School Principals defy Fees guidelines and ask parents for extra levies

Principals of many secondary schools across the country have asked parents to pay extra school fees outside the official figures set by the Ministry of Education, citing inadequate allocation of funds by the government.

Classified revelations show that schools have devised various methods to charge the extra levies and avoid detection by auditors or punishment by the State.

Others have formalized the fees increase by making the parents approve the changes during annual general meetings.

In some cases, the illegal levies are deposited in accounts separate from the official ones that the MoE deposits money for schools. The levies are also never receipted.

“These hidden charges not tabulated in the fee structure have become a challenge to us, how to do we explain that to auditors. Fees increase and school amounts been paid in different school fees accounts but not indicated in the fees structure is something the Ministry of Education must address,” says Ndaragua MP George Gachagua.

The chair of the Senate Education Committee Joe Nyutu said parents countrywide are complaining of the school fees increases.

The extra levies often cater for things like remedial teaching, commonly referred to as motivation, purchase of school buses, uniforms at controlled outlets or construction of various facilities in schools.

Several Schools on the spot.

Parents from St Joseph Tigithi Boys High School (that is located in Laikipia Central Sub-County, in Laikipia County) have raised concerns over illegal hike in school fees. They say that on top of the official Term One fees of Sh20,268, they are required to pay an additional Sh1,500 towards purchase of solar panels, Sh1,200 for remedial teaching and Sh1,000 for bread.

There are a host of other schools that are charging the illegal levies. This is despite the Ministry of Education’s warning over the same.

Notably, some of the extra charges in schools have not followed the laid down guidelines.