Cash cow? Parents furious over frequent school educational trips

AI illustration of a parent with mixed emotions during a school holiday

As schools across Kenya close for the August holidays, a storm is brewing online over what many parents have described as exploitative and excessive school trips.

While the Ministry of Education’s official closing date is set for August 4, several institutions have already shut their doors, but the growing number of costly, so-called “educational trips” appears to have left a bitter taste in the mouths of many parents.

Speaking out during heated discussions on X, many parents are questioning not only the legitimacy of the trips but also the motives behind them.

Many believe schools have turned them into a profit-making venture, with little to no educational value added.

The frustration shared by one parent in particular stood out.

“School directors and headteachers are shamelessly milking parents dry in the name of educational trips,” he lamented.

“In a single term, you might be hit with no less than three trips. The issue isn’t the trips themselves, it’s the outrageous charges.”

He recounted paying Sh5,500 for his daughter to visit Naivasha, only for the child to confess they never left the city -  the trip only included a stop at a bakery.

“A month later, the teacher demanded another Sh4,000 for a visit to the Giraffe Centre. That was it for me. After heated discussions in our parents' WhatsApp group, 80 per cent of us agreed not to pay for any more trips this term,” he said, adding that the school had been calling, saying his daughter was in tears. “Well, let her cry,” he said.

He shared another episode where they paid Sh4,000 for their child to visit the Animal Orphanage and Mamba Village, only for the child to return home hungry.

“They were not given any lunch, despite it being included in the fee. Teachers even eat the snacks the pupils are asked to carry.”

The anger has been compounded by broader frustrations over school funding.

The government has come under fire for slashing the capitation for free secondary education from the promised Sh22,244 to Sh16,900.

Some schools are reportedly closing ahead of schedule, citing financial strain.

One user, reacting to the trend, posted: “It’s end term and most schools are on trips. One parent said they paid Sh2,000 for an airport trip, only to find the children had just stood outside the fence watching planes take off. That was the trip.”

For many parents, the trips come just weeks after struggling to pay school fees.

“You pay fees, and three weeks later, you receive a letter with costly trip demands. Trips are good, yes — but some schools have turned it into an industry.”

Another frustrated parent revealed that their child had already attended two trips this term.

“How do you say no to your child? The depression that follows is real. Imagine paying Sh2,500 just to go see trains at Syokimau SGR.”

Some parents are resorting to creative measures. “A hack for parents,” one advised. “If your child says they’re paying for a trip, tell them you’ll take them yourself — or prepare them psychologically that you don’t pluck money from trees.”

Others took aim at a new trend where parents are asked to contribute towards “teacher motivation” trips.

“Schools are worse than corruption scandals. We’re being made to pay Sh6,000 to Sh10,000 for teacher holidays in Zanzibar, and I’ve never even been there myself,” one parent raged.

“Why should we fund their motivation? Isn’t that the employer’s job?”

A Form Four student’s sibling revealed they had paid Sh3,000 for a maths trip, Sh6,500 for home science in Eldoret, and Sh21,000 for a Mombasa tour — all in one term.

“And they still want extension fees for teachers,” they said. “They will finish us.”

Some critics went as far as to question the relevance of trips in the modern era.

“In this age of information technology, are trips even necessary?” one parent asked.

“Corruption is learnt in school at an early age.”

Amid the outrage, a handful of parents offered a more forgiving view. One wrote, “Let me just laugh in a way that pleases God. We’ve been to Mombasa severally times, but I still paid Sh20,000 for a school trip. I won’t complain — anything for my son, as long as he delivers results.”

Another said they had paid Sh36,000 for their Grade 4 son to attend a five-day trip to Mombasa this August.

“I’m told to give him Sh7,000 pocket money through the class teacher, then buy snacks and do shopping that’s already hit Sh13,000. But I’ll do it.”

As schools close and parents prepare for the start of the third term on August 25, the question remains: are these trips truly educational, or just another burden on already-stretched parents?