The Ministry of Education has issued firm instructions to all secondary schools across the country to release Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificates that have been withheld due to unpaid school fees. This follows growing complaints from students and parents who have been denied access to their certificates.
In a circular dated April 1, Principal Secretary Julius Bitok directed all County Directors of Education to enforce the order without delay. He said the continued withholding of certificates goes against the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) Act, 2012, which prohibits schools from holding back the documents for any reason.
“You are hereby directed to instruct all secondary schools within your respective jurisdictions to immediately release KCSE certificates to the affected students upon request,” said PS Bitok.
He stressed the importance of the certificates in helping students either continue their education or pursue employment opportunities. Schools, he said, should seek alternative legal means to recover any outstanding fees rather than using the certificates as leverage.
The Ministry has also instructed county directors to submit a compliance report within 14 days of receiving the directive to confirm that the schools in their regions have followed the order.
This directive is part of the government’s efforts to protect students’ rights and ensure that financial difficulties do not block their future prospects. Many learners, especially from poor backgrounds, have been unable to proceed with further studies or secure jobs because they lacked the official documents.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba recently reinforced this position, saying no student should be denied their certificate due to school debts. He told Parliament that he wants the distribution of KCSE certificates removed from schools entirely after it emerged that some principals were ignoring ministry directives.
Under the new plan being considered, candidates will collect their KCSE certificates from sub-county education offices instead of their former schools, a move aimed at putting an end to the long-standing problem.
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