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THIS IS WHY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS WANT TO HIKE SECONDARY SCHOOL FEES IN JANUARY 2020
REASONS WHY PRINCIPALS ARE LOBBYING TO HIKE SCHOOLS FEES IN 2020
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Kenyan parents may be forced to dig deeper into their pockets to meet the extra secondary school fees as from January next year if the government yields to their demands.
EXTERNAL LINKS WITH RELATED CONTENT
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001352339/heads-of-schools-lobby-to-hike-fees
According to KESSHA Chair Kahi Indimuli, many Kenyan public secondary schools are wallowing in debt due to insufficient funds remitted by the government and parents or guardians as school fees. He said this in Mombasa on 6th December 2019.
This move comes a few days after the Ministry of Education allowed principals to solicit for funds from parents/guardians and other well-wishers to support the development of schools’ infrastructure.
REASONS WHY SCHOOL HEADS WANT TO INCREASE SCHOOL FEES IN JANUARY 2020
If you are wondering why heads are demanding for more secondary school fees, here are the reasons
1. HUGE DEBTS
According to Kahi Indimuli, the current chair of the Kenya Association of Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA), many secondary schools in Kenya are currently wallowing in huge debts since the set secondary school fees by The Ministry of Education is not enough to run schools effectively.
Besides, this school fees was set “decades” ago (in 2014) and since then the cost of essential things has gone up due to inflation.
Indimuli thus suggested that fees should be increased if secondary schools have to crawl out of their huge debt dungeons.
2. MEAL CARDS
In a bid to escape huge debts, some schools especially those with over 1000 students have been forced to introduce meal cards to tame students who have not paid school fees from sneaking in their plates during meal times.
This is a clear indication that secondary schools are straining to meet their daily costs.
3. HIGH COST OF LIVING
It is crystal clear that since the year 2014 when the Ministry of Education capped secondary school fees, the cost of living has skyrocketed.
This, therefore, means that if schools have to effectively run their budget, they will have to increase school fees since the cost of essential things such as grains, vegetables, flour and oil has also gone up.
4. DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, DIFFERENT NEEDS
Mr Indimuli further argued that schools have got different needs.
This is true since Kenyan secondary schools are classified into various categories and clusters that make them unique.
A school in town, for instance, will not have similar needs to that of a school in rural areas.
Besides, the 18 traditional national schools are likely to have more needs than the newly established national schools since they incur utility costs like maintaining swimming pools, a dimension overlooked by the Government during capitation.
Mr Indimuli suggested that the state should either raise its capitation or offer concession in the payment of utility bills.
5. 100% TRANSITION
Mr Indimuli also cited the 100% transition policy as another key reason as to why they are rallying to have secondary school fees raised in 2020.
He added that the extra school fees cannot be shunned if the 100% transition policy by the Kenyan Government has to be sustained.
KESSHA has already forwarded the proposal detailing the challenges schools are facing.
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Indimuli also noted that this move has sent jitters in Kenyan parents, so he sought to calm their nerves saying that the proposal will not go through without their approval.
He said that it will not be a replica of the 1990s when infrastructure fees was mandatory.
BELOW IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE CURRENT SECONDARY SCHOOL FEES SET BY THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND THE PROPOSED NEW SCHOOL FEES RATES FOR ALL CATEGORIES OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS
BELOW IS A BREAK-DOWN OF THE NEW PROPOSED SCHOOL FEES BY PRINCIPALS
TABLE 1: NEW SCHOOL FEES PROPOSAL
| CATEGORY OF SCHOOL | MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
2020 SET SCHOOL FEES |
SUBSIDY BY
THE GOVERNMENT |
AMOUNT TO BE
PAID BY PARENTS |
PROPOSED SCHOOL
FEES BY PRINCIPALS |
SUBSIDY BY
THE GOVERNMENT |
NEW PROPOSED AMOUNT TO BE PAID BY PARENTS |
| NATIONAL SCHOOLS | 75, 798 | 22, 244 | 53, 554 | 91, 646 | 22, 244 | 69, 402 |
| EXTRA COUNTY SCHOOLS CATEGORY A (WITHIN BIG TOWNS) | 75, 798 | 22, 244 | 53, 554 | 91, 646 | 22, 244 | 69, 402 |
| EXTRA COUNTY SCHOOLS CATEGORY B- IN OTHER AREAS | 62, 779 | 22, 244 | 40, 535 | 80, 452 | 22, 244 | 58, 208 |
| COUNTY SCHOOLS | 62, 779 | 22, 244 | 40, 535 | 70, 216 | 22, 244 | 47, 972 |
TABLE 2: THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION’S SET SECONDARY SCHOOL FEES
HERE IS THE 2020 FEES STRUCTURE FOR DAY SECONDARY SCHOOLS
2020 SCHOOL FEE STRUCTURE FOR DAY SCHOOLS IN KENYA
| VOTE HEADS | PARENT | GOK (AMOUNT IN KSHS) |
| TEACHING/ LEARNING MATERIALS AND EXAMS | 0 | 4, 144 |
| MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT | 0 | 5, 000 |
| OTHER VOTE HEADS-LT $T, ADM., EWC, P.E | 0 | 9, 400 |
| ACTIVITY FEES | 0 | 1, 500 |
| MEDICAL AND INSURANCE | 0 | 2, 000 |
| SMASSE | 0 | 200 |
| TOTAL SCHOOL FEES | 0 | 22, 244 |
TOWN SCHOOLS
The maximum fees for all national and extra county secondary schools located in major towns has been capped at Kshs 75, 798 PER YEAR.
The Government is planning to subsidise this fee with Kshs 22, 244. The rest of the amount should be raised by the parent or guardian.
BOARDING SCHOOLS
The Kenyan Government will also facilitate the education of each learner in boarding school equal to the capitation offered for learners in day schools.
The parents will have to cater for boarding fees applicable to different categories of schools and their location.
THE FOLLOWING TABLES SHOW THE BOARDING SCHOOLS’ FEES STRUCTURES FOR VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF SCHOOLS BASED ON LOCATION
BOARDING SCHOOLS’ MINISTRY OF EDUCATION FEES STRUCTURE FOR CATEGORY A
Category A schools include all National schools, extra county secondary schools located in the following major towns: Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Nyeri, Kisumu, Thika and Eldoret.
| VOTE HEAD | GOK | PARENT | TOTAL |
| TEACHING/LEARNING MATERIALS AND EXAMS | 4, 144 | 0 | 4, 144 |
| BOARDING EQUIPMENT AND STORES | 0 | 30, 385 | 30, 385 |
| MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT | 5, 000 | 2, 000 | 7, 000 |
| OTHER VOTE HEADS | 9, 400 | 20, 371 | 29, 771 |
| ACTIVITY FEES | 1, 500 | 798 | 2, 298 |
| MEDICAL AND INSURANCE | 2, 000 | 0 | 2, 000 |
| SMASSE | 200 | 0 | 200 |
| TOTAL AMOUNT | 22, 244 | 53, 554 | 75, 798 |
BOARDING SCHOOL FEES FOR SCHOOLS IN CATEGORY B
Category B secondary schools include boarding schools located in other areas except Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Eldoret, Mombasa, Nyeri, and Thika
| VOTE HEAD | GOK | PARENT | TOTAL |
| TEACHING/LEARNING MATERIALS AND EXAMS | 4, 144 | 0 | 4, 144 |
| BOARDING EQUIPMENT AND STORES | 0 | 25, 385 | 25, 385 |
| MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT | 5, 000 | 2, 000 | 7, 000 |
| OTHER VOTE HEADS | 9, 400 | 12, 900 | 22, 300 |
| ACTIVITY FEES | 1, 500 | 250 | 1, 750 |
| MEDICAL AND INSURANCE | 2, 000 | 0 | 2, 000 |
| SMASSE | 200 | 0 | 200 |
| TOTAL AMOUNT | 22, 244 | 40, 535 | 62, 779 |
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