Withholding of form four students’ certificates is rampant among school heads in Machakos county, says Athi River director of education Joseph Kiema.
Kiema condemned those head teachers and principals who withhold such certificates asserting that doing that to those students who fail to clear their school fees arrears before they sit their KCSE examinations is illegal and can be sued in a court of law.
“Schools boards of management and principals are the once capable of withholding students’ results, they should release the certificates forthwith. The Knec’s attention should be drawn to this matter because it is rampant in Machakos county, both private and public schools,” said Kiema.
Kiema who spoke to this writer at his office in Athi River town on Tuesday, said that can also attract disciplinary action from the Ministry of Education and Teachers Service Commission.
“The school heads know this well but use all the tricks to detain certificates of needy and vulnerable children who fail to clear their fees due to different regions. No one can do that in Athi River sub-county, but such cases are so many in schools within other Sub Counties in Machakos county,” said Kiema.
Kiema cautioned teachers and school management boards who send children home for fee thereby compromising time for their studies.
“Our schools are opening today, no child should be sent home for none payment of fee or any other levy. School heads should instead devise a workable method of collecting fees from parents but not by sending children home,” said Kiema.
“According to the Education Act 2013, no authority other than the Education’s cabinet secretary can recommend expulsion of a pupil or student from school once he is admitted for whatever reason. School managements and heads should take note of this,” said Kiema.
“No sending a child home for whatever reason, once a child has been admitted in school even in cases of indiscipline. It is only the CS who has a constitutional mandate to expel a child home for whatever reason, there is no any other authority,” said Kiema.
Kiema said children expelled from schools should be admitted to approved schools if they become totally unruly.