The High Court has declared it unlawful for public schools to charge any form of school levies without the necessary approvals from the Ministry of Education.
School levies are payments required by schools, often for specific purposes like covering operational costs, infrastructure development, extracurricular activities, money for exams, development projects, lunch programs, or remedial classes
However, for a long time, complaints from parents have surfaced about the often excessive school levies some public schools demand.
The High Court on Monday, June 16, said that no school head will be allowed to charge these levies without a green light from the Education Cabinet Secretary, Julius Ogamba.
The move aims to ensure that public education in the country remains accessible and affordable to every child in the country.
Last Month, the Education CS, in a statement on Tuesday, May 20, cautioned school heads against imposing unauthorised levies on parents, warning that decisive action will be taken against any school head who is found charging illegal levies to parents.
"School heads and principals are directed to ensure prudent use of these public resources entrusted to their care for the benefit of learners and to desist from imposing any unauthorised levies," the CS said.
"As a Ministry, we will deal firmly with any verified cases of misappropriation of resources and the imposition of unauthorised levies," he added.
In the same statement, Ogomba announced the disbursement of Ksh22 billion in second-term capitation for learners in all public basic education institutions.
Ogamba urged school heads to ensure the prudent use of the money for the benefit of the learners, further warning that stern action would be taken against those found misusing the funds.
"School heads and principals are directed to ensure prudent use of these public resources entrusted to their care for the benefit of learners and to desist from imposing any unauthorised levies," he said.
"As a Ministry, we will deal firmly with any verified cases of misappropriation of resources and the imposition of unauthorised levies," Ogamba said.
