By Tobias Ogutu
Every child in Kenya has the right to education, which is why the government makes significant efforts to build public schools across the country. Additionally, the government ensures that all students in public schools receive equal education regardless of their social class. However, some teachers entrusted by the government to care for learners provide better services to students from financially stable families. The government banned the practice of charging remedial fees to prevent teachers from exploiting parents. Although teachers have officially stopped this practice, they continue to demand remedial fees from parents under different pretenses. This issue persists in schools such as Kibuye Mixed, Ondiek, Wandiege, and others within Kisumu East Sub-County.
Most teachers in government schools tend to deliver their best after school hours, charging parents a fee for these additional lessons. When the government banned remedial fees, teachers sought to retaliate by keeping students in class from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. During this time, the teachers did not perform their duties effectively, and no homework was assigned to the learners. James Okong’o, a parent at Wandiege Primary and Junior Secondary School, recalls how the teachers would release his son early from school. According to him, when he checked the classwork, there were no assignments given, indicating that little learning was taking place.
As time passed, the teachers introduced a remedial fee, but only for those who wanted to participate. This made the situation even worse. Students whose parents were unwilling to pay the remedial fee were sent home early, while the teacher continued covering the syllabus with the remaining students. Peres Osewe is distressed by the fact that her granddaughter, who attends Kibuye Mixed Primary and Junior Secondary School, complains that the teacher sends her home at 4 p.m., while the others stay until 6 p.m. to cover the syllabus. The unfortunate reality is that the teacher reviews the topics covered during this, as it is called. This practice is unfair to learners whose parents cannot afford to pay the remedial fee.
The same issues also occur at Ondiek Primary and Junior Secondary School. Sarah Apondi laments that her daughter performs poorly because most of the topics tested in examinations were taught while she was sent home due to unpaid remedial fees. According to Sarah, the teacher only teaches and covers the syllabus during prep time, for which they charge a fee, but does little or no teaching during the allocated class time.
The practice of government teachers covering the syllabus during private lessons, which only students who can afford to pay can attend, is unfair to those who cannot pay the remedial fee. The Ministry of Education should intervene to address this issue. Teachers should either repeat the topics covered in private lessons for students who cannot afford the fee or ensure that the syllabus is fully covered during the government-allocated class time.
