New Pledge To Scrap School Fees

Time and time again Kenyans have urged the government to reduce or scrap the payment of schoolfees in both primary and secondary schools. The government,under president Kibaki provided free primary education  to all Kenyan children and this made the turn out in public schools quite massive hence leading to the strech of resources in the institutions.

After the move,parents also urged the government to ban secondary school fees of reduce it to a level that no child will be left out of the education system due to lack of fees.

In the recent Jamuhuri day celebrations,President Uhuru made a pledge to the Kenyan people that parents with children in public primary and secondary schools will not pay a single cent in the next three years, according to President Uhuru Kenyatta. He said the government is keen to ensure learning at both levels is “truly free” which is why the government has raised the amount of money allocated to each learner this year.

President Kenyatta, who spoke during Madaraka Day celebrations in Nairobi yesterday, said allocations to secondary schools had been raised from Sh28 billion to Sh32 billion while primary schools would get Sh15 billion, up from S14 billion.

“The aim is to make primary and secondary education wholly free by 2018. Indeed, from this year, parents will be freed from the burden of paying examination fees because the government will now cover this expense,” he said at Nyayo National Stadium.

This will be welcome news for parents who are still paying fees to supplement tuition fees the government pays.

The Ministry of Education recently released secondary school fees guidelines indicating that parents should pay Sh9, 374 annually for day schools, Sh53,553 for boarding schools and Sh37, 210 for special-needs schools.

On health, the President urged governors not to politicise the acquisition of the medical equipment to eliminate the suffering Kenyans go through due to lack of access medical services.

“I have already launched a range of state-of-the-art medical equipment in Machakos County and I expect to do the same in other counties soon,” President Kenyatta said.

“Given the consequences of further delay, it is clear this scheme can no longer be politicised. There is no good politics which prevents X-ray or dialysis machines from reaching those who need them…soon a hospital near your home will be as well-equipped as in Machakos. You will not have to travel to Nairobi or overseas for specialized treatment,” he said.

President Kenyatta said improving infrastructure was still a top priority for the Jubilee’s administration.

“The government is keen to complete construction of the Standard Gauge Railway and hurry up the Lapsset project to open up new opportunities for the economy,” he said.

Reference: www.nation.co.ke