Row between Makini School, parents deepens

A row between parents and the management of Makini Schools on e-learning and fees for Term Two has intensified and could land in court soon.

The school’s parents teachers association (PTA) committee chaired by Nixon Bugo has rejected a fee demand by the school's owner, South Africa’s private education firm AdvTech Group, while the institution's management insists that parents must pay to keep the institution afloat.

AdvTech Group also owns Crawford School in Nairobi and Kiambu counties.

At Makini School, which was acquired from Mary Okello in May 2018, an advisory letter by the PTA committee to parents dated May 22 says they should not pay a single cent since the government has not communicated when the second term will start.

However, Advtech in a letter to the committee dated May 20 had insisted that, among others, e-learning is "not free and cannot reasonably be expected to be".

The PTA committee reckons this contradicts previous communications and reassurances from the school's management that e-learning is free.

“Indeed, the school management has proceeded to unlawfully bill the parents for Term 2, 2020 much as the Ministry of Education has not promulgated the calendar dates for Term 2. This exhibits lack of sincerity, trust and truthfulness on their part. The school management has also obstinately continued to disregard the concerns raised by parents,” reads the letter from the PTA committee.

It goes on: “In lieu of the foregoing, we strongly urge all our parents to continue being guided accordingly by the resolutions of the PTA of May 13. Kindly also note that the PTA shall keep you informed / updated on the next course of action as guided by the concerns and input from parents.”

However, the management of Makini insists that PTAs in Kenya are advisory and have no decision–making responsibility when it comes to school operations and decision making, adding that the institution will not abdicate this role to the PTA.

In a letter dated May 20 to PTA committee, Jaco Lotz, international business development executive and Horace Mpanza, international business development manager maintained that e-learning remains at no additional costs to the parents as expenses associated with setting up have been absorbed by AdvTech, but added that online learning, however, is not free and cannot reasonably be expected to be.

The managers said parents have three options when it comes to fees payment within the terms until August.

"To date we have been able to continue paying the teachers in full. Our ability to keep doing so if parents withhold fees will be seriously undermined and we urge you not to take the route of encouraging parents to do so. Our children at Makini need an operational school to return to and our teachers deserve to be protected as far as possible so that they are ready and available to resume contact classes,” said the school's management.

Disputes between parents and private schools have arisen amid the current emphasis on online learning as learning facilities remain shut.

Already, parents at Brookhouse International School are in court over payment of full school fees despite the Covid-19 pandemic, accusing the its management of exploiting them amid an unprecedented business disruption.