• The Ministry of Education said in a circular that school heads can keep the money but ensure that it is considered part of second-term fees.
• The circular was signed by the Director of Secondary Education Paul Kibet on behalf of Education Principal Secretary Julius Jwan.
Image: JACK OWUOR
The government has ordered public secondary school heads to refund the extra fees levied on parents.
The Ministry of Education said in a circular that school heads can keep the money but ensure that it is considered part of second-term fees.
The circular was signed by the Director of Secondary Education Paul Kibet on behalf of Education Principal Secretary Julius Jwan.
The ministry noted that some schools impose extra levies on students and charge them upfront before crediting money paid as fees.
“Any fees collected above the revised guidelines be refunded or treated as prepayment of fees for continuing students,” the PS said.
The ministry directed the school heads to adhere to the provisions of the Basic Education Regulations 2015. They forbid school managers from increasing fees without the authority of the Cabinet secretary.
“Any school that desires to charge amounts above the stipulated fees must make a formal request to the Cabinet Secretary and will only charge after written authorization has been granted,” the circular added.
The ministry said where a lunch program is in place, it should be made optional and be reasonable because of the reduced term or academic year.
"You are notified that any unreported case(s) of a school(s) charging illegal levies will attract sanction on the responsible officer," the PS said.
This directive comes after parents and sponsors raised concerns over extra fees being charged apart from the stipulated school fees.
Magoha promised to deal with schools going against the directives set to reduce fees for the 2021-2022 academic year that has 39 weeks.
He asked parents to submit their reports to the director, secondary, at [email protected] for compiling and further processing.
County and subcounty directors of education were ordered to report to the principal secretary any school boards charging illegal levies.
Magoha announced a reduction in secondary school fees on June 16 due to the short 2021 school calendar. National schools were to charge Sh8,500 less while extra-county and county schools get Sh5,500 less.
The directive meant students in national schools would pay Sh45,054 while the extra-county and county schools take Sh35,035.
Public schools should only charge boarding and lunch fees, the rest like examination and tuition are paid by the government.
In total, each learner in all public secondary schools receives Sh22,244 per year under the government’s Free Day Secondary Education programme.
Of this, Sh9,400 is used for operations including personal emoluments (salaries and wages for BOM staff).
The first term of the 2021-22 academic year has 10 weeks and one-week holiday as students transit to the second term.
Learners are expected to have uninterrupted learning sessions beginning July 26 to October 1.