Parents and guardians whose children are set to join Form One on 3rd of May can breath a sigh of relief after the ministry of education ordered heads of secondary school to cut down the list of requirements for admission.
According to Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha some the things listed are unnecessary and they should not form a basis denying a student admission. They include exercise books, class readers, novels, photocopying papers, foolscaps, atlases, mathematical tables, hockey sticks, pangas, jembes slashers and hand brushes, among others.
“To avoid overburdening parents, I direct principals to stop listing unnecessary items,” Prof Magoha said.
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“As a ministry, we are committed to ensure parents and guardians with learners joining Form One are not overburdened with unnecessary requirements that increase the cost of education,” said Magoha adding: “Stern action will be taken against school heads who deny learners the opportunity to further their education. I am instructing schools to fully adhere to fees guidelines.”
At the same time the CS directed principals to admit all students allocated to their institutions, including those who have not paid full school fees.
“The idea is to admit a Kenyan child into a Kenyan public school. At the same time, principals should exercise caution while listing the requirements for Form One students as part of the measures to reduce the cost of education,” said Magoha.
However, Magoha challenged parents and guardians to take their responsibilities seriously by ensuring timely payment of school fees in boarding schools.
“I urge members of the public to report any cases of learners who fail to join Form One. We will mount a nationwide monitoring exercise to ensure Form One students join the schools they were selected to and that fee guidelines are strictly adhered to,” said the CS.