Students at home in Garissa for lack of fees

Some students go back to class as many more stay at home for lack of fees (courtesy)

By: Abdirahman Khalif

GARISSA—School head teachers in Garissa have been criticized by the Kenya National Union of Teachers for sending students back home for failing to pay for food.

Earlier this month, Kulan post exposed the plight of students at Dertu girls secondary school who were sent home for the same reason.

Abdirizak Ismael, the secretary general of Kenya National Union of  Teachers, Garissa branch, said majority of parents have no money to pay school fees and food money. During the campaign period, Jubilee promised to roll out free secondary school education from this month.

According to Abdirizak, majority of the parents are pastoralists and are unable to pay the amount being asked by schools because of drought.

“Most of people here depend on livestock as their economic activity, but as things are now, prices of these animals has gone down radically. This has affected their financial and economic life,” he said.

At the famous Garissa livestock market, a grown camel that was going for Sh120, 000 is now being sold for a mere Sh20,000 while the price of  a cow has dropped from Sh80, 000 to Sh15,000.

“Majority of the parents are now unable to meet their daily needs let alone paying school fees,” Abdirizak noted.

A principal of a boarding  secondary school who did not want to be named said school heads are caught between a rock and a hard place. “ as much as we empathize with parents, the school too needs money to run,” he said.

The Garissa County education director has now called a meeting with all school head teachers to try and  get a solution.