Thousands of Students Sent Home for Fees as Examinations Loom
Thousands of students have been sent home to collect school fees across the country a few days after schools resumed for the third term.
This is set to affect the progress of this year’s candidates as they prepare for the upcoming national examinations which are set to start in the coming month.
Even though the government claimed that they have released capitation payments, school administrators have revealed that their schools are indeed still low on finances.
Schools reopened last week after a one-week break but pupils have been seen going home across the country over non-compliance with fees payment.
However, many parents have claimed that some school administrators are not sympathetic to their financial problems as they send learners home demanding full payment of tuition, contrary to guidelines issued by the government in previous times.
Research done by Teacher.co.ke has revealed that the affected pupils attend both day and boarding schools.
One of the parents revealed that his two children from Lwanya Girls Secondary and one from Sirikhaya Secondary were sent home to collect school fees.
At least 500 Form Two students at Chavakali Boys in Vihiga County were sent home for school fees arrears accrued since the start of the school year.
The administration of the school is considering sending home more learners from other classes because it has become impossible to run the school in the current circumstances.
Sane Girls Secondary School in Tana River County saw all students being sent home on the day they reported with all students had outstanding fees being sent home.
In Kakamega School, Principal Gerald Orina said that he had convinced parents to pay Form Four pupil’s fees before the second term in order to not disturb learners in their preparations for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
However, he also revealed that learners who will not have paid school fees by Friday shall be sent home.
Principal Secretary for Early Learning and Basic Education Julius Jwan told Nation that funds had been released by the government but had not reached schools as at that time.
He revealed that Kshs. 16.3 Billion was allocated to secondary schools while primary schools got allocated Kshs. 1.37 billion.
Njeru Mutani, the branch executive secretary of the Kenya National Union of Teachers said that keeping pupils in school without sufficient food could lead to student unrest.
However, some schools in Kericho and Bomet Counties did not send home students for school fees because they feared the wrath of the government
Parents have been accused of exploiting the directive of not sending home fees to their advantage with some electing not to pay school fees at all.
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