Parents Question Fee Enforcement Measures at Pemwai Girls High School

Concerns are mounting over the treatment of students and parents at Pemwai Girls High School in Baringo County following a pattern of troubling incidents that point to a deeper issue within the institution's administration. Leadership at Pemwai Girls High School questioned as parents decry handling of fee disputes and student welfare concerns.

At the heart of the matter is the conduct of a senior teacher whose interactions with both learners and parents have been described as dismissive, heavy-handed, and lacking in basic empathy.

Parents have voiced frustration over a leadership culture that seems increasingly disconnected from the lived realities of families struggling under tough economic times.

Reports indicate that students have been turned away from school over very minor fee balances, some so small they hardly warrant the cost of transport home. '

In some cases, learners have allegedly been blocked from sitting exams altogether, raising serious questions about the school’s commitment to safeguarding access to education.

Below is what one parent shared in their own words. "Kindly hide my identity. I am writing to you as a concerned parent of a student at Pemwai Girls' High School to raise an issue that urgently needs public attention. There is a senior teacher at the school, Ms. Scolastica Biego, whose conduct towards students and parents has become deeply troubling. She has consistently displayed rude, arrogant, and insensitive behavior, even when dealing with genuine concerns from parents and students. Many students have been sent home for very small fee balances, with cases as extreme as KSh 9. Worse still, some students have been sent back multiple times from the school gate, despite their efforts to return and settle their balances. What is even more heartbreaking is that some students are currently still at home, having been denied the opportunity to sit for their exams simply because of fee issues. This is not only unfair—it is a violation of their right to education. We parents are not refusing to pay school fees. We are only asking for understanding and humane treatment as we try our best under tough economic conditions. It is painful to watch our daughters suffer humiliation at the gate or be denied exams, while some school staff treat us with disrespect when we try to raise our concerns. Ms. Biego, being a senior teacher, should be leading with empathy and professionalism—but instead, she has become a source of fear and discouragement. We are pleading for your help in highlighting this situation to the public and relevant authorities so that action can be taken. Our children deserve better. A Concerned Parent Pemwai Girls' High School."