A Knut board member has called for dialogue between school heads and the government over fee charges.
Geofrey Mogire, Nyanza Knut representative said dialogue holds hope in finding a solution to the issue.
“No amount of tough talking can help. If the government and school heads put heads together I am sure some sense could be forged out of the talks,” Mogire told this writer on Tuesday in Kisii town.
On Sunday, Deputy President William Ruto warned head teachers that may arbitrarily raise fees that they risked prosecution.
He said the government will not hesitate taking action against errant teachers.
Mogire however said shortage of staff in schools has forced most principals to hike fees to meet staff hiring costs.
“The government has not employed teachers and this has pushed the schools heads into the edge as they try to find alternative strategies to fund raise for the additional costs which the government does not provide,” Mogire said.
The Knut official said the government should desist from ‘talking down on head teachers as if it is addressing children’.
“They (school heads) have concerns that cannot be addressed by such posturing. Dialogue should be held with view to finding a middle ground on this issue” he said.
Kisii County Director of Education Richard Chepkwai however refused to be drawn to discussions on fees, saying he was in a public place.
Parents at the weekend complained of a sharp rise in fees by schools.
Kenya Parents Association boss Musau Ndunda also decried rise in textbook costs.
The government provides Sh1,420 for each pupil in a public primary school each year and Sh12,687 for each student studying in a public secondary school.
Mogire said the cost of living was rising considerably and called for dialogue to resolve conflicts on fee charges so that no side would be seen as taking advantage of the other.