Ministry Responds To Parent’s Complain on High Fees Charged After School Fires
Dr. Julius Jwan, Principal Secretary for Education, has revealed the Ministry of Education’s role in determining the fee charged after school fires.
This follows an outcry from parents who have been forced to pay exorbitant fees for the repair and reconstruction of school infrastructure destroyed by students as a wave of unrest sweeps across the country.
Jwan explained in an interview published in the press on November 14 that schools frequently consult the Ministry before assigning a figure.
“The Ministry does not have an allocation to finance infrastructure destroyed during the unrest. Parents have to bear the costs.
“However, the costs must be determined in consultation with the Public Works and Ministry officials. The expenses incurred by schools in mitigating unrest also come in. Boards may resolve to install CCTV systems or increase the number of guards,” stated the PS.
Experts from the Department of Public Works, which is part of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, are also involved in the exercise.
He was responding to questions from members of the public, even though schools continue to report cases of students indiscipline. As of mid-November, 35 schools had been torched.
Gerald Orina, the principal of Kakamega High School, has been under fire after students were asked to pay Ksh21 million for repairs.
Parents had complained that they were not consulted when the institution assigned a figure to the damage caused by the unrest.
Parents had complained that they were not consulted when the institution assigned a figure to the damage caused by the unrest.
Every student at Kakamega High School has been asked to pay nearly Ksh10,000 to cover the damages, despite the fact that the institution’s population is about 2,200.
Before students could resume their studies at Nairobi’s Buruburu Girls High School, parents were required to pay Ksh1,500 each. Some parents had also expressed concern that the figure was too high.
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The Ministry of Education, on the other hand, warned students who torch schools that they would face arrest and would not be readmitted to any other public schools.
