Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has given strong directives to schools that will favor parents as they plan for January back to school.
Speaking at Lenana School during the release of the 2024 Form One Placement Results, Machogu assured Kenyans that he will ensure that they are followed and no school goes against them in the coming year.
Fees Hikes.
The cabinet Secretary warned school principals against fees hikes in 2024. Various schools take advantage of form one admissions to hike their school fees due to high number of enrollment.
Also Read: Form One Reporting Date, How To Download Admission Letters
Machogu in the Directives to schools said that unless there is explicit approval from his office, principals engaging in such practices would face consequences
“If any monkey business is done anywhere, information will come. Even parents are undergoing difficult financial challenges, unless there is express approval from my office. If I get it has been increased, you (principals) will be the first victims.”
School Uniforms.
Further, Machogu warned schools of cutting deals with specific shops to extort parents with high school uniforms price.
Also Read: Top Ten Schools With Highest Number Of Form One Placement 2024
To solve this, Ezekiel Machogu said that schools should not compell parents from buying uniforms from specific shops. Therefore schools should not sell uniforms nor should they compel parents to buy from specific shops saying parents can get their uniforms from any source.
“Parents should be at liberty to buy uniforms anywhere. People have been making business out of it. It is not the responsibility of the school principal to buy uniform and sell to parents. A principal’s responsibility is not to transact business; that will be conflict of interest.”
Machogu also told the Regional and County Directors of Education to ensure that the directives are followed by schools to protect the 2024 Form One cohort from extortion that has been happening during the Form One admissions over the years.