Recently, the Government elevated 30 public secondary schools to national status. This brings the total number of national schools to 78. This is a step in the right direction. Plans are in the pipeline to make sure that every county has at least two national schools. This is in a bid to improve quality of education in all counties.
However the government has not considered that this has led to increase in school fees. The wanainchi, who could before afford the cost of provincial education, now cannot afford to send their children to schools that have been elevated to national status. For Hatua’s 100 students in secondary, school fees has increased by 30% from 2012 to 2013.
The wanainchi before at least could afford the cost of a provincial school like Matuga, but now that it is a national school, it has left doors open for those who have.
We support elevating schools to national status but we call upon the government to subsidize the difference in cost so that national schools are affordable for the wanainchi and accessible to all based on performance, regardless of economic status.
Hatua Likoni is a community NGO working to reduce unemployment and poverty in Likoni, Kenya. Through scholarships, mentoring and career guidance, Hatua helps Likoni's top students gain the skills, credentials and networks they need to contribute to and benefit from Kenya's growing economy.
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