Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi has condemned the practice of sending students home over small remedial fees, saying no child should miss education because their parents cannot afford a few shillings.
Speaking during the Changamwe NG-CDF bursary cheque issuance ceremony, the legislator urged teachers and school administrators to be more considerate of the financial struggles many families are facing.
The event brought together parents, students, education officials and local leaders, with hundreds of needy learners receiving bursary support to help them continue with their studies.
Addressing the gathering, Mwinyi expressed concern that many students are often sent home for failing to pay remedial fees as low as KSh100, a practice he said must stop.
“No student should be chased away from school because of remedial fees. It is sad that in the morning you will find many students on the streets going back home after being sent away for failing to pay even one hundred shillings,” he said.
The MP noted that some parents struggle to even provide basic meals for their children, making it unrealistic to expect them to raise additional school levies.
There are parents who cannot even afford breakfast for their children, yet schools are forcing them to pay remedial fees. As teachers, you need to understand the situation many parents are going through,” he added.
Mwinyi, who previously worked as a teacher, said educators must show empathy and prioritize the welfare of learners.
"I was a teacher before joining politics and I never sent any student home because of fees. Sometimes I even stayed in school with the students to support them,” he said.
He emphasized that education should remain accessible to all children regardless of their family background.
The MP also announced plans to sponsor teachers from Changamwe to visit schools that consistently produce strong academic results so they can learn best practices.
“We will sponsor teachers from this constituency to visit areas that have been producing good results so that they can learn what their counterparts are doing differently,” he said.
According to Mwinyi, the initiative aims to help improve education standards and academic performance in schools across the constituency.
At the same time, the legislator acknowledged that the shortage of teachers remains a major challenge affecting learning in many schools.
"We are also engaging the relevant authorities to address the shortage of teachers from the Teachers Service Commission so that our schools can have adequate staff,” he said.
Mwinyi reaffirmed his commitment to supporting education through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), noting that bursaries play a key role in ensuring students from vulnerable families remain in school.
