Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu is under pressure to intervene in parents' grievances who decried high costs incurred as schools open for a new academic calendar on Monday, January 23.
Parents are feeling the pinch as they are hit by the costs of school uniforms, books and fees. They noted that retailers often capitalise on the period and end up hiking the prices of school items.
Some also noted that the high cost of living has exacerbated the situation- with prices of items having skyrocketed.
"The cost is high and we are bearing the brunt of it. For instance, a sweater used to cost Ksh700. It now retails at Ksh1,500. For us parents, it is not easy," Winnie Talam, a parent based in Nairobi stated.
The parents also took issue with the book requirements for children especially those under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) with many schools asking parents to purchase more than one textbook per subject despite the government's order prohibiting the same.
During his tenure as Education Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i, issued a notice to have one textbook per subject in elementary, primary and secondary education. He noted that the move was a means to curb fraud by unqualified publishers.
The parents also decried that the school fees crisis as they noted that most schools increase fees in January during the school reopening as opposed to the rest of the year.
Students who have to travel far distances to access the institution also decried hiked fares. Reports indicated that a section of bus companies almost doubled the prices for long-distance travel.
Some parents lamented at the cost of transport rose from an average of Ksh2,000 to around Ksh3,000.
Lack of clarity in the Grade 6 transition to Junior secondary schools is also a key concern among parents.
"The government has not given us a way forward for us parents to follow. This is in terms of school items, requirements and such," Maurice Oliewo, a parent based in Kisumu stated.
As schools resume learning on Monday, January 23, it will mark the first time that the academic calendar normalised after the pandemic outbreak in 2020 that led to a nine-month hiatus.
