The government has sent a stun warning against high school principals for soliciting extra school fees from parents on the eve of week one after form one students joined.
A letter sent to the Regional, County and Sub County Directors of Education by Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, reverberates a warning to all school heads who risk administrative action for charging illegal levies.
Parents have been complaining about children being sent back home to collect unaccounted-for fees.
“Sub-county Directors of Education have been instructed to visit all the schools in their jurisdiction to establish whether students are being sent away due to unauthorised levies and forward such cases for administrative action by 10th February, 2023,” reads the letter in part.
Regulation 44 of the Basic Education Act, 2013 states that no public school or institution shall issue alternative fee structure other than those approved by the Cabinet Secretary.
Kipsang wants respective directors to ensure that no public school charges unauthorised levies such as admission fees, desks and lunch unless the school has a previously authorised lunch programme for the whole school.
“Ministry continues to receive complaints from aggrieved parents/guardians and other stakeholders on the unauthorized levies imposed by head teachers especially admission fees, purchase of desks and lunch money in complete contravention of the government policies and directives.”
The government has already allocated a capitation grant of Ksh.15,000 per child following the approval of guidelines for the implementation of Junior Secondary Education
