THE E-CITIZEN MIGRATION
Last week, the Government through the Ministry of Education’s
Principal Secretary gave a directive to the national school principals to
initiate the fee payment on the eCitizen platform.
Ecitizen Platform is a Government-owned online platform that
offers about 5,000 services and now the payment of school fees joins these
services.
This now means that the parents and or guardians at national
high schools will have to abjure to going to the banks affiliated with the
various schools, money orders, mobile transactions such as M-Pesa, and direct hand-to-hand
payment of school fees.
In the circular that was circulated to the national school
principals, they (principals) were directed to provide their school’s bank account
name, Account numbers, branch, and branch code.
This initiative just like a coin has two faces; the head and
the tail, while to the context the tail is the disadvantage and the head is the
advantage.
In defense of the program, the Principal Security for Education
stated that this is to ameliorate transparency and accountability.
Immigration and eCitizen Services Principle Secretary Julius
Bitok said that the platform entrenches an effective monitoring system on
compliance with relevant policies and regulating governing levying of fees in
public schools.
This is also an initiative by the Government to consolidate the
mostly through a single paybill number 222,222
THE PROCESS
The process of paying fees through the eCitizen platform is not
a bed of roses as one may think.
The fee payer must have certain credentials like the national
identification cards and the Kenya Revenue Authority Personal Identification Number
Certificate, after logging in they have to master the student’s name, Admission
number, and the recipient school’s bank account details.
During my days at the Secondary level, I used to pay school fees
at the bank, I partially studied in an extra county school formerly known as a provincial
school. At the bank, the only requirements were the school’s account number,
the name, and the admission number and then heading to the line thereafter the
receipt of fee payment would be produced that I was to take to the school for
the reflection of the money on the school’s system.
Why is it that the new system of fee payment looks hard nut
to crack for me vis a viz the older system?
At the secondary level, I partially studied in a an extra
county school, formerly known as provincial school, I used to personally
deposit the cash that was I was given to in the bank. At the bank, since I was
that shy I used to get help from the fellow schoolmates or the security officers
in the bank. When now matter takes turn to be at one’s convenience then errors
are prone to occur, and the rigidity that comes with the money deposited at the
bank is that the refund is difficult to follow especially at the school level. At
certain point the teller or the bank attendants usually helps but this will be
forgone opportunity.
The country is joining the other parts of the world in
enjoying the technological advancements but the digital divide is still a widened
gap when the continent of Africa is in comparison to other global continents.
The digital disruption on a positive note should be given
space such that we as the country we explore but other sectors are sensitive to
be touched.
Even though the project is at the pilot stage at National
Schools, the question as to whether it will succeed or fail it is still early
to predict as the PS Belio Kipsang reiterated that the program involves the
stakeholders in the education sector in order for it to be a success.
THE SETBACK
The Barrier to other means of fee payment.
In some schools, in situations where the fee payer couldn’t afford
the cash to pay a commodity or good with the equivalent amount was permissible
by the school head. This was in form of the cereals, beans, vegetable from the
farms, or firewood. Through these, the parent would pay fees in instalments
without rubbing shoulders with the school administration. This strategy worked
best in the school where I finished my studies for the ‘O’ level.
Today, quite a number of form students are yet to join their
secondary schools either of their choice or they have not joined totally, yet
the Government is rolling out new plan than finding how best the 100% transition
can be achieved without hindrance.
If the system continues, then how will the fee payer who
depends on peasantry farming to survive to be able to pay the fee, how will he
or she find it easy to access the cash to pay the fee? In deed a dilemma.
Demographic mileage
The moment one of the requirement for fee payment on the eCitizen
platform requires an identification card it disqualifies the student from
accessing the platform leave alone the requirement of the KRA pin certificate.
In the society there is that demographic mileage where the
some of the parents are not well updated with the technological trends, to be
sincere accessing the online things is an uphill task for them and they usually
resort for an assistance.
Whenever they would be having an urge of paying fee, how
will they efficiently pay for it.
THE DEVICE
Not every of Kenyan adult has access to smartphones
The question is that how will the fee payer be able to pay
fee online yet the gadget he or she can afford is not capable of reaching that
online platform, I mean the digital divide within Kenya when it comes to the demographic
factors is a challenge.
THE DENCRYPTED PRIVACY
The main reason National identity cards, and KRA certificate
are valuable is that they have the personal identification number that cannot
be shared to the third party. How sure is the Government that the data of the
fee payer will be secure especially for those who will not be conversant with
the system and would always resolve for the help from another person either a
friend or the relative or neighbor as well.
It would have been better if the Government have their
assistants to help those accessing the portal for the sake of those paying
school fees, or the portal be more advanced that whatever someone access is
more easy and swift.
POSITIVES
To side with the government, this system will help curb corruption
and transparency issues.
This will help in blocking the pitfalls that may arise or
that which may have emanated in the due process of someone's study.
The transparency may
be achieved but not at a hundred percent, corruption may be fought but not to
the last breath
This is a remarkable stride that is going to be a wave to those
who have been engaging in unscrupulous methods in their areas of jurisdiction.
If the Government deemed it right that through this system
of fee payment the schools will be able to strengthen themselves financially then
there is no reason of botting it out.
The schools for so long have been struggling financially as
they do not get the government’s capitations on and at the same time the fee
payers not paying fee until a child is sent home is when they react.
EMBRACING CHANGE
“The change is as good as rest.”
There is no need for one sector to lag behind when it comes
to transition from analogue to digital era. Education sector should not be left
be hence the system should be embrace and be received with two hands.
It may be that the process is bitter then the end will
justify the means. No change takes effect and brings instantaneous result and
even Rome was not built in a day
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