Parents with children in secondary schools will from January not pay school fees according to new guidelines released by the Ministry of Education as the government rolls out free secondary education.

According to a circular by the Ministry, secondary education will now be free and only parents with children in boarding schools will be required to cater for boarding-related levies and the costs of lunch and uniform but the cost of education for those in day schools will fully be assumed by the government.

The amount that parents with children in boarding schools will pay has been capped at Sh 53,000 per year.

Previously, the government has been paying Sh 12,870 per year per student with parents paying Sh 9,374 per year in fees but with the free secondary education roll out, the government will now pay Sh 22,244 per child annually.

“in order to ensure a 100 per cent transition for learners and remove the burden from parents, the parent component of Sh 9,374 has been taken up and as such, learners in day-schools will not pay any fees, “the circular reads in part.

The government is expected to release the first disbursement of free secondary education in December and subsequent ones in April and August each year.