The Elimu Bora Working Group (EBWG) has raised alarm over 90 per cent of schools still charging admission fees for students against the Kenyan Constitution as parents gear up for school reopening on Monday, April 28.
In a press release on Sunday, April 27, the group issued five demands to several entities involved, including the Education Cabinet Secretary, Julius Ogamba, who was urged to stop unlawful levies and protect parents and guardians from further exploitation.
"The CS must also take stern action against any school heads and county directors of education found culpable of enforcing unlawful levies," the statement read.
Secondly, all parents were asked to stop paying unlawful fees, and thirdly, all students sent home for not paying unlawful fees must be permitted to return to class unconditionally.
Another demand issued by the group was for schools to publicly display approved fee schedules (capitation only), with penalties for non-compliance.
Lastly, EBWG warned, "The William Ruto regime must stop pushing for the privatisation of education and instead adequately fund public schools, covering basic needs, learning materials, and activities."
In the press release, the group revealed that a survey conducted between March and April in 370 public schools at primary and junior secondary levels unearthed this worrying trend.
"The Elimu Bora Working Group is concerned that despite explicit constitutional and legal provisions declaring basic education free and compulsory, the government still condones unlawful levies in primary and junior secondary schools," part of the statement read.
"As schools reopen tomorrow for the second term of 2025, if the Cabinet Secretary for Education does not act, the parents and students will continue being exploited through these unlawful levies. EBWG conducted a survey that revealed that heads of public schools demand that parents pay unlawful fees before children are allowed in school."
In the survey that included insights from parents and guardians, at least one school in each county was sampled to unravel the deep rot of charging unlawful levies by school principals.
These unlawful levies were mostly perpetuated through charges on admission, desks, lockers, books, reams of paper and other stationery, development projects, remedial and extra lessons, co-curricular activities, and examinations.
Admission fees were especially high, ranging between Ksh500 and Ksh25,000 depending on the location of the schools, with those in urban areas charging more.
Implications of these additional levies included 87.5 per cent of schools surveyed revealing that students who fail to settle the fees are sent home, leading to a high risk of dropping out of schools, as most of their parents cannot afford the extra charges.
