so in good time to ensure smooth learning.

“Funds owed to schools must be paid and in good time so that they can run. There are so many procurement challenges and if suppliers are not paid in time, they will stop delivery of services,” he said.

The union boss said there has been laxity in paying school fees with the worst affected being boarding schools.

He similarly called on the government to honour timelines for disbursing capitation since it has been clearly set out.

“It is an agreed position that schools receive 50 per cent of capitation during first term, 30 per cent in second term and the remainder should be disbursed for third term… disburse money on time because a delay leaves schools with accruing debts running into billions,” Sossion added.

He warned that the government policy on one hundred transition from primary school to secondary school will fail if the government doe not release funds on time and allow schools to crack down on fees defaulters.

Two serving secondary school principals who sought anonymity for fear of reprisals complained that the tough government imposed guidelines on handling cases of indiscipline in schools had contributed greatly to acts of disobedience in learning institutions.

“Today, I as the principal cannot suspend or even expel a student, say for smoking bhang or even stealing.

I’m instead required to address the case in such a way that the student’s learning is not in any way interfered with.

It is such a tedious process as it involves the board of management and even the county director of education in extreme cases,” lamented one principal of an extra county school in western Kenya.   

Populist directive

“Only the ministry is allowed to expel a student, not a head teacher or even the school board, it is, therefore, impossible to instil discipline,” said another principal of a day school in Nairobi.

Sossion concurred that school heads have had challenges addressing indiscipline issues, since they have to fully abide by policy guidelines on how to deal with such cases. 

He said there is need to deliberate on how to handle indiscipline in schools, adding that there has been a spike in such cases since schools reopened after the prolonged closure occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have obvious post Covid-19 challenges and we need to address this problem in a new way. It may require review of disciplinary measures to more appropriate methods,” he added.

Educationist Jasper Ondimu echoed Sossion’s sentiments, saying Magoha’s previous directive of not sending learners away over fees arrears was a populist decision and in bad taste.

“Initially when the CS directed that principals should not send away learners because of fees, some of us found that proclamation a populist directive, which was playing into parents’ gallery because the reality of the matter is that school principals cannot run schools when they do not have funds,” said Ondimu.

He noted that unless the policy on school fees is relaxed, some schools could grind to a halt due to lack of money.

“The principals are suffering in schools. They need to provide food, pay Board of Management teachers and support staff. The effects of not paying school fees on time have now been felt,” said Ondimu.