Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has assured parents to that the Ministry is not planning to increase school fees for secondary schools in 2024.
Machogu spoke on Monday in Kikuyu Town, when he went to oversee the beginning of KCPE and KPSEA exams alongside President William Ruto. He said school fees for secondary schools will remain the same.
“Also to assure Kenyans that your government is not increasing the fees when they go to Form One and all of them who are here are going to be placed in Form One,” said Machogu.
Education CS noted that currently, national secondary schools and extra county schools charge Sh53,000 per year. While county secondary school learners will continue to pay Sh45,000 per annum.
“It is Ksh. 53,000 for national schools and extra-county schools and Ksh.45,000 for county schools and it is going to remain as such.”
Machogu further said there are enough spaces for Form One placements in high schools across the country. He added that as exams begin, he has received confirmation that the papers have been distributed to all exam centers across the country.
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The reported proposal was ostensibly seeking to alter fee amounts to an annual increment of Ksh.19,000 for high schools and Ksh.5,000 for day schools.
National Parents Association Chairman Silas Obuhatsa has also assured parents there is no fee increase. Obuhatsa said the government has not held any talks on fee increment.
“This is media propaganda which we as the National Parents Association are not aware of at all. When schools closed, students were sent home with the fee structure that had been in place before C19. This the Kilemi Mwiria taskforce proposed affordable fees for parents,” he said.
Parents had earlier raised concerns over pressure from principals seeking to increase school fees over the increased cost of living. The principals were reportedly employing underhand dealings such as increasing the cost of school uniforms and forcing parents to buy the supplies at specific shops.
According to KNEC, a total of 1,282,574 Grade 6 learners are sitting the KPSEA exam while some 1,415, 315 candidates are sitting the last KCPE exam. The exams will run for three days till Wednesday, November 1.
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