Parents of students preparing for the KCSE may soon be required to pay part of the exam fees, after a parliamentary proposal to scrap the full waiver on exam costs.
If passed, the proposal will end a 10 year-old program that has been providing financial relief to parents especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The bill will plug a KSh 91 billion education funding gap by reallocated resources to other academic needs.
Government’s Reason for Cost-Sharing
The Ministry of Education has defended the move, citing the increasing number of students sitting for national exams. Officials say the increasing numbers have made it impossible for the government to fully fund exam registration.
Former Education CS Fred Matiang’i introduced the full waiver policy, allocating KSh 5 billion annually to pay for KCSE registration. At the time Matiang’i said exam costs were a big burden to some parents and preventing students from sitting for their final exams.
Currently the KCSE registration fee is KSh 7,000 per student but the cost-sharing formula has not been revealed leaving parents unsure of how much they will pay.
Exam Registration Dates & New Mid-Year KCSE Series
The proposal comes as Education CS Julius Ogwang has announced that KCSE registration will start on February 17, 2025 giving candidates enough time to submit their details.
Also KPSEA registration will start on January 27, 2025.
The government has also introduced the KCSE mid-year exam series which will take place every July for the next three years. This will give candidates who missed previous KCSE exams another chance to sit for the exam.