Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos has directed all schools to release Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificates that have been withheld due to outstanding school fees.
Speaking at the Ministry of Education Headquarters, Jogoo House, Migos emphasized that withholding these certificates is illegal, regardless of unpaid balances. He instructed county education directors to submit a status report within 14 days on the compliance of schools with the directive.
Additionally, the government has released Ksh14 billion to secondary schools to clear outstanding capitation for the first term, ensuring schools have the necessary funds to operate effectively.
In a separate development, the CS announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Education and the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) as well as the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) to end the prolonged strike at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK). The strike had paralyzed learning at the institution for a month.
The agreement was reached after discussions led by an inter-ministerial committee that sought a sustainable solution to the dispute. The MoU paves the way for academic and non-academic staff at TUK to resume their duties immediately.
“I trust and believe that the Council and the Administration will work extra hard to ensure that the time lost is recovered for the students,” said CS Migos.
UASU Secretary General Constant Wasonga confirmed that employees would resume work immediately, commending the Ministry for facilitating the agreement. He acknowledged that while not all demands were met, the phased implementation plan in place would help resolve the issues in the long term.
KUSU Chairperson Dr. Philip Onyango echoed these sentiments, appreciating all stakeholders for their involvement in the resolution process. He stated that further discussions with the government would continue to address underlying concerns affecting public universities.
This latest intervention by the Ministry of Education aims to ease financial burdens on students and ensure the smooth running of educational institutions across the country.
