SCHOOL FEES CARTELS EXPOSED: HOW PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE BLEEDING PARENTS DRY IN BROAD DAYLIGHT
The government, through the Ministry of Education, has recommended the dissolution of the Board of Management at Alliance Girls’ High School following revelations that the institution approved school fees of Sh. 120,000 against the officially sanctioned Sh. 53,554.
The increase, Sh. 66,446, represents a staggering 124% increase..... more than double the approved amount. The Ministry has also proposed disciplinary action against the principal, a move many parents would see as necessary, though long overdue given the years of mounting complaints over unexplained fee increments.
While the action taken against Alliance Girls’ signals a step in the right direction, the case reflects a much broader concern within Kenya’s education sector.
For years, parents across the country have grappled with escalating school fees in public institutions, often with little clarity or justification. What should be a regulated system has, in many instances, turned into a heavy financial burden, pushing some families to the brink and forcing vulnerable learners out of school.
According to education sector observations, hidden levies and unofficial charges have increasingly become part of school fee structures, raising serious questions about oversight and accountability.
It is important to note that Alliance Girls’ is not an isolated case. The pattern of inflated fees cuts across both secondary and primary schools, suggesting a systemic issue rather than a one-off incident.
School management structures, particularly Boards of Management, are increasingly being turned into money minting cartels, with some turning institutions of learning into their avenues for financial exploitation. Schools have ceased to be centres of learning and more as revenue-generating entities, with parents bearing the brunt.
There has been a common argument that teachers or the boards are innocent in this whole matter. Far from the truth.... Some people will say that such fee increments are approved during Annual General Meetings (AGMs), with parents themselves endorsing the changes in pursuit of “better school standards.”
However, this if a fake narrative. These meetings are just procedural and predetermined. Contributions during such forums are usually influenced or stage-managed by the school management, with select individuals positioned to propose such increments or levies, second or support proposed increments while dissenting voices are sidelined or discouraged.
The choice of parents to talk during such meetings are pre-planned and some pre-coached on what to say. They are positioned at different corners of the hall or arena so as to create a fake assumption that the organisers were fair and picking speakers from all parts of the hall. Some are bribed to do their contribution and heckle anyone with a different opinion.
Any parent who is known to oppose such manipulations is either cunningly denied a chance to talk in the meeting or is silenced by those in the system and branded to be anti-school development.
Others, especially those will huge fee balances, are intimidated into silence or else their children are sent home for fees.
The result is a system where genuine parental participation is undermined and decisions appear to favour a few at the expense of many. The rising cost of education, especially in public schools originally intended to be accessible, has become a growing concern, particularly for low- and middle-income families.
The justification of higher fees in the name of improved facilities or better student welfare, such as enhanced meals or infrastructure, often fails to align with the economic realities facing most households.
Ultimately, the Alliance Girls’ case highlights the urgent need for deeper scrutiny and reform within school management systems. If the government’s intervention is to have lasting impact, it must extend beyond a single institution and address the wider structures that enable such practices.
Strengthening oversight, ensuring transparency in fee approvals and protecting the voice of parents in decision-making forums will be critical steps in restoring trust and safeguarding access to education for all.
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