Magoha speaks out over school fees hike
Irene Githinji and Henry Andanje
Schools re-open today for the first term, amid a stern warning from the Ministry of Education to headteachers and principals against increasing fees.
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha has warned school managements against increasing school fees, saying the government had set out guidelines that everyone must observe.
Failure to do that, the CS warned, will lead to dire consequences.
“I hear some people say the CS has increased school fees and I ask myself, where has this come from?
If we find anyone sending a child a home, for example because they have not paid lunch money then we will come down on you like a ton of bricks,” said the CS.
Magoha made the remarks on Friday when he commissioned the Wings to Fly scholarship by the Equity Bank Foundation for 1,125 needy candidates.
School access
“Let me be clear to head teachers and principals that every child should be given unfettered access to school as required by government, financial issues will be sorted out later,” the CS said.
And in Busia, the County Director of Education Thaddeus Owuor yesterday warned that legal action will be taken against principals of secondary schools in the county, found charging parents school fees against recommendations of Ministry of Education.
Owuor told principals to only receive the amount recommended by the ministry saying it is illegal to charge parents extra levies and those found culpable will not be spared by law.
“It is illegal for principal’s to charge parents extra levies which has not been recommended by the Education ministry, we will be on the look out and those found doing so will not be spared,” he warned.
Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong echoed similar sentiments saying a meeting for education stakeholders and professionals should be convened to address problems affecting the sector and how to improve education standards.
