Hard times as stranded parents plead with Ruto over high fees as schools reopen
Parents plead with President William Ruto over high fees after CDF bursaries were withdrawn as schools reopen.
As schools reopen for the third term of the 2022 academic year, parents and school administrators want President William Ruto to intervene and stop a brewing impasse.
Parents lamented having to dig deeper to pay school tuition after bursaries provided by the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) were discontinued as pupils returned to class on Monday, September 26.
As a result, they demanded the monies be restored, claiming that they provided them with a much-needed cushion during the tough economic times.
In addition, the parents have protested the high school fees billing they received for the new term, adding that it was disproportionate to the length of the academic period – a result of the condensed academic calendar.
“The bursary our children got, regardless of how little it was, enabled our children to at least report to school as we searched for the deficit,” a parent lamented.
“I have two children in primary and three in secondary school; I have subdivided the little I have so that everyone can have a portion of their fee paid while reporting. I will sign a promissory commitment on how I will clear the balance,” another parent said.
On Monday, August 8, the Supreme Court declared the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to be unlawful and unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court determined that the CDF Act of 2013 violated the separation of the revenue and public finance laws by allowing Members of Parliament to administer funds.
School administrators in the meantime insisted that operating the learning centers without funding would be next to impossible.
They asked President Ruto to release the term’s capitation fee as quickly as feasible.
Due to the increased enrollment, principals are also dealing with a teacher shortage and are calling on the government to increase the teacher-to-student ratio.
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