After the government discontinued fee subsidies for public schools, parents of secondary school-aged children will have to pay more starting in January 2023.
Parents who are already feeling the squeeze of the tough economic times would suffer greatly from the relocation.
Instead of the current Ksh45,000, students attending national and extra-county schools would now pay Ksh53,554.
The fee has increased from Ksh35,000 to Ksh40,000 for those with kids attending public secondary schools outside of the towns of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Thika, and Eldoret.
Parents should account for additional costs ranging from Ksh5,535 to Ksh8,500 while they enjoy the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Children attending Special Needs Secondary Schools will also pay Ksh12,790 annually instead of the initial Ksh10,860.
The government subsidy includes Ksh19,053 for boarding supplies and equipment and a top grant of Ksh12,510 for assertive gadgets and any other additional staff that may be required.
Due to the fact that there were only 30 weeks in the 2021–2022 school year as opposed to the customary 39, the government previously subsidized the amount parents paid.
However, in precise accordance with the government’s objective of free day secondary school education, the state will give each student enrolled in a boarding school an equivalent subsidy of Ksh22, 224 as it does in a day school.
This will also cover medical insurance, for which the government provided Ksh4,144. Ksh2,000, Ksh1,500 for recreation, and Ksh200 for enhancing science and mathematics instruction in secondary schools (SMASSE).
National Parents Association chairperson, David Obuhatsa, however, urged the government to consider parents’ challenges.
‘‘Since Covid-19, parents have been going through difficult times, especially in these hard economic times,’’ Obuhatsa stated.
