MoE Sets Tough Rules for Transferring Students
Secondary school transfers have been outlawed by the government, which is a big setback for parents and students who want to switch institutions.
As a result, parents will now have to wait until the end of the school year to switch their secondary-aged children to another public school.
Paul Kibet, director of secondary education, claimed that it is challenging for principals to calculate the total amount of school fees due when a student transfers in the middle of the academic year.
He continued by saying that some parents want school fee refunds after switching their kids to new schools in the middle of the academic year.
Speaking at the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Hall in Mombasa during the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESHA) conference, Mr. Kibet encouraged the principals to abide by the order.
Even though it is Term 2, transfer letters are still hanging around. If you are still signing, notwithstanding the rule that the transfer of learners must be completed at the conclusion of the academic year, kindly stop. Let parents wait until the end of the school year if they wish to move their children to your school, he said.
Principals argued that the judgement will have an impact on parents who choose to relocate their entire family as a result of being relocated to a different area.
There are several situations that drive parents to move their kids, such as job loss, insecurity, high school costs, and separation or divorce. A youngster cannot be forced to remain in an unfriendly environment.
A principal from a national school in Nairobi remarked, “A parent may not be able to keep a child in a specific school; that youngster should be permitted to transfer.
Later on, Mr. Kibet said that the regulation had been in place for some time and was written into the transfer and admittance form.
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“Verify that form that has been in use for a long time. This is not a novel concept. “Refer to step 6,” he said.
“No transfer shall be carried out in the middle of the year, except those under special circumstances,” the directive states.
Public school inter-school transfers require the sub-county director of education, the county director of education, and the director of secondary education or special programmes to authorise and sign the transfer.
The Ministry of Education distributes capitation monies to schools based on the enrollment information provided by principals.
“A human face must be used when approaching it. We must have some comprehension. Gilbert Wamalwa of AIC Kibomet Secondary School suggested that the government offer a window for exceptional situations that let a child to transfer within the year.
Tom Shavisa, the chief principal of Senende Boys High School, said that transfers should only be permitted in extreme circumstances, such as when parents have been relocated far from a school or when a student is receiving specialised care.
“This is a pressing problem. When you move a child in the middle of the school year, you need to move resources that come from the parent or the government, and the parent school would typically not allow it because sometimes such students either have not met the resources for the year when they transfer; the school loses, said Dr. Shavisa.
MoE Sets Tough Rules for Transferring Students
Regarding the supervision of student behaviour, Mr Kibet stated that parents have been reporting that deputy principals are expulsion their children.
“Deputy principals don’t have the authority to kick a kid out of school. Only the principal has the authority to suspend a student, and it may not be done forever. According to the 2015 Education Regulations, there is a mechanism for managing student disciplinary issues. Please be sure you abide by the law, he continued.
He also cautioned the principals against implementing discipline policies without first getting the boards of management’s approval.
Rules must be developed by BoMs, but they must first go through public engagement. We discovered a school telling a pupil, “Surely, you should go with three rolls of barbed wire!” Mr. Kibet stated.
