The Kenya National Parents Association has expressed opposition to a recent proposal by secondary school headteachers to increase school fees.
Association’s national chairman Nicholas Maiyo says with the current economic situation in the country and a condensed education calendar, an increase in the fees will be adding more burden to the parents.
Speaking to Uasin Gishu News, Maiyo maintained that parents will pay nothing more than the reduced fees that they had agreed with the Ministry of Education during the current education calendar.
With the condensed calendar that has four terms in a bid to recover lost time during the Covid-19 pandemic, parents and the Ministry of Education agreed to reduce school fees.
“The fee we will pay is the reduced one, any other guideline we will not accept until 2023. And the review of the school fees must involve all of us, not just principles sitting somewhere,” Maiyo said.
The headteachers who are currently meeting in Mombasa have proposed a fee increment of Ksh8,000 for students in boarding schools to cushion schools from the acute financial stress they are facing.
They also want government capitation raised from the current Ksh22,244 to Ksh30,000 per child.
“Teachers gave their proposal to increase fees and we as parents have been through many challenges. It is a tough period and as an association, we do not support the proposal to increase the fees,” said the parents association chair.
“Not even a cent will be added to the fees. We’re paying four terms this year, and with the current economic situation, we will not accept an increase,” Maiyo added.
The first term for the 2022 calendar year starts on April 25, 2022, and will come to an end on July 1, 2022.
Term two will be from mid-July to Mid September, with the third term expected to run between September 26, 2022, and November 25, 2022.
The normal education calendar of three terms in a year resumes in 2023.
