Parents threaten court action over levies

By Rushdie Oudia, Kevine Omollo and Lawrence Aluru

Kisumu, Kenya: Nyanza Parents Association Chair man Jackson Ogweno has warned that parents may go to court to stop secondary school heads from raising fees through levies.

He said some are out to cash in on desperate parents.

Parents in schools within Kisumu County will have to pay more next year when the schools review their fees structures.

They have recently condemned school heads for unfairly hiking school fees, a move they claim may lead to increased drop outs.

Ogweno said parents understand the rate of inflation but head teachers have taken advantage of this.

He said many schools disregarded the parents’ advice and went ahead to effect the fees change instead of channeling the burden to the Government. “Parents are suffering yet the Government that approved the fees is to blame,” said Ogweno.

Heads have, however, denied increasing school fees, saying they were yet to effect the increments.

Other charges

Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha) Kisumu County Branch Chairperson Mary Akunja said the fees are likely to go up next year considering the hiked prices of commodities.

“School managements will have no choice but to move with the escalating prices. The prices of stationery and food stuff have gone up and the schools have no other avenues to supplement the budgets,” she added.

Her school, Kisumu Girls, charges Sh52,000 a year and she said the school budgets have to strain to support the institution.

The parents of 260 Form One students selected by the school will be forced to part with Sh30,000 so as to acquire registration. Otieno Oyoo Secondary School, which is a county school, charges Sh28,000 for tuition and other fees.

Kessha National Chairman John Awiti has also defended the schools’ increment of fees, saying they consulted parents and later the District Education Officers.

“Any increment is always done through due process laid down by the Government,” said Awiti.

In Siaya County, children from poor families may miss their Form One admission due to high school fees. Only parents able to cough more than Sh74,000 will have their children admitted to county schools such as Sawagongo, St Mary’s Yala, Mbaga Girls, St Francis Rangala Girls and Lwak Girls, among others.