Parents opose state move to end exam fees waiver

Debate on whether the Government should stop paying examination fees for schools starting next year has elicited varied reactions from a section of Nyeri parents, with the majority rejecting the proposal.

On Saturday, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi had hinted that the Government was pondering over the possibility of discontinuing paying exam fees for candidates owing to rising budgetary constraints in the education sector.

Mbadi had also hinted that the State would only be paying examination fees for students from needy families.

“We have to review the cost in the sense of why we should pay for examinations for all students, including those in private schools. We should be subsidising examinations for those who cannot afford them, especially in public schools,” Mbadi said during an interview.

If effected, this new directive will affect pupils sitting for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), the Kenya Junior Education Assessment (KJSEA) and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

The CS, however, clarified that those sitting for their national exams this year would not be affected by the proposed changes.

The National Assembly Education Committee has already proposed an allocation of  Sh5.9 billion in the 2025/2026 budget to foot examination fees.

But some parents in Nyeri feel the plan would be an additional burden to already existing financial constraints.

They argue that such decisions could lock out hundreds of students from sitting for the examinations and, in the process, reverse the gains achieved so far in attaining 100 per cent transition from junior schools to secondary schools.

“We cannot let short-term budget cuts jeopardise our long-term national development goals. Scrapping examination fees for our children is akin to denying our children access to education and sabotaging their future,” Joseph Kabiru, a shopkeeper, said.

For Loise Waithera, freezing paying school examination fees would be a drawback to the education sector as it would lock out many deserving students from pursuing their goals later in life.

“As a country, we are walking backwards. The exam waiver was a big step in the education sector and restructuring it with no clear plans of improving it means we are retracting instead of moving forward,” she said.

Some residents have also questioned how the State would be in a position to determine those eligible for the subsidy from those who aren’t.

“How do you differentiate between deserving students from those who are well endowed? Whatever mechanism the Government plans to employ in implementing this policy will only end up creating confusion just like the new Higher Education Funding model. The problem is that there is no clear method to determine this,” Nannie Gabrie said.

Sabastian Omukunda, a food vendor in Nyeri town, suggested that needy students who rely on Government sponsorship may be left stranded in the event the Treasury stops sending money to the Kenya National Examinations to offset national examination fees.

“I am concerned about the needy students who are mainly sponsored and are in private schools or national schools. In case the sponsorship is withdrawn, can they still be considered eligible for the examination subsidy?’’ Omukunda posed.

“This entire restructuring will only create confusion, to say the least. I do not recommend it,” he said.

Other residents like Patrick Nderitu argued for what they termed equality, calling for the Government to ensure every Kenyan citizen enjoys government services without discrimination.

“Every parent in this country is a taxpayer; therefore, the government should keep funding for exams and put the tax we pay into good use. Even the rich pay taxes, so everyone should be equal in the eyes of the state,” said Patrick Nderitu, a matatu operator in Nyeri.

The exam fee waiver was introduced in 2015 by the government for public schools. It was later extended to private schools in 2017, giving free access to national exams for all students.    

Since 2020, the government has allocated approximately Sh5 billion annually to cover examination expenses for all candidates sitting for the now-defunct Kenya Certificate of Primary Education KCPE and KCSE.