School fees shocker as Form One parents forced to part with more

Kenya: The new secondary school fees guidelines are a sham and students are being forced to pay more by schools that have found new ways of going around the ceilings set by the Government.

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said inspectors would be dispatched to survey Form One admissions and warned principals charging exorbitant fees that they would be dealt with individually.

“Our team is doing rounds and individual persons shall take responsibility because that is unacceptable,” Kipsang told  The Standard on Tuesday when asked about select fees structures in our possession.

Parents had hoped their burden would ease after a Government Task Force recommended drastic cuts in fees, but those taking their children to join Form One this week were confronted with hefty demands.

Kipsang said although consultations on the new rates are ongoing within Government, schools must enforce circulars already issued that abolished extra fees and other levies that drive up the cost of education.

Nationwide inquiries by The Standard established that some national schools were charging in excess of Sh100,000 per year, while Extra County schools were demanding between Sh60,000 and Sh80,000.

Apart from tuition fees, other levies contributing to the high fees include charges for boarding, equipment and stores, salaries, caution money, motivation fees, activity fees, Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) development levies, school insurance and capacity building fees, among others.

For instance,  parents of students joining Form One at Maseno School, a national school, have to part with at least Sh120,000 this year.

 GAMES FEES

According to the school’s fees structure approved by the Board of Management (BOM) and Parents Teachers Association (PTA), parents are expected to pay a total of Sh88,523 - Sh45,747 (first term), Sh28,518 (second term) and Sh14, 259 for third term.

About Sh38,160 will cater for boarding, Sh20,731 for tuition and Sh11,348 for repairs, maintenance, improvement, electricity, water and conservancy.

Inquiries showed Kapsabet Boys, also a national school, is charging more than Sh120,000 for those joining Form One.

The figure includes Sh90,000 for tuition and boarding and an over Sh30,000 for games equipment, books, uniforms and bedding.

At Mama Ngina Girls High School in Mombasa, the fees is pegged at Sh93,493. Parents were asked to pay Sh3,300 as motivation fees, Sh2,100 for remedial classes and Sh25,000 in development fees.

Local travelling and transport has been capped at Sh1,343 and boarding fees at Sh27,307.

Nairobi School fees is Sh96,280, including Sh16,000 for projects, Sh1,440 for computer and Sh240 for swimming pool.

 Maranda High School parents are expected to pay Sh82,300. The amount includes Sh47,457 as boarding fees, Sh4,000 as PTA Development fees and activity fees (Sh1,490). A bus fund of Sh2,000 has also been requested.

Lenana School fees is Sh88,000. Parents will pay project fees amounting to Sh12,000, Sh5,500 for PTA Fund and academic fees of Sh1,800.

At Loreto High School, Limuru, students will have to pay up to Sh77,480 this year.

 ACTIVITY FEE

Parents will pay boarding equipment and stores fees of Sh28,540, repairs, maintenance and improvement (Sh3,900), electricity water and conservancy (Sh9,000), local travel and transport (Sh5,900), contingencies (Sh3,900), salaries (Sh15,000), activity fee (Sh2,390) medical (Sh1,050).

The school is also charging parents for District SMASSE Fund, gratuity, computer, PTA insurance and capacity building programmes, all totalling to Sh9,490 per year.

In Extra County schools, parents at Precious Blood Secondary School will pay Sh82,522 this year. Boarding fees has been pegged at Sh31,000.

Upper Hill School in Nairobi wants parents to pay Sh78,720 this year, including Sh34,082 boarding fees and Sh11,765 development fees.

For county schools, Aquinas High School (Nairobi) is charging Sh82,304 and Pumwani Secondary School (Sh62,371). Additionally, there are school project fees of Sh13,000.

Nembu Girls High School (Nairobi) has a fees structure of Sh74,168, including Sh10,000 for classroom construction and a PTA fund of Sh5,000.

And St Joseph’s School, Rapogi parents will part with Sh61,725.

Parents with children at Gataragwa Girls High School will pay up to Sh39,887 this year, including boarding equipment and stores (Sh22,494).

Kakamega High School parents are paying up to Sh93,000.

National Parents Association chairman Musau Ndunda yesterday asked Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi to rein in on schools.

“This is unacceptable and he must ensure schools reduce fees,” he said.

Civil society activists and parents protested outside Jogoo House to push the Education ministry  to revoke all secondary schools fees structures.

 SECURITY FEES

In a circular released last year, Kipsang said all extra fees and other levies approved by Boards of Management and Parents and Teachers Associations be suspended.

“All public schools must adhere to the policy of one project at a time. All non-essential levies such as admission fees, interview fees, security fees, motivational or educational improvement fees be banned with immediate effect,” reads the circular signed by Kipsang.

 

The school report commissioned by the Ministry of Education recommends that day schools (Sub-County schools) fee is fixed at Sh13,708 annually.

Boarding schools should charge Sh41,574 per year as parents with children in special schools would only be required to pay Sh35,435 annually.

These new rates factor in the annual Government subsidy of Sh13,000 per student.

In 2008, the ministry revised school fees for all public boarding schools. They had to charge Sh18,435 annually.