Ministry warns school heads over illegal fees charged to parents

The Ministry of Education has once again put school heads on notice over illegal levies charged to parents.

It warned that disciplinary action would be taken against principals who ignore government fee guidelines.

Basic Education PS Julius Bitok on Tuesday told MPs that the ministry will act against school heads who continue to disregard the gazetted fees across all levels of basic education.

Bitok said the ministry is using all available mechanisms, including field officers, to deal with principals who are defying the government and charging extra levies.

He was responding to queries by MPs Elijah Kururia (Gatundu North) and Mary Emase (Teso South) during a session of the National Assembly Committee on Education.

The MPs accused some school heads of charging up to Sh9,000 a year through what they described as a performance improvement levy of Sh3,000 per term.

Emase cited a case in her constituency where a needy student sponsored by Family Bank went on half-term break with a letter requiring them to return with an additional Sh27,000 in fees, contrary to government policy.

“There is what they are calling performance improvement, Sh3,000 per term, that is Sh9,000 a year. They also have the board teacher employment levy and another amount, and in total it adds up to Sh27,000,” Emase said.

She added that the money is collected at the school gate when learners return from the break.

“If not, the child will be sent back home. So is it the ministry that has given that directive to allow principals to add more money on top of what has been set?” Emase asked.

The MP also questioned accountability for the amounts paid in public institutions and whether they are audited.

To demonstrate the scale of the charges, Emase said the unnamed national school has 1,183 students in the Grade 10 stream. She estimated that the amount collected could be about Sh27 million, although the figure could rise to nearly Sh32 million for one stream alone.

“Why are we killing parents? We raised this issue in Naivasha during the committee retreat and the CS promised to issue a directive, a letter to all principals, within two weeks. Has any action been taken by the ministry, starting with this one that I am going to forward the letter?” Emase asked.

A parent in a school in Homa Bay county, who opted not to be named, shared a similar case.

In the school where their child is currently in Form 4, they are required to pay Sh9,000 per year for “teachers’ motivation”. The amount was increased from Sh6,000 last year.

Clive Gisairo also pressed the PS to explain why the ministry had not enforced the approved fee structure to stop the exploitation of parents.

In his response, Bitok said after the Naivasha meeting, Education CS Julius Ogamba gazetted the fees for all levels of basic education.

Under the new framework, day senior schools no longer require parents to pay fees.

The government covers Sh4,144 per learner for tuition, Sh1,500 for activities, Sh2,000 for medical and insurance and Sh200 for Strengthening of Mathematics and Science Education (Smasse).

“The gazette notice is there. I want to reaffirm that action was taken. However, on this particular case, I will take decisive, immediate action on that principal,” Bitok said.

The issue of extra levies has remained contentious, with some principals accused of defying ministry directives.

Last month, Ogamba cautioned principals against imposing levies during the admission of learners and warned of legal and administrative action.

Speaking in an interview on January 20, the CS said the government had deliberately digitalised admission of learners to eliminate loopholes that allow extra charges.

He urged parents and learners to report any principal or school official who asks for bribes or additional levies during admission.

“If a principal asks you for that kind of money, let us know. Report it to the next police station or our education officers so that action can be taken,” Ogamba said.

“Extra levies are not supposed to be charged on parents. It is something I have gazetted, and the principals are aware that it is illegal and irregular,” he added.

However, he noted that exemptions can only apply to charges agreed upon by parents during an annual general meeting. Even then, school heads must seek and obtain approval from the Ministry of Education before introducing additional charges.

Ogamba had in June last year also warned of disciplinary action against any school head found charging fees beyond what has been stipulated by the ministry.

The issue was also prevalent in the previous administration, when former Education CS George Magoha directed county and subcounty directors to report schools charging illegal fees not indicated in admission letters.

At the same time, Kururia questioned whether the ministry has a system to ensure that bursaries paid for students are deducted from the budgeted amount per learner.

“You budget Sh22,000 per student in day secondary schools. NG-CDF Board has allowed 40 per cent of NG-CDF to go to education and MPs are giving bursaries,” Kururia said.

“Do you have a mechanism to know how many students get money from NG-CDF and do you deduct this amount from the budget allocation, or does all that money go to the principal and he eats all of it?”

The MP also said there is a need for a system to coordinate the various bursaries to ensure that some students do not receive excess funding.

Bitok said the issue is under review under the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, which is expected to coordinate the various bursaries.