Secondary school heads in the Gusii region have called upon parents to prioritise their obligation of paying school fees to ensure the retention of learners in school and the completion of basic education to fulfil the right to education.
Speaking separately in various learning institutions in the area, the school heads in both girls’ and boys’ schools said timely clearance of school fees will enable the institutions to make procurements of goods in time to ease the learning process without having to release learners from school during the learning period.
Alice Onyuoki, Principal, Rigoma Girls’ Secondary School in Masaba North Sub County, Nyamira County, commended sponsors, especially the church, who volunteered to assist very needy cases, including two pregnant girls who managed a university entry grade of C plus.
Urging parents to prioritise payment of fees, Onyuoki called for more support this year, saying it was such gestures that enabled the school, which had 73 candidates, to achieve a mean grade of 6.7 by bettering their infrastructure and timely procurement of goods.
Robinson Matara, the principal of Amasege SDA Mixed Secondary School in Masaba South Sub-county in Kisii County, said learning institutions face a myriad of challenges when parents fail to clear school fees in time, including lack of food like maize and beans.
Matara noted that the prices of products went up three years ago and were yet to fully recover, including the cost of a bag of maize that rose from Sh2,800 to Sh4,500, while a 50-kg sack of sugar increased from Sh4,500 to Sh6,000.
Matara, who is also the area Kenya Secondary School Heads Association Chair, urged all stakeholders, including the government, which is supposed to release capitation, to play their part responsibly to ensure the learning process was smooth.
Robert Mwaniki, the Deputy Principal of Mobamba Mixed Secondary School in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency in Kisii County, applauded the neighbouring community for ensuring a conducive learning environment for students, saying it helped the 499 learners to achieve good results.
He said the five students who had less than 200 marks in their KCPE exams managed a C plus.
Ichuni Girls Secondary School Principal Dr. Benidnah Ogeto said the school in Masaba South Sub County had 840 students and managed a mean of 7.8, up from the previous 6.6.
She said clearance of fees coupled with guidance and counselling went a long way to complement the dedication of teachers in performing their duties to deliver good grades.
By Jane Naitore
