PS Kipsang Warns School Heads Over Lunch Fee As Targeted Testing Commences At Maranda High

Basic Education Permanent Secretary (PS) Dr. Belio Kipsang warned heads of schools that lunch in secondary schools is optional. The PS also urged school heads not to use it as a reason to send students home in case their parents do not pay.

“Arrangements for Lunch in day secondary schools is not a must, said Dr. Belio Kipsang as he added that students should not be excluded if parents fail to pay.

Dr. Belio’s statement comes at a moment in time when schools are struggling to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schools reopened partially last month after the government closed in March to mitigate the impact of the virus. The government also released Sh. 3,725 for each learner to the operations account and just a shilling to the tuition account.

On the first day of the reopening of Grade Four, Class Eight and Form Four learners, CS Magoha directed all school heads not to send learners home for school fees. 

“I plead with our principals and headteachers to ensure they do not send children home on account of school fees. This applies to both public and private schools,” said Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha.

Targeted Testing

The Ministry of Health is working hard to do targeted testing at Maranda High School, Siaya County. The move comes after a student tested positive for coronavirus.

Kennedy Orwenjo, the County Director of Public Health indeed confirmed one COVID-19 case in the school at the weekend.

The student who tested positive for COVID-19 is in isolation at the Bondo sub-county Hospital.

However, Orwenjo told Ramogi that some students will not undergo testing as Siaya County cannot test more than 600 candidates who are in the school as they cannot afford to do so based on the equipment. He said that the targeted testing began on Tuesday and results for the samples determined.

The County Director brushed off claims that one teacher from the institution is under isolation. 

The Maranda issue comes amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country and schools. On Monday, Tononoka Secondary school Principal Khamis Mohammed succumbed to complications related to coronavirus. 

The Tononoka Secondary School principal died barely a week after coronavirus cases led to the closure of three schools in Mombasa to allow for fumigation.