Parents with children in some of the private schools have expressed their reservations after they were issued with three fresh demands on school fees which they must fulfill upon Monday, October 12, opening.
Reports indicate that some private schools, mostly located in Nairobi, are demanding that the parents settle their second term fees in full when schools reopen.
The schools are also said to have demanded that parents settle first term arrears together with the second term fees arguing that they spent money to maintain the institutions even during the break necessitated by Covid-19.
Other institutions have reportedly asked that parents pay for virtual learning programs that their children were enrolled in during the pandemic, with most schools pegging the fee at Ksh 15,000.
Some parents have lamented that the institutions threatened to deregister students who did not attend the virtual learning programs, as they were considered to have withdrawn from learning.
A letter by Sukari Presbyterian Academy located in Nairobi asked parents who did not enroll their children for a similar program to seek readmission.
“Admission will be subject to the child measuring to the standard of his/her class, availability of space and ability to meet financial obligations among other conditions,” read the letter in part.
A school head at Nova Pioneer Schools also indicated that the institution was reviewing its second term fees upwards.
“Admission will be subject to the child measuring to the standard of his/her class, availability of space and ability to meet financial obligations among other conditions,” he told Daily Nation.
Parents have, however, complained that the new demands are punitive with several considering transferring their children to public schools.
“This is completely unfair as it was my choice that my son doesn’t attend the poorly run online classes. We will have to ask the management to reconsider,” lamented a parent after being asked to pay online classes fee.
This comes as some 54,000 learners from private schools remain stranded as 200 private institutions permanently shut down due to economic downtime caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This comes as the state transfers fee burden to parents asking them to foot the face mask fees for their children.
