The Auditor General has exposed some public school headteachers’ penchant for arbitrarily increasing school fees in total disregard of Ministry of Education fees guidelines.
The latest reports for the 2022 and 2023 financial years detail how principals, particularly those heading national schools, charge between Sh90,000 to Sh100,000 per year as tuition fees, excluding other requirements like uniform, games, development, construction, bus, trips, and swimming pool fees.
Principals demand that 50 percent of the total fees be paid on the first day a child reports to school, essentially locking out thousands of students from poor backgrounds.
This practice has been going on in total contravention of Regulation 44 of the 2015 Basic Education Regulations that provides that no public school or institution shall issue an alternative fees structure other than that approved by the Education Cabinet Secretary.
The regulations, which the ministry seems to be helpless in enforcing, are supposed to ensure that education is affordable and accessible to all Kenyans, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
However, a worrying number of principals, particularly at national schools known to perform well in national exams, have been flouting these regulations, increasing fees at will, and in some cases without consulting parents or school boards.
These increases are often unsubstantiated and inconsistent with the actual costs of running schools, creating unnecessary financial burdens for families.
While schools should remain operational and ensure quality education, they must do so within the framework set by the government.
The fee hikes violate the spirit of Kenya’s education policies, which aim to guarantee the right to education for every child.
Unless urgent intervention measures are made, education may soon become a preserve for a few rich individuals.
Save for the time Fred Matiang’i was Education Cabinet Secretary, successive holders of the Education docket seem to have decided to look the other way as parents are fleeced by heartless headteachers.
