Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 442518,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/442518/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 12,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "(b) What the Government is doing to ensure that the guidelines are adhered to in order to make education more accessible to all students countrywide. Mr. Speaker, Sir, first, the Ministry is aware that some public secondary schools have not adhered to the guidelines provided by the Government on how much fees public schools should charge. The Ministry is also aware that the schools are charging fees above the Government guidelines after the approval by the parents’ Annual General Meetings (AGMs) and Board of Management as provided for in the circular; Ref: MOEG1944 dated 8th August, 2009. This report is in the appendix. There are incidences where the fee is charged before the final approval and recommendations by the District Education Boards (DEBs) and the Ministry headquarters as stipulated in the circular cited above. Secondly, there are a number of interventions that the Government has put in place to ensure that public secondary schools adhere to Government fees guidelines. In order to cushion the poor students and orphaned children against high cost of fees and extra levies charged in public secondary schools and to ensure compliance to Government fees guidelines by school management and heads, the current interventions are listed here below. (a) A circular on school fees in public secondary schools; Ref: MOEDSTEGC Vol.3 of 7th February, 2014 was issued to County Directors of Education, Sub-county Directors of Education and all principals of public schools. This is also in Annex 4 of this report. The circular gives these instructions: Suspended forthwith, all extra levies and other levies approved by boards of management and Parents Teachers Associations for 2014. Schools are required to adhere to the policy of one project at a time. The cost of Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KSHA) and other non-student based associations should not be loaded to the students. Banned all non-essential levies with immediate effect and all fees payable by parents to be spread in three terms to ease their financial burden. Informs institutions about the formation of the task force to review the unit cost of basic education in public schools in Kenya and that new fees structure will be released after the task force report is adopted. (b) The Ministry constituted an inclusive task force with representation from the National Assembly, the Senate and all education stakeholders. The taskforce is mandated to review the unit cost of basic education in public secondary schools with reference to the terms of reference which are also included in Annex 5. (c) The taskforce is expected to avail its report by 17th April, 2014 which will be used to inform the release of new fees structure for public schools. The new fees structure will be issued to all public and secondary schools. I would like to inform the House that as a Committee we managed to meet with this particular taskforce as it began its work. We were informed that the time has been extended for them, so that they can do proper survey and research and go across the various public schools and be able to tabulate the various figures and give adequate suggestions. So, that deadline of 17th April has actually been extended. That is the information that task force gave to us when we invited them as stakeholders to our Committee meeting. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}