Decisive action needed to fix fees conundrum

NAIROBI: The possibility that disruptions will continue to mar the education sector became evident on Wednesday when President Uhuru Kenyatta, while officially opening an education conference in Nairobi, urged teachers to tone down their clamour for better remuneration and give the Government more time to implement their demands.

Not said but implied was the fact that the Government did not have funds to give teachers the raise they have demanded.

Meanwhile, parents incensed by the high school fees charged by secondary schools, demonstrated at the Ministry of Education headquarters in Nairobi, demanding action from Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi to restrain head teachers from over-charging parents.

In response, the Cabinet Secretary for Education simply warned that any teacher found to have increased the fees would be punished by the Teachers Service Commission.

By maintaining that teachers should stick to the 2014 fees structure, Prof Kaimenyi misses the point because the high fees chargeable last year were the reason for the formation of a task force to look into ways of alleviating the fee burden.

Threats against teachers will be routinely ignored especially when he seems to have no idea of the scams that take place in schools.

First, Prof Kaimenyi does not have the basis to enforce any disciplinary action against teachers when the Government has not issued official communication giving direction on the fees to be charged.

Secondly, when he allowed school boards to independently decide what to charge parents, he in effect gave them the licence to do as they deemed fit.

Levies for motivation, mock exams, insurance, PTA, photocopy paper, bus projects and the compulsory purchase of uniforms from the school are some of the avenues of extorting money from unfortunate parents.

The classification of some subjects, like Home Science as special is another way of getting more money from parents.

These uncontrolled levies are robbing the poor child of an education, making it the preserve of the well to do.

The CS should act decisively.