School fires: Parents decry hefty fees charged for damages
A building at Kisumu Boys High School goes up in flames on September 17, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Some learners have remained at home after failing to raise the fee demanded for damages.
- Eight secondary schools suffered fires that led to damages worth millions. The schools include Ganze Boys Secondary School, Bandari and Bale secondary schools. Others were Godoma, Mwangea Girls, Kaya Tiwi Secondary School, Ganze Girls and Kachororoni Secondary schools.
Parents have raised complaints over the hefty fines they are charged by schools for damages caused in fire outbreaks.
The parents and a section of education stakeholders in Kilifi had raised concerns over the rampant fire incidents in schools, asking the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to find out who is behind such incidents instead of blanket condemnation of all students.
They claimed that some of the incidents could be intentional so that some staff can benefit from the funds collected.
This comes after a matron in one of the schools was arrested as a key suspect after CCTV footage allegedly showed her rushing out of a dormitory minutes before it caught fire.
Other stakeholders wondered why parents should carry the blame even in cases where a fire could have been caused by electric faults.
Last month, more than five secondary schools in Kilifi suffered arson attacks, destroying properties worth millions of shillings. However, no students were hurt in the incidents that mostly occurred while students were away from the dormitories.
Coast Regional Education Director Lucas Kangongo on Monday said police are still probing the incidents, warning students against engaging in arson.
“Investigations are ongoing over arson attacks in our schools in this region. The boards of management of the two schools, Mariakani and St John’s, agreed that the razed dormitories will be constructed through funds from parents. They held an emergency meeting. However, at St John’s, a matron was arrested as a suspect,” said Mr Kangongo.
The director explained that school boards of management are mandated to decide how much money is needed for repairs and they are the ones who oversee how the funds are utilised.
At Mariakani Boys Secondary School, a 150-capacity dormitory was razed by a fire that broke out at night while students were out for their entertainment session.
A meeting between Kaloleni Sub-County Education Officer Josphine Lomata and the school board led to the indefinite closure of the school, with each student expected to report back with Sh5,000. This would amount to Sh6.7 million since the school has a total of 1,340 students.
The same happened at the St John’s Girls Secondary School after a fire razed their 100-capacity dormitory.
At Godoma Boys Secondary School in Ganze, parents said they were asked to pay Sh15,000 for damages after fire razed a 110-capacity dormitory on October 9 last year.
The 4am fire incident led to the death of a 17-year-old Form Two student who was in the dormitory while other students had gone for their morning studies. Godoma Secondary School has over 1,000 students.
Eight students from Godoma were arrested following the arson attack.
Some of the students are yet to report back after failing to raise the fee due to financial challenges. Ms Dama Charo, a widow from Midodoni village in Ganze, said her son, 19, is now involved in charcoal production to raise the money needed.
Another parent, Mr Fredrick Kazungu, said he had to transfer his son to a different school because he could not raise the damage fee plus school fees.
Former Kilifi County Education Board Chairperson Gabriel Katana called on the board of management and parents association to be mindful of their decisions.
“Here is a case where a parent who was preparing to pay school fees is being asked to pay Sh15,000 for damages while at the same time, the parent has to clear the fee balances and buy items for their children which got burnt during the fire incident,” he said, raising fear that many students might drop out of school.
In addition, he said, the school should call parents whose children are at home to work on the best way to pay the damages fee.
Last year, eight secondary schools in Ganze went on strike in one month, and the institutions suffered destruction of properties worth millions.
The schools include Ganze Boys Secondary School, Bandari and Bale secondary schools. Others were Godoma, Mwangea Girls, Ganze Girls and Kachororoni Secondary schools.
In Kwale, two weeks ago, Kaya Tiwi Secondary School was closed down indefinitely after students went on strike over the transfer of their principal by the Teacher Service Commission
The school reopened a week ago, with students asked to return to school with some cash.
