The normal school calendar has resumed for primary and secondary schools across the country.
On Monday morning, parents were seen escorting their learners to school in various parts of the country.
The parents will be faced with a return to the normal school fees which had earlier been subsidised by the government.
“The calendar was disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the calendar will revert normally in January 2023,” a circular reads.
A section of parents told the Star that they are well prepared for the year, while other decried being burdened.
"I am glad the ministry communicated on time the changes in school fees, it gave parents around three months to plan ourselves," John said.
But Wycliffe whose daughter is joining Form 3 said he was already used to the subsidised fees, adding that he has to re-adjust his finances to fit in the new school fees demands.
"For two years I paid Sh45,000 but now I have to pay almost Sh54,000. I have had to change a lot in my expenditure," he said.
All pre-primary, primary and secondary schools opened on January 23 and will close on April 21 after 13 weeks.
Students will break for half term from June 29 to July 2 and spend their holiday from August 12 to August 27.
Third term will be from August 28 to November 11 while the December holiday will take place from November 3 to January.
KCPE national exam is scheduled for November 6 to 9 while the KCSE exam begins from November 10 to December 1 for three weeks.
Speaking in November 2022 at Wajir High School, Education Cabinet Ezekiel Machogu said the move to scrap the subsidy was occasioned by a return to normalcy in the school calendar.
"From January 23, we will have three terms the way it used to be before so the fees structure remains the same as that of two years ago," the CS said.
This is after a circular addressed to senior education officials indicated the changes in school fees.
"Anybody saying the figure has been changed, that is not here in Kenya. Changing school fees would need another task force," he said.
Due to the compressed school calendar which was occasioned by Covid-19, the ministry had reduced fees by Sh8,500.
According to a circular from the ministry, parents will have to pay Sh53,554 for national schools, as was before the reduction.
This will apply to national and extra county schools in seven counties.
The new guidelines were addressed to all county directors of education.
"The counties are Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Nyeri, Thika and Eldoret," the circular reads.
The new directive applies to boarding schools.
The ministry has also categorised the schools into category B.
Here, the government will provide an Sh22,244 subsidy, which is equal for learners in a day school.
"In order to meet the cost of boarding as well as maintenance and improvement parents will pay Sh40,535," the circular reads.
Currently, national Schools pay Sh45,054 while the extra county and county schools pay Sh35,035.
Extra county and county schools would pay Sh5,500 less.
