A parent selects school uniforms at a shop in Mwembe Tayari, Mombasa. [File, Standard]
Schools will soon be compelled to allow parents to purchase uniforms from the open market, provided they meet institutional standards.
The motion, which moved on Wednesday in the National Assembly, also prohibits any attempts to monopolise the supply by merchants to control the supply of school uniforms.
If adopted, the motion sponsored by Nyeri Town MP, Duncan Mathenge, will outlaw discriminatory practices in learning institutions that impede access to basic education.
The motion generated interest from MPs, concerned that informal levies and rigid school rules are pushing vulnerable children out of class.
Mathenge based his motion on Article 53 on free and compulsory basic education and Article 43 on the right to education, in addition to the Basic Education Act and the Children Act, which require equitable access and place the best interests of the child at the centre of all decisions.
“Certain administrative practices in schools, particularly compulsory sourcing of uniforms from designated outlets, exclusion of learners for inability to pay for school feeding programmes, remedial class charges or other non-statutory levies, are impeding students from learning,” Mathenge said.
The motion also seeks to bar schools from sending learners home over non-payment for school feeding programmes, remedial classes or other non-statutory charges. According to Mathenge, some schools are putting pressure on parents who can barely afford extra levies, a situation that is imposing economic and administrative barriers and, in some cases, creating possible avenues for abuse of office and improper financial benefit.
The motion further tasks the Cabinet Secretary for Education, in consultation with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), to develop a comprehensive regulatory and enforcement framework within 90 days.
This includes establishing monitoring systems, complaint and redress mechanisms, and nationwide awareness programmes to ensure compliance. The MPs also complained that schools were overcharging beyond the recommended fees, a practice they linked to economic strain and policy inconsistencies.