The Privatization Commission put to rest rumors that national schools were being targeted for privatization. The Commission spoke out against a statement, bearing the commission’s letterhead, listing over 28 schools, including renowned academic institutions such as Alliance High School, Starehe Boys Centre, Friend’s School Kamusinga, and Kagumo High School, as being lined up for privatization.
Both the Commission and the Ministry of Education quickly disowned the list and called it fake. Education analysts echoed this sentiment, calling the reports baseless and lacking substance. They noted that the process of privatizing national schools could only be initiated through parliament, as mandated by law.
Education consultant, Amos Kaburu, emphasized the sensitivity of the education sector and warned against any actions that would defeat the purpose of privatization. He noted that high schools were not profit-oriented organizations and that there was no need to consider their privatization.
Another education expert, Jonathan Weseya, concurred with Kaburu, adding that most public schools were sponsored by religious groups or individual alliances, some of whom still owned the premises on which the schools operate, making privatization difficult.
The false reports followed Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria’s announcement that the government was considering privatization in the education sector to improve the quality of education and address financial constraints facing government institutions. In support of the initiative, Treasury CS Prof Njuguna Ndungu proposed a bill that would fast-track the privatization of struggling government corporations and institutions of higher education.
With these false reports debunked, the focus shifts to the government’s efforts to enhance the quality of education in Kenya through responsible and practical measures.
