A form three student at AIC Litein Girls Secondary School has worried friends and family after she attempted suicide by ingesting poison over unpaid school fee balance.
According to a local TV station, the learner who is receiving treatment at Kapkatet Hospital in Kericho first wrote a suicide note and uploaded it on her social media page.
“She borrowed a phone from a stranger and posted on Facebook that she is ending her life because of unavailability of school fees and difficulty at home,” the minor’s mother said.
The mother to the form three student revealed that by that time the girl was attempting suicide, the family was in the process of organising a fundraiser.
“We showed the principal the fundraiser letter but she sent us away saying we go back to the school when we have paid the school fees,” the mother said.
The incident comes after Education CS George Magoha told parents to clear school arrears or their children will be sent home.
“Our population is a very interesting one. The majority of people not paying fees can afford to pay. I am requesting parents, who are still refusing to pay, to pay the fees without further delays,” Magoha said.
However, Mogoha noted that students from humble backgrounds or whose parents lost jobs due to the pandemic, should not be sent home as principals ensure parents settle fees arrears.
“I ask the principals to double check and confirm that the child they are sending home is not from a poor family or a family where the parent lost a job,” the CS added.
