Public secondary school principals have formally petitioned the government to approve a major increase in school fees, arguing that the current education financing model can no longer sustain school operations.
The proposal was presented by the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) during its annual conference in Mombasa to Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtua.
In the document signed by KESSHA chairperson Willy Kuria, principals are seeking a review of school fees across all public secondary school categories to reflect rising operational costs and persistent funding gaps.
Under the proposal, parents with children in national schools would pay an additional Sh19,628 annually, while extra-county school fees would increase by Sh27,488 per year.
The most significant proposal targets day senior schools, where principals are requesting that parents begin contributing between Sh5,372 and Sh7,675 annually. If implemented, the move would alter the long-standing Free Day Secondary Education programme by introducing direct parental contributions.
School heads say the current fee structure has become outdated, having remained largely unchanged since 2015 despite sharp increases in the cost of food, utilities and learning materials.
They further argue that government capitation has remained fixed at Sh22,244 per student since 2018, even as schools continue to face increasing enrolment and inflation-related pressure.
The situation has been worsened by delays in disbursement of government funds, with principals warning that institutions are increasingly accumulating debt and struggling to meet basic operational expenses.
According to KESSHA, unless funding reforms are introduced, schools may face growing pressure that could eventually affect the quality of learning and service delivery.
Source Attributed:Nation Newspaper