Parents who had cleared fees seek guidance from govt after scrapping of school calendar

Education CS Prof George Magoha on Tuesday announced that the 2020 school calendar had been lost due to Covid-19.

This meant that there will be no national examinations this year and schools will reopen in January 2021.

However, some parents had already cleared school fees and wonder how they will be compensated.

Mercy Akinyi, who has a son in high school, said she had already paid fees for the first two terms but has not received any communication from the school’s administration on whether the payment will be carried forward.

“I had already paid my boy’s fees for first and second term. The first term was disrupted and from the look of things, there will be no learning this year.

“I agree that schools should not be reopened just yet but what happens to the money we had paid?” she asked.

Her sentiments were shared by Martin Kiilu who stated that he had also cleared school fees for the entire year.

Earlier, CS Magoha stated that it is also impossible to allow candidates back in school because that may mean there will be two Form One class cohorts in 2021 and equity challenges will arise if only two classes reopen and transition.

“The number of teachers required will increase because secondary schools will have a challenge of having enough teachers, especially for optional subjects, to meet the demand of split classes.

“In Form One, the compulsory subjects are 11, which will necessitate employment of more teachers to handle the Form One double intake cohorts,” said Magoha.

He also expressed concern regarding intercounty movement especially for those in boarding schools since there will be students travelling from Nairobi, Mombasa and other counties with high rates of infection.

“Since the infection curve is rising as we approach September, many parents have expressed strong reservations regarding sending their children to school.

“The 2020 school calendar year will be considered lost due to Covid-19 restrictions,” he said.