In the statement issued on Saturday, September 11, KICD asked teachers to refrain from giving assignments that are costly to parents.
The authority called upon teachers to be considerate with assignments and tasks that learners take home, noting that parents and guardians shouldn’t incur unnecessary expenses.
Further teachers were asked to give assignments that are within learners abilities. The directive comes as parents shared on social media the agony they go through, with some claiming that they are forced to do some of the homework with their learners.
At the same time, KICD advised parents and guardians to continue creating conducive environments for learners at home.
Parents were also asked to raise any conflicting homework that learners take home with the headteachers.
If their concerns are not taken seriously and rectified, the authority said it encouraged parents to report such schools.
“Parents are empowered to raise concerns over unsuitable homework with the headteachers of the schools; if not addressed, specific cases can be reported to the Ministry of Education, KICD, and TSC,” the authority stated.
Guardians and parents have complained over the nature of assignments learners have been taking home with them, questioning the tight timelines given and money spent in purchasing materials to be used in the school projects.
According to local media, some parents said they spend upwards of Ksh25,000 to buy computers and tablets needed by the learners to undertake assignments.
Other parents narrated how they had to buy printers as the assignments involved downloading and printing materials.
National Parents Association chairman, Nicholas Maiyo, accused some schools of being unreasonable, asking parents to buy many books, and in some cases, multiple books for one subject.
