During the launch of Form One Selection held at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development on Monday, CS Magoha announced that certain items which unnecessarily increase the cost of Form One admission should be removed from the list of requirements.
In a statement, Magoha said that “to avoid overburdening the parents, I instruct the principals to stop listing unnecessary items,”
Professor Magoha directed all the principals to admit all the students allotted to their institutions as well as all those students who have not paid the full school fees.
According to the CS, some of these items, including exercise books, are listed as essential but are provided by the government, so schools have been asked to stop admitting students who do not have some of the listed items.
Professor Magoha also said that the Ministry is committed to ensure that the parents and guardians of the learners appearing in Form One are not burdened with unnecessary requirements which increase the cost of education.
He said that strict action would be taken against all the school principals who deprive the learners of the opportunity to pursue their education.
Magoha further directed the schools to strictly follow the fee guidelines.
All the parents were asked to pay only the fee prescribed by the ministry and report to the nearest education office in any case where a student is charged by some school heads for not paying the additional fee or other fee.
Parents and guardians who have been challenged should take their obligations seriously by ensuring compliance payment of school fees in boarding schools.
The Ministry further asked all members of the public to report any cases of learners who fail to appear in Form One.
CS Magoha further said that this year 62 billion Shillings have been released under Free Day Secondary Education.
Magoha indicated in a statement that “we have cut the cost of secondary education by 75 per cent and even in boarding we need to pay only for food and few other things as capitation money is sent.
Also at least 9,000 students who appeared in last year’s KCPE exam will receive a fully paid Elimu scholarship for four years of secondary education.
