Parents will have a difficult time once the school calendar returns to normalcy on January 23, 2023.
The calendar, which had been thrown off by COVID-19, has finally been restored to its original state.
This could be a boost for parents who have to pay school fees literally every month.
However, now that the government has eliminated the education subsidy, parents will be required to pay the full school expenses.
“The calendar was disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the calendar will revert normally in January 2023,” the circular read.
All pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools will commence on January 23 and close 13 weeks later, on April 21.
Students will have a half-term break from June 29 to July 2 and will be on vacation from August 12 to August 27.
The third term will run from August 28 to November 11, with the December break running from November 3 to January 1.
The KCPE national exams are set for November 6 to 9, while the KCSE exam is scheduled for three weeks from November 10 to December 1.
CS Education Secretary Ezekiel Machogu addressed the government’s decision to eliminate the secondary school fee subsidies.
Machogu stated in November last year at school that the decision was prompted by a return to normalcy in the school calendar.
“From January 23, we will have three terms the way it used to be before so the fees structure remains the same as that of two years ago,”Machogu said.
This is after a circular addressed to senior education officials indicated the changes in school fees.
“Anybody saying the figure has been changed, that is not here in Kenya. Changing school fees would need another taskforce,”he said.
The ministry had decreased fees by Sh8,500 due to the constrained school schedule caused by COVID-19.
According to a ministry circular, parents would still have to pay Sh53,554 for national schools, as they did before the cut.
This will apply to seven counties’ national and extra-county schools.
The revised rules were sent to all county superintendents of education.
“The counties are Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Nyeri, Thika and Eldoret,” the circular reads.
The new directive applies to boarding schools.
The ministry has also categorized the schools into category B.
Here, the government will provide an Sh22,244 subsidy, which is equal for learners in a day school.
“In order to meet the cost of boarding as well as maintenance and improvement, parents will pay Sh40,535,” the circular reads.
Currently, national schools pay Sh45,054 while the extra county and county schools pay Sh35,035.
Extra county and county schools would pay about ksh5,500 less.
