Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has warned public day schools’ administration from charging extra levies for children joining junior secondary schools (JSS).
As Grade Seven learners reported to school today across the country, the CS said the government funding of the JSS was sufficient to take care of all the needs of the learners.
“There’s no money for registration. No principal, no board of management, no parents association, no person will be authorised to come up with unnecessary levies as registration fees,”
“I have seen some newspapaer reports, social media reports that some parents are getting scared saying that there are asked to pay registration fees. That is illegal.
He said that parents would only be asked to buy school uniforms when they are ready.
He further said that JSS education is free in all public schools as the government is providing capitation for each student.
He noted that the Sh15,000 capitation will be able to cover all the required necessities as per each and every school and student.
Last week, the Education Ministry launched a distribution drive for grade 7 textbooks and teacher guides.
According to Machogu, these items will be freely availed to all public learning institutions by February 17. However, private schools will have to procure books for their learners.
“No other books out of KICD list should be used in each and every subject. We’ve set the time our students in JSS should be in school, the normal school calendar is from 8 am to 3.45 pm. The syllabus should be adequately covered without subjecting kids to mental torture,” he said.
On the shortage of infrastructure in schools, the ministry says it has requested Members of Parliament to construct laboratories using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
