School fees go up as cost of goods rises

By Nderitu Gichure

Nyeri, Kenya: Parents of Form One students have no choice but to comply with exorbitant amounts of fees charged by schools in Nyeri County.

With prices of commodities like food having gone up, parents are being forced to dig deeper into their pockets to pay school fees for their children.

For children from poor backgrounds, their education is at stake.

A survey by The Standard in some of the schools revealed schools like Nyeri High and Chinga Boys, both provincial, charging high fees.

The Ministry of Education guidelines have set official boarding school fees at about Sh18,627 per year. Any extra amount charged requires authorisation from the ministry.

Under the subsidised secondary education programme, the Government pays Sh10,265 for every student and Sh1,020 for every primary school pupil.

However in total, for boarding schools, parents are supposed to pay Sh28,899, which is exclusive of the uniforms. This amount is inclusive of the Government subsidy.

In this case, schools will be expected to charge boarding fees that reflect the cost of living in their respective areas provided they do not exceed the maximum amount.

Paid in full

According to the fee structure seen by The Standard, parents at Nyeri High School are paying as much as Sh78,700 per year for those students to be admitted for the 2014 academic term.

This amount is supposed to be paid in full on admission.

The amount does not include Sh6,930 for uniform 2,980 for a high density pillow and mattress, Sh500 caution fees and Sh200 for student identity card plus a host of other miscellaneous expenses.

Nyeri County Director of Education Harrison Kiburu said the parents, through the Parent-Teacher Association and the board of governors, had scrutinised the fees.