The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Dr. Fred matiang’i has said that Parents are not expected to pay any admission fee of their children joining class one in public primary schools, Education Cabinet Secretayr Dr Fred Matiang’i has said.
Dr Matiang’i said the Basic Education Act, 2012 barred any person from collecting admission fee of any child who sought admission in public basic education institutions. “Sections 32 of the Basic Education Act, 2012 states that, no person shall while admitting a child to a public school or a basic education institution collect any admission fee,” he said.
The CS spoke when he presided over the 32nd Graduation Kagumo Teachers’ College in Nyeri County on Thursday. He was flanked by the Principal Secretary for Education Dr Belio Kipsang, Secretary General of KUPPET, Mr Akello Misori, senior officials from the Ministry, Teachers Service Commission, as well as officers from the Ministry of Interior and National Coordination in the area.
Dr Matiang’i assured education stakeholders that the government would be as much vigilant during the marking of Examinations as it has been during the sitting of the examinations. “We will not drop the ball during the process of marking of the examinations. We shall manage it with military precision,” Dr Matiang’i said, noting that the results the candidates will get will be “true and genuine results.”
In another development, Dr Matiang’i said the school fees guidelines for the 2017 School Calendar remains as it had been in 2016 School Calendar.
According to the Secondary Fees Guidelines, and with the government capitation of Ksh12,870 for regular schools and Ksh32,600 for special needs schools, the maximum payable fees by parents shall be Ksh9,374 for day schools, Ksh53,553 for boarding schools and Ksh37, 210 for special needs schools.
This implies that maximum cost of day schooling is Ksh 22,244 while that of boarding schools stands at Ksh66,424 and Ksh69,810 for special needs secondary schools.
Dr Matiang’i said the government would ensure schools followed the fees guidelines to the letter. “When you ask parents more money than that allowed, we will have a conversation with you,” Dr Matiang’i indicated, in apparent reference to schools that have given fees structure way above the gazetted maximum by the government.
The Cabinet Secretary noted that the government was in the process of reforming the curriculum for the Basic Education, noting that it will also reform the training of teachers. Dr Matiang’i observed that teacher education reform was important to ensure the country has teachers with capacity to impart the 21st Century skills that now defines knowledge and globalised economy.
He said the piloting of the proposed curriculum will start in 2017, saying the government plans to have a National Stakeholders’ Conference on the Curriculum to appraise the country on the substance of the Curriculum in question.
He underscored the importance of the teaching profession in the socio-economic development of the country, saying that the teacher was the single most important factor in the quality of education society gave its children.
The Principal Secretary for Basic Education, Dr Belio Kipsang, advised the graduands to be dedicated to their work upon assumption of duties as teachers in schools. He also expressed concern that some schools conducted holiday tuition which stands banned. “Let’s give children time to grow,” Dr Kipsang, said.
Earlier in the day, Earlier, Dr Matiang’i witnessed the collection and distribution of KCSE examinations papers at Wamagana in Tetu Sub-County in Nyeri County at 6.00am. He was later joined by Dr Kipsang, when he witnessed the collection and distribution of KCSE at Nyeri Central Sub-county headquarters within Nyeri town.
The two later witnessed the opening of the same papers at Nyeri High School and split up to inspect entire examinations sitting exercise in the county. Dr Matiang’i inspected Our Lady of Lourdes High School, Endarasha High Schools, before witnessing the sealing of the examinations paper at Mwiga Secondary School.
After the graduation ceremony, the two officials, flanked by the area education officers from the Ministry and the TSC, witnessed the sealing of Examination paper at 1.30pm at Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls High school, and were on hand, to witness the return of the examinations answer scripts for the day at Mathira West Sub-County headquarters.
PSCU