Many parents are taking their children for admission to Form 1 with half of the required school fees or less.
Heads of secondary schools say the inability of parents of Form 1 students to meet fees obligations is unusual.
The admissions end on Friday and schools demand that parents pay at least 50 per cent of the annual fees.
The schools have adopted a 50:30:20 model of payment of fees in percentages distributed across the first, second and third terms.
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairman Indimuli Kahi on Tuesday said fewer parents are honouring their fee payment obligations than was the case in previous years.
"Some are paying just half of the required amount but schools are trying to be lenient to work out a payment plan with the parents instead of turning the students back," Kahi said.
He said the low payment of fees by the new parents must be because of the economic hit from the Covid-19 pandemic.
In national schools, admission letters sampled by the Star show management demanded Sh35,000.
Extra county and county schools demand Sh22,000 in fees for admission.
Kenya Parents Association chairman Nicholas Maiyo on Tuesday told the Star that some schools have accepted two installments for Term 1 fees.
"They have asked the parents to ensure that the Form 1 fees are cleared on or during the mid-term of Term 1," Maiyo said.
The Form 1 class is set to go for the mid-term break at the end of August.
On Tuesday, Education CS George Magoha said principals should keep all the learners who report to their schools. He said this will ensure no class time is lost during the shortened academic calendar.
"Principals should dialogue with parents of learners with fee balances to find practical ways of clearing any arrears," he said.
"More fundamentally, principals must strictly adhere to new Ministry of Education guidelines on school fees that were issued based on the 30-week school calendar."
Magoha said any additional fees outside of the official guidelines will not be tolerated.
"Parents and all stakeholders must ensure that all Form 1 students report to their secondary schools given that the government has already released funding to support learning activities for Term One, 2021," he added.
The Education ministry Tuesday released Sh17 billion to public schools to support operations for the next three months.
Of this, Sh2.62 billion is meant for learners in primary schools, while Sh14.85 billion is to support secondary school students.
The government barred schools from sending students home for fee arrears.
Magoha, in a statement, said schools should look for a consensus with the parents on a payment plan.
(edited by o. owino)
