Parents through the National Parents Association have appealed to the government to hand them a two months grace period after the January 2021 school reopening to clear their outstanding balances.
The association held a three-day conference in Naivasha that drew representatives from all the 47 counties across the country and climaxed on Saturday, December 5.
Speaking after the conference, the association's chairman, Nicholas Maiyo, asked the Ministry of Education to give parents time to clear their school fees balances.
"We are aware that the calendar starting 4th January will be the second term, so if a parent had paid school fees for 2020 1st term, we will only pay second term fees in January and 3rd term fees because we had cleared 1st term fees," explained Maiyo.
A number of parents had outstanding balances from previous terms with schools asking parents to clear their balances after the partial reopening in October.
Maiyo also urged the government to reconsider its plan to increase university fees arguing that many parents had been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I'm speaking on behalf of the 10 million parents who are at home, we are totally against the increase of the university fees as a body," added Maiyo.
The Ministry of Education and the National Treasury Wednesday, December 2, approved a proposal by vice-chancellors to increase fees threefold.
While appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Education senior treasury and education, officials proposed that university fees be increased from Ksh16,000 to Ksh 48,000.
Education CS George Magoha, however, rubbished the move arguing that it was not fair to triple the fees.
"I would like to assure them that this is a Covid-19 period and that the executive arm of government is yet to sit, consider and debate the fees. The children are ours and we have a human face," stated Magoha.
