Education ministry officials are cracking the whip on schools running holiday tuition during the third term break contrary to a directive that put a ban on the practice.

On Wednesday, the officials suspended the registration certificate of Happyland Preparatory School in Nairobi after the school was found providing the banned holiday tuition. Principal Secretary for Basic Education Dr Belio Kipsang had made an impromptu visit at the school accompanied by other officials, following a tip-off that the school was conducting the banned holiday tuition. The officials found 100 students confined in one of the school’s dormitory in an effort to cover up the crime.

St Anne’s Ahero Primary School teachers have also arrested over tuition and several students sent home.

Holiday tuition for students in both public and private schools, which has been a major cash cow for schools, was banned by the late, former minister of Education Mutula Kilonzo in 2008  and his predecessors, Jacob Kaimenyi and Fred Matiang’i  have upheld the legislation. It is even more disturbing to see Kindergarten kids being subjected to the holiday tuition madness.

Matiang’i revised the school calendar, which has prolonged the usual one month December holiday to two months, in order to allow KCPE and KCSE candidates  ample time to do their exams without external  interactions in a move aimed to curb the rampant exam cheating and schools are taking advantage of the long holiday to mint money from parents who also don’t want the children to stay home.