Govt Launches e-citizen Portal for Fee Payment
The government has introduced a new fee payment process for national schools, prompting the Ministry of Education to issue fresh directives to parents and guardians. In a circular addressed to National School principals, Dr. Belio Kipsang, the Basic Education Principal Secretary, emphasized that all fee payments must now be made directly through the e-citizen platform.
In preparation for the launch, Dr. Kipsang instructed school principals to submit their institution’s bank account details to facilitate the onboarding process. To achieve this directive’s objective, principals have been given until February 6, 2024, to provide key financial information to the office of the Director General at the State Department for Basic Education.
To streamline the submission process, the ministry has specified that all submissions should be sent via email to dg@education.go.ke, with a copy forwarded to sa.basic@education.go.ke.
Dr. Kipsang highlighted that this initiative aims to broaden the user base of eCitizen. The e-Citizen directorate, in partnership with the Information Communication Technology Authority (ICTA), the Ministry of Information, Communication, and the Digital Economy, and the National Treasury, is currently orchestrating the integration of all government services into the eCitizen platform. This collaborative effort is intended to enhance overall service delivery.
In a circular dated 2nd February 2024, Dr. Belio Kipsang, the Principal Secretary for Basic Education, directed regional and county Directors of Education to ensure that schools cease directing parents to pay charges beyond the authorized fees guidelines for secondary schools.
According to Dr. Kipsang, public junior secondary and primary schools, primarily day schools, will no longer impose any fees on students. The ministry will cover tuition requirements through capitation.
In addition, Dr. Kipsang instructed all secondary schools to comply with the authorized fees structures, distributed in a ratio of 50 percent, 30 percent, and 20 percent for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd terms, respectively.
Furthermore, the lunch program for day secondary schools is now optional, and no child should be denied schooling due to non-payment.
The ministry emphasized the importance of reporting any school principal, board of managements, or Headteacher charging unauthorized levies to the Principal Secretary. To ensure compliance, schools are required to fill out a fees declaration form, which must be countersigned by sub-county Directors of Education.
Dr. Kipsang held county and sub-county Directors of Education responsible for any breaches within their jurisdiction. The circular stated, “All schools are required to fill fees declaration form and countersigned by Sub-County Director of Education in the format attached.” Each Sub-County Director and County Director of Education will be accountable for any violations occurring within their respective areas of authority.
To streamline the process, completed forms must be submitted to the ministry headquarters by 9th February 2024, in both hard and soft copies. Soft copies can be sent via directorsecondary@education.go.ke, with the sample format emailed to the concerned authorities.
