Lobby group warns secondary school principals against unnecessary levies

A lobby group in Homa Bay County has warned secondary school principals against creating unnecessary levies to hike school fees ahead of form one students’ admission in January.

The Homa Bay County Education Network has expressed concerns over the manner in which some principals have invented unwarranted methods of milking money from parents.

The Network Co-ordinator Julius Omuga said the crooked methods lead to an increment of school fees by more than 70 per cent.

“We have realised that many secondary school principals have invented ways of milking cash from parents by creating unnecessary levies,” said Omuga.

Addressing journalists in Homa Bay town, Omuga said the methods include sale of uniforms in school at expensive prices, remedial lesions among other levies.

“I know of a school in Homa Bay County which charges Sh27,000 for school uniform among other levies,” said Omuga.

The co-ordinator argued that such principals will prevent children from financially challenged parents from acquiring education.

“The school heads should be affordable by cushioning parents from unnecessary levies. Let them give an accurate description of the uniforms in calling letters to enable parents to purchase them at affordable prices,” he added.

He urged parents to be cautious of school heads who hike school fees.

Omuga who is a board member of the Elimu Yetu Coalition, an organization advocating for affordable education in Kenya, said they had devised a free hotline [phone] which parents can report cases of hiked fees.

“Let parents use the above telephone number in reporting cases of unfair fee payment so that we take the matter with the Ministry of Education,” said the Co-ordinator.