Gladys Shollei, the deputy speaker of the national assembly, urged the ministry of education to rethink its policy on school uniforms in order to protect Kenyans from escalating prices.
Speaking on Citizen TV on Monday, February 6, the politician said that despite obtaining bursaries, the majority of kids were still confined to their homes because their parents could not afford to pay for meals and uniforms.
According to the Uasin Gishu Woman Representative, schools have been overstating the amount of uniforms they require and locking out many kids.
“We must lower the price of education. The price of food is pretty expensive. Some are higher than average rates. The heads of schools are playing a little game. The parents cannot afford the purchase of uniforms either. Where are the days when I could visit Mitumba and get a pair of black shoes?
Let’s make uniforms more uniform. Parents cannot afford a pair that is more than Ksh1000, but she can purchase a pair of shoes similar to them at Mitumba for Ksh300.
Why should we be required to purchase tracksuits, fleece, sweaters, several ties, short- and long-sleeved shirts, and pants? She inquired.
To ensure that no child is denied the opportunity to enroll in secondary school, she further urged lawmakers to collaborate with head teachers in identifying pupils in need.
“The best hack is to work with headteachers in primary schools because they are aware of the needy students, their families, and their homes, and they can even tell you that a child misses school due to a lack of food. If you use headteachers in primary schools, they will flag the children to you even before the exams are over.
By the time the child is in eighth grade, they already know that they are one of the good students who is facing a problem, and they are given priority when awarding bursaries, she added.
On January 31, Education Principal Secretary (PS) Belio Kipsang issued a direction for uniform sellers to guarantee that uniforms are inexpensive during an inspection trip of grade seven transition activities in Kajiado County.
In order to increase morale among students in the JSS colleges, he advised, “We are suggesting the uniforms should not be expensive but of good quality.”
Moses Kuria, the Trade Cabinet Secretary (CS), questioned the necessity of requiring students to wear school uniforms at the same time.
According to him, school uniforms have little to no impact on students receiving a proper education, hence there is no need for schools to implement any kind of dress code.
“There is no uniform in America. How does the school’s curriculum, which is competency-based (CBC), function? It is not required. The Ministry has sent a circular and will send another circular to the schools today stating that parents have complete discretion about where to purchase uniforms “he observed
