The chances that parents will be forced to dig deeper into their pockets to keep their children at school are high if a proposal by secondary school heads is finally implemented.
According to the Kenya Secondary School Head Teachers Association (KESSHA), debts are piling up in schools and budgets are too stretched to meet expectations.
While appearing before National Assembly’s Education Committee on Thursday, KESSHA members tabled these figures saying that since the government’s 100% transition policy, schools are running on shoe string budgets..
Parents from extra county schools are expected to pay Ksh.17, 000 more and those in day schools Ksh.6, 000 more if the proposal is implemented.
The government allocates Ksh.22, 244 for each student in secondary school as capitation. According to KESSHA, the government takes half of this amount, the actual remittance being Ksh.16, 676, taking away Ksh.6, 000 for infrastructure development thus remitting half to schools.
For national schools and extra county schools in urban areas, the proposed fee structure is an increase from the current Ksh.75, 798 to Ksh.91, 646.
If the free secondary education grant is duly given, the parent will pay Ksh.69, 402. This means Ksh.15, 848 more.
The boarding equipment and stores remains the most expensive per head as well as personnel emolument.
For extra county schools, KESSHA proposes an increase from the current Ksh.62, 679 to Ksh.80, 542 meaning parents will have to pay Ksh.17, 773 more.
For county schools, the proposed fees is Ksh.70, 216. Likewise with the government grant if given in full, the parent will pay Ksh.7, 537 more.
For day schools, which benefit the most from the free day secondary education financing, the proposed cost is Ksh.28, 501 from the current Ksh.22, 244.
Ideally, the cost with the government grant of Ksh.22, 244 should be zero, but with the cost of local transport and travel and administrative costs going up, parents will have to pay Ksh.6, 257.