Education CS George Magoha has ordered headteachers in primary schools to halt charges levied on parents to cater for internal examinations.
Appearing before the National Assembly Education committee Thursday, Magoha termed the fees illegal.
He said the government provides Sh35 annually per child to facilitate the administration of internal examinations.
“I have given more than 30 orders, verbal and written, stopping the illegally charged fees and now it is upon the Teachers Service Commission to take action and some of those teachers have already been interdicted,” Magoha said.
Magoha further noted that the government has provided all State-owned primary schools with two laptops that should be used to facilitate the printing of examinations.
“Through, the Digital Learning Programme, all schools received two laptops per school and headteachers are encouraged to provide them to the teachers to be used in typing the internally set examinations,” Magoha said.
Magoha was responding to a question by Kilifi North legislator, Owen Baya, on the logic behind the charges shouldered on parents to cater for internal examination.
The members observed that, as it stands, a big number of schools are levying fees for internal examination.
Under the Free Primary Education program, Magoha noted that the government disburses Sh1,420 per pupil per year to all registered public primary schools in the Republic.
“The funds are disbursed to the individual schools’ bank accounts in three tranches. 50 per cent of the funds are disbursed in term 1, 30 per cent in term 2 and 50 per cent in term 3. The funds are meant to cater for termly internal examinations among other needs,” he said.
The CS also ordered that headteachers should not send students home for failure to pay such fees.
On whether the government has given any go-ahead on extra charges approved by the schools' Boards of Management, he said such fees should be on a voluntary basis.
Edited by D Tarus
