• Kinango MP Benjamini Tayari said the majority of schools in Kwale are in areas where poverty levels are very high.
• Tayari said most parents cannot afford to cater for the tuition fees and resources required in schools and only rely on the CDF funds, which are meagre.
Low budget for schools' infrastructure and bursaries for needy students are hindering the 100 per cent transition to secondary, Kwale leaders have said.
Kinango MP Benjamini Tayari said the majority of schools in Kwale are in areas where poverty levels are very high.
Tayari said most parents cannot afford to cater for the tuition fees and resources required in schools and only rely on the CDF funds, which are meagre.
He said they had budgeted for Sh35 million for Kinango this year, but only about Sh20 million has been given for both bursaries and school maintenance.
“So many people are in need of sponsorship but the money distributed to us by the CDF is not enough if we look at the socio-economic factors of this region,” he said.
The lawmaker spoke on Monday when he handed out bursaries worth Sh10.7 million.
Tayari said the government should pump more funds in schools to help sustain learning activities.
He said the main reason why transition policy in Kwale is slow is that there is a delay in the release of funds to the CDF committees to offer bursaries.
“We had set aside some fees for the Form 1s but as we are speaking, the money is not there,” Tayari said.
If the burden is left to the parents, he said, chances of pupils remaining at home are high.
He asked Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha to find immediate measures to help the stranded needy students.
Tayari said there are some secondary schools in Kinango which only have six teachers despite the students' ballooning numbers.
The MP said the number of classrooms, laboratories, toilets, dormitories, must be added to avoid a learning crisis as the schools get congested.
The region principals’ association chairperson Joesph Kitavi said some schools don’t get the infrastructure funds leaving them in pathetic condition.
Kinango subcounty Knut secretary Japhet Nzai said the area is in need of more teachers.
Nzai said Kinango constituency is a hardship zone and requires special consideration.