Nyeri main matatu terminal recorded low activity yesterday despite the usually huge influx of students often witnessed during school open days.
A spot check by KNA revealed the usually busy pick up and drop off facility for passengers was less busy compared to previous school opening days.
Schools opened for the new term on Monday after having operated under a compressed academic calendar since 2021 owing to disruptions by the Covid 19 pandemic.
Daniel Mwai, an employee with NOKK Sacco said they had decided not to increase fare this time round owing to the harsh. economic times facing most families.
He noted that despite the expected windfall due to the many learners going back to school, they felt there was a need to empathize with the parents who are currently burdened with other needs such as paying school fees and buying food for their families.
“It is true that at times like this, most public service vehicles tend to increase fares due to the high number of students traveling back to school. However, this time round we decided to retain our normal fares to the various destinations as one way of cushioning passengers from the hard economic times we are facing as a country,” he told KNA.
But Elizabeth Maina who works at Nyeri Express Stationers said they have witnessed a high influx of parents during the final days leading to schools opening as many parents purchased basic items like books and other stationeries for their children.
Ms Maina nevertheless said they had not taken advantage of the scenario to increase the costs of stationeries though buyers were still lamenting about the current prices.
“We have been witnessing a large influx of customers days towards the opening of schools though many of our customers have been complaining about our prices. But contrary to the widely held view, our prices are strictly guided as per the publishers’ catalogues and as such we have not increased the costs of stationeries even by a single cent,” Sh.e explained.
On her part Veronica Wangechi at St Bakhita Gataragwa Girls High School complained about the high school fees which she said had been increased by Sh8,000 from what they used to pay last year.
Wangechi whose daughter is joining form three also lamented that apart from the hiked fees, they are supposed to purchase a set of new uniforms different from what they used to wear in their previous class.
She has nevertheless welcomed the resumption of the normal school calendar noting that the previous calendar had put a strain on learners, teachers and parents.
“Despite the high cost we are incurring while taking our children back to school, reverting to the normal school calendar is going to ease pressure on us all. From now on learners will not have to move from one term to the next with only a brief break in between. Parents will also have ample time to work and get money to cater for paying school fees,” Sh.e stated
Hildah Nyawira, another parent to a student in Karima Girls High School on her part said she had paid Sh 35,000 as school fees compared to Sh 23,000 in the previous term.
Her statements were echoed by Esther Wairimu who is a parent at Kiaragana Girls High School in Kirinyaga county.
She says she is sometimes forced to do without basic needs such as food to enable her to set aside money for educating her daughter.
Wairimu however thanked the PSV operators for retaining the normal fare saying the decision had eased their financial burden to a great extent.
“Paying school fees is becoming a huge burden to me as a parent and at times we as a family are forced to do without meals just to save some money for school fees. Times are really hard and this could be one of the reasons matatu operators decided not to hike fares as is the norm during school opening days as one way of easing the financial burden on the already overwhelmed members of the public,” she noted.
Last year the government issued new fee guidelines for the 2023 academic calendar effectively bringing to an end the subsidized fee scheme that had been in place since 2021.
In the directive that was issued in November 15 by Dr. Julius Jwan, Principal Secretary, Department of Early Education and Basic Education, parents with children in national and extra county schools in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Nyeri, Thika and Eldoret are expected to pay Sh53,554 per year up from Sh 45,000.
Those with children in boarding schools and extra county schools located elsewhere will pay Sh40, 535 per year, up from the Sh 35,000 last year
However, the government will subsidize parents’ burden by allocating Sh 22, 244 per student in both boarding and day schools.
The money will cater for training (tuition, study materials and exams) for which the government has provided Sh 4,144; medical/insurance (Sh 2,000), activities (Sh 1,500) and Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education programmes (SMASSE) allocated Sh 200.
Parents with children in special needs schools will now have to pay Sh 12,790 annually up from Sh 10,860.
Schools are expected to run on a 39-week academic calendar this year with the first term expected to last up to April 21 when learners will break for a two-week break.
Learners will be back for studies on May 7 for the start of the second term session.