Beledweyne (AX) – School heads and parents in Baledweyne town are up in arms against the fees slapped by the Hirshabelle State Ministry of Education on eighth-grade primary school students.
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The Ministry, organizing the class eight national exams for the 2023/2024 academic session, has decreed a $25 certificate fee per pupil before exams commence— a new mandate.
Without handing over the cash, the students won’t be allowed to sit for the test. Educators and guardians have denounced this edict as unlawful.
In a collective press meet on Thursday in Baledweyne, school leaders dismissed Hirshabelle’s charges, voicing their discontent.
“I’ve been in the teaching game for 45 years as both a teacher and a principal. Never seen kids forced to cough up money for certificates before even knowing exam outcomes. This ain’t right, and we ain’t having it,” declared Ahmed Daghane, a principal from Baledweyne.
Parents are flabbergasted by Hirshabelle’s move and have pledged not to fork over the fee. Despite the backlash, the Hirshabelle Ministry of Education insists that parents should pay up before their kids can tackle the 2023/2024 national exams.
