No policy to stop students progressing-Bole

The Education Minister has emphasized that there is no education policy to legitimize school principals from stopping form five students to go to form six because they cannot meet the benchmark set by the school.

Filipe Bole said all principals should refrain from this act, if they are doing it.

He said all the school heads, mainly the principals of all secondary schools have been told that it is their responsibility to see that form five students progress to form 6 and sit for exams.

This comes after many parents complained that some principals were refusing to promote their children to form six because according to them, the students were slow learners.

Bole said the Ministry is closely monitoring schools that are underperforming in both FSLC and FSFE exams.

He said the ministry will make some changes in these schools beginning with the principals and heads of departments as a wakeup call.

Meanwhile, Bole has also expressed concern at the amount of levies charged by schools.

He said they are aware that some schools still keep the full amount of tuition grants from the government, after sending students home for failing to pay other levies.

The Ministry is looking into such incidents and may reduce its grants to schools found exercising this practice.

Bole believes that the tuition grants given to schools should be enough to cover school fees and other items which the schools levy to the children.