All head teachers and school principals have been urged to enrol learners from poor background into Elimu Scholarship programme.
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha said it is heart-breaking to see bright but needy students at home due to lack of school fees yet the government has a scholarship to fund their education.
Prof. Magoha said the scholarship fund would help intelligent students with limited financial resources to pursue and successfully complete their secondary education without any hitch.
“There is hope to those children from needy background to follow their dream and become what they want in life because the government will fund their education through Elimu scholarship. Let us not deny them that chance,” he said.
The CS pleaded with those few principals who were sending children home because of lack of school fees to desist from the behaviour.
Speaking at Kapsabet Boys High School after monitoring reporting of form ones, Prof. Magoha warned students who were still waiting out there to transfer to other schools that that was not going to happen.
He recommended the institution for registering 100 per cent, calling various stakeholders from other regions to ensure students from their areas who have not reported to school to do so.
“Some areas where I have been, we are not even approaching 75 per cent. The enrolment is still low that’s why I insist students must report to school that you are supposed to report. There is no way out,” he stated.
During the visit, Prof. Magoha met with Fred Ekiru Amurio, a student from Turkana County who was overjoyed after being admitted at the school of his choice.
“This child represents the face of Kenya and if there is something I would like to be remembered for, it is ensuring poor children get justice just like any other children across the country,” he said.
Elimu scholarship is an initiative funded by the World Bank and Government of Kenya through Ministry of Education that seeks to improve secondary education.
The scholarship caters for school fees, transport, learning materials and the four-year secondary education period.
The CS asked all head teachers and principals to register their students for Grade six, KCPE and KCSE and complete the registration within the next one week.
“It’s a very short year indeed and we want to hand over to the next government when everything is in order,” he said.
Prof. Magoha who was accompanied by Nandi County Commissioner Herman Shambi also toured St Joseph’s Chepterit secondary school where he commissioned CBC classroom. He also inspected the progress of construction work of the multi-million Eliud Kipchoge library at Kapsisiywa.
Source: Kenya News Agency