Kenya, May 24 -- The Kenyan government has stopped the Sh5 billion examination fee waiver for students in public secondary schools. This program, started by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2015, was meant to help families who needed financial support.

The Ministry of Education announced this decision on Friday. It has caused different reactions from people, with many worried about how it will affect low-income families and their access to education.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos explained that the government is facing budget problems and needs to use funds for other important areas in education.

He said, "While the waiver helped many students, the government needs to find ways to secure long-term funding to provide quality education."

The fee waiver covered costs for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams, helping millions of public school students over the past ten years.

Without this support, parents will now need to pay between Sh7,000 and Sh10,000 for each student, depending on how many subjects they take.

Many education groups are worried about this new rule. Collins Oyuu, Secretary-General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), warned that this could lead to more students dropping out, especially in poorer areas.

He said, "This is a setback for the policy that aims for every student to move on to secondary school. Many families can't afford these fees, and we could lose vulnerable students."

Parents and students also expressed their worries. Mary Wanjiku, a mother of two from Kiambu County, said the decision is "a heavy blow."

She added, "We depended on the waiver to help our children take their exams without worry. Now, we don't know how we will pay."

Some experts believe that the money could be used better to fix school buildings and to hire more teachers.

Dr. John Mwangi, an education consultant, said, "The government needs to find a balance between helping students access education and ensuring quality. Using these funds in this way could enhance learning conditions."

The Ministry has promised to look for other ways to help students who need it, like targeted assistance for the neediest families, but more details are still unclear.

This news takes effect immediately and will affect students preparing for the KCSE exams in 2025.

There are growing calls for conversations between the government, parents, and education groups so that they can find solutions to help students who may be affected by this change.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.