Mbiuni MCA Kasoa Mweu has condemned the move by the Kenya National Teachers Union (KNUT) to oppose new fees guidelines given by the Ministry of Education.
Speaking on Wednesday in a press briefing outside Machakos County Assembly buildings, Kasoa, who is also the County’s minority leader, termed the actions as incitement to the heads of schools to continue oppressing the parents.
“The teachers’ union should keep off the fees issue because it is like a burden lifted off parents back. As MCAs we know what parents are going through as we deal with bursary allocation and have seen poor parents struggle with high amounts of fees just to educate their children,” said Kasoa
Kasoa further gave caution to the principals who are defying the new fees structure and demanding for more money that it was against the law.
“It will be against the law for any principals and head teachers who are defying the new fees structure as it is against the law and illegal to disobey directives given by the Ministry of Education,” said Mweu.
“I urge the Cabinet Secretary to take disciplinary action on the school heads that are not insubordination as the government has released enough funds,” he added.
This comes two days after the teachers union, through their Secretary General Wilson Sossion stated that the new directive had not involved stakeholders and will cause management crisis.
Knut also stated that the said fees structure would not be implemented by their members until certain conditions are met.
However the Education CS Jacob Kaimenyi maintains that the new amount of fees advised was settled on after a wide research and that the schools that will not adhere to the new fees structure will face penalties.
The new fees structure requires day schools to pay Sh9,000, while the boarding schools pay not a total amount higher than Sh29,000.