Pay third term school fees without further delays- CS Magoha tells parents
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha has ordered school heads across the country to ensure that all learners from abled families pay their third term school fee balances without delay.
Magoha, who appeared to have rescinded his last year’s warning against school heads sending students home over fee arrears, told principals to parents who have not cleared their school balances to do so.
In November last year, the CS cautioned school managers against sending learners home over school fees and urged them to explore dialogue with parents and guardians instead.
He at the same time said the government would not condone such acts from school heads whom he insisted had no authority at the moment to send home students.
The Education CS took a swipe at financially endowed parents for taking advantage of his earlier instructions and the Covid-19 pandemic to refuse to pay their fee balances.
He urged school heads to double-check and ensure students being sent home are not from poor families or whose parents lost jobs due to Covid-19.
This comes even as the government released Ksh 9.3 billion to all schools across the country to ensure smooth learning.
Ksh 2.8 billion is for primary schools and Ksh 6.5 billion for secondary schools.
Speaking at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) during the handing over of the multi-million Agricultural Laboratory (ALB) building which was funded by the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA), Magoha at the same time revealed that there were no challenges in the ongoing form one selection.
He said that the exercise is being fairly done and that priority will be given to bright students from informal settlements.
Meanwhile, JKUAT Vice Chancellor Victoria Ngumi lauded the Japanese government for the initiative which she said was done in partnership with the Kenyan government.
The renovation of the ALB building project, she said, is key to the research-based institution as what was there before was only adequate for the bachelor students.
She said that post graduate agricultural students will occupy the new building funded by JICA to the tune of Sh 70 million.
