The Government, through the Ministry of Education and Sports, has unveiled plans to stop the payment of miscellaneous fees in public primary and secondary schools under the free universal education programme, beginning in 2024.

The State Minister for Primary Education, Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, told journalists at the Government Media Centre that no public UPE and USE schools will charge fees for items such as scholastic materials and food.

Parents will be expected to feed their children as government caters for the rest of the school requirements.
There are an estimated 8 million primary-going children across the country, majority of these attend schools running the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme. However, these schools have been charging parents a range of fees, in violation of government policy and such fees have been cited as a factor contributing to school dropouts since some parents cannot afford the said fees.

Now the government is moving to implement the Primary and Post-Primary School Act of 2008 which provides for quality free and compulsory education but most public schools have neglected the implementation of this law.

Now, in a bid to improve the education sector, the government has pledged to cater for all school requirements to have learners study without hindrance.

The State Minister for Primary Education says that the government will ensure that all schools have adequate teachers, and school laboratories, teachers are paid on time, capitation grants are disbursed, and non-teaching staff are paid, among others.
The government also intends to have every sub-county have a secondary school and every parish have a primary school.

Parents are expected to cater for scholastic materials like books, pens and pencils and are also obligated to feed their children as they attend school.

The government is moving to adopt a new policy to stop charging any manner of fees in public schools effective 2024.
The Government spends 994,825 shillings on a student in a government secondary school per year while it spends 151,711 shillings on a primary school child per year.

The ministry believes these funds are enough to cater for all the needs at a school without charging extra fees.

Ramson