MK254
JF-Expert Member
- May 11, 2013
- 32,228
- 50,379
Students in all secondary schools will not pay school fees from 2019 in what will offer a major reprieve to parents and improve the transition rate from primary schools.
This is according to president Uhuru Kenyatta who has said that the move to universal free secondary education is meant to ensure that all primary school pupils make it to high school.
Currently, the government offers universal free primary education (FPE) and subsidises secondary school education in day schools.
“We are working towards making secondary education truly free in the next three years to ensure 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary school,” Mr Kenyatta said Wednesday.
“We are doing all this to improve the quality of education and ease the burden on parents by removing impediments of access to secondary education,” he added while speaking in Mombasa at the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) annual national conference.
The State currently caters for tuition fees for boarding and day secondary school students with each receiving a subsidy of Sh12,870.
The government last year announced that after the subsidy, the maximum payable fees by parents shall be Sh9,374 for day schools and Sh53,553 for boarding schools annually.
Boarding schools have been on the spot this year for charging parents fees of up to Sh100,000 above the government-set Sh53,553 per year.
The minimal fees charged by day secondary schools have seen the programme dubbed ‘Free Day Secondary Education’.
The move to offer universal secondary education will have a major budgetary impact running into billions of shillings funded from Treasury.
The FPE programme is set to cost the government Sh14.7 billion in the year beginning July while the free day secondary education will cost Sh32.4 billion, offering a glimpse into possible cost implications for the Treasury.
In secondary day schools, the government pays Sh12,870 for each student every year.
“The Free Day Secondary Education programme has paid handsome dividends - transition rates from primary to secondary schools have improved substantially from 60 per cent in 2008 to 86.7 per cent in 2015,” Mr Kenyatta said.
Uhuru pledges free secondary education in three years
This is according to president Uhuru Kenyatta who has said that the move to universal free secondary education is meant to ensure that all primary school pupils make it to high school.
Currently, the government offers universal free primary education (FPE) and subsidises secondary school education in day schools.
“We are working towards making secondary education truly free in the next three years to ensure 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary school,” Mr Kenyatta said Wednesday.
“We are doing all this to improve the quality of education and ease the burden on parents by removing impediments of access to secondary education,” he added while speaking in Mombasa at the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) annual national conference.
The State currently caters for tuition fees for boarding and day secondary school students with each receiving a subsidy of Sh12,870.
The government last year announced that after the subsidy, the maximum payable fees by parents shall be Sh9,374 for day schools and Sh53,553 for boarding schools annually.
Boarding schools have been on the spot this year for charging parents fees of up to Sh100,000 above the government-set Sh53,553 per year.
The minimal fees charged by day secondary schools have seen the programme dubbed ‘Free Day Secondary Education’.
The move to offer universal secondary education will have a major budgetary impact running into billions of shillings funded from Treasury.
The FPE programme is set to cost the government Sh14.7 billion in the year beginning July while the free day secondary education will cost Sh32.4 billion, offering a glimpse into possible cost implications for the Treasury.
In secondary day schools, the government pays Sh12,870 for each student every year.
“The Free Day Secondary Education programme has paid handsome dividends - transition rates from primary to secondary schools have improved substantially from 60 per cent in 2008 to 86.7 per cent in 2015,” Mr Kenyatta said.
Uhuru pledges free secondary education in three years
