Schools across the country reopen for the new academic year today amid financial pressure on families and learning institutions.
The rising cost of living, a potential teachers' strike, a myriad of extra levies, and heavy rains witnessed in parts of the country spell a shaky start for the academic calendar.
Already, some schools have directed parents to ensure that they pay fees in full before learners report back.
A back-to-school text message seen by The Standard directed parents to ensure fees were paid before January 10.
Another school offered an alternative of accepting foodstuff as payment for those struggling to raise cash.
"Fees for Term 1 must be paid in full on or before opening day. Fees in kind, beans, maize, firewood, soap, will be delivered between 2/1/2024 and 5/1/2024," the back-to-school note reads.
In Naivasha Girls, parents have been asked to pay for remedial classes for the new academic year.
National Parents Association now wants the government to step in and save parents who have been left in confusion over opaqueness in the fees payable in boarding schools with some school heads imposing 'unsanctioned' levies.
School fees
"We want the government to make a pronouncement on the issue of school fees. Parents are paying way above what the ministry has set and there has not been action on any school head up to now," Silas Obuhatsa said.
He indicates that the extra levies for remedial classes, teacher motivation programmes, examination fees, and infrastructure levies have pushed up the fees paid in boarding schools.
Adding to the financial pressure, schools are also facing some changes and other familiar challenges that have plagued the institution in the past, including congestion, limited facilities and teacher shortages.
The reopening will see some 1.2 million pioneer students under the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) joining Grade 8 under the Junior Secondary School wing in primary school.
The class now replaces the defunct Standard 8 under the 8-4-4 education curriculum.
Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development chief executive Charles Ong'ondo indicated that the government has already distributed textbooks to be used in Grade 8.
Few subjects
Another change schools anticipate to execute as they reopen is the reduction in the number of subjects taught under CBC.
The change is in line with the recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms report unveiled on August 1.
The changes saw the number of subjects taught in lower primary (Grades 1-3) reduced from 9 to 7, in upper primary (Grades 4, 5 and 6) the subjects were reduced from 10 to 8 while in junior school, the learners will now take nine subjects down from 14.
"We have reviewed curriculum designs for the areas recommended by the presidential working party, but we have not released curriculum designs for creative arts, pre-technical studies and Agriculture and Nutrition due to rationalisation exercise," Ong'ondo said.
For secondary schools, the institutions anticipate a surge in numbers as they prepare to welcome over 1.4 million learners next week. The numbers are expected to stretch the already limited facilities.
However, it's also the last year schools will experience such high admissions.
This could see congestion reduce in secondary schools beginning in 2025 as the 8-4-4 system collapses in primary schools hence phasing out the hectic Form One admission.
However, the schools are struggling with pending bills from previous years and a shortage of teachers as those employed by the Boards of Management quit employment due to salary arrears.
Kahi Indimuli, the outgoing Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association chairman, says the pending bills and salary arrears stem had been occasioned by Sh54 billion the government owes schools as arrears of hoarded capitation in the last five years.
The heads now seek the government to consider clearing these arrears to help operations in the institutions
But the good news for the institutions is the release of school capitation monies before the reopening of schools, marking a turning point from the previous years the distribution has been clouded by delays.
Last Wednesday, the government announced that it had released Sh31 billion of the Sh60 billion for school capitation for the first term.
In a post on social platform X (formerly Twitter), State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed pointed out that the Treasury on Wednesday released Sh31.34 billion to primary, junior secondary and secondary schools under the 8-4-4.
The fund is distributed as follows: Sh4.74 billion will go to support the Free Primary Education programme, Sh7.60 billion for Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Sh16.20 billion for Free Day Secondary Education.
Also released is Sh2.80 billion for school examination and invigilation fees. The release of the capitation funds comes amid concern that the government is hoarding part of the capitation funds.
While the release of the capitation funds is a welcome relief for school heads, it may not be enough to alleviate all financial concerns.
Indimuli indicated that parents also need to make plans to meet school fees obligations.
He indicated that non-responsiveness in paying fees has seen schools sending learners back home to compel parents to meet the fee obligation.
"School heads are left in a very delicate situation as some parents who can afford to pay fees don't pay unless the schools send their children home," said Indimuli.
Indimuli urged parents who cannot pay school fees in full to make arrangements with school management.
"The economic situation we are in is quite bad for both parents and schools but parents must pay fees and thus should get into an arrangement to ensure that happens," Indimuli said.
Also challenging the reopening of schools is the ongoing heavy rainfall in some parts of the country.
According to the National El Nino Emergency and Disaster Response Command Centre, at least 7,878 learning institutions have been affected by the El Nino rains as of January 5, 2024.
The Education Ministry has not issued any direction on how teaching and learning will be done in the affected areas and schools.
However, the rains could see some learners in the affected institutions forced to remain home or move to other schools.
Teaching in Junior Secondary Schools also could be affected by threats to strike by teachers under internship contracts.
The thousands of intern teachers have threatened not to resume duty in January unless the government employs them on permanent and pensionable terms as per an earlier agreement.
The threat, if made good, could disrupt teaching and learning in JSSs that largely depend on intern teachers.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) hired 46,000 intern teachers last year to bridge the gap in its bid to address the challenge of the shortage of teachers. Of these, 21,500 were deployed to JSS.
However, the commission indicated that the interns will have to serve two consecutive years on the internship before they are employed on permanent and pensionable terms.
However, the interns have been uncomfortable with the arrangement. They said they are qualified and registered with TSC and do not understand why they are being treated as those still in college training, getting a stipend, not a salary.
Schools will also be opening in the wake of the collapse of the school medical cover that has been in place for the last four-and-a-half years.
The cover, also known as EduAfya comprehensive medical insurance for secondary school students, ended effective December 31, leaving parents and educators to figure out solutions amid the fears of the potential impact on students' well-being.
Adopted in May of 2018, the end of the medical cover now raises questions of why a project of such a noble and important cause would be eliminated and the fate of students with existing and undetected chronic conditions.
