- The Sh70 million fund will be shared among more than 11,000 students in all the county’s 20 wards.
- They include bright and needy learners in secondary school, colleges and universities.
Image: SOLOMON MUINGI
Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime has started the distribution of bursaries to students ahead of schools reopening on Monday.
The Sh70 million bursary fund will be shared among more than 11,000 students in secondary school, colleges and universities in all the county’s 20 wards.
Mwadime said distributing bursaries is part of the interventions the government is putting in place to support education.
He spoke when he launched the exercise for Voi subcounty at Moi Stadium on Thursday.
“The idea is to ensure we keep our learners in school despite the harsh economic times. The issuance is timely since schools are opening next week for term two," Mwadime said.
The devolved unit has doubled the bursaries allocation from the initial Sh100 million to Sh200 million this financial year.
To meet the increased allocation, bursaries have been issued in phases due to delays in disbursement of funds from the exchequer.
The bursary increment means each of the 20 wards will receive Sh10 million up from the previous Sh5 million.
The government has so far issued Sh130 million and the remaining Sh70 million will be issued during the last quarter.
Mwadime said the bursary kitty is aimed at opening access to education to all students irrespective of their background.
The increased bursary scheme will help accelerate the development of human capital and have an impact on the growth of the county.
Mwadime appealed to school heads not to send learners home for fees, but instead seek alternative avenues to have arrears settled without interference with the learners’ time in school.
“Learning has been interrupted by the unprecedented flooding and the remaining time should be utilised. We appeal to school heads to be patient with parents even as they seek to clear fee balances," Mwadime said.
He cited continued student absenteeism due to lack of school fees as a key factor derailing the government's efforts to improve academic standards in the public schools.
President William Ruto on Wednesday announced that all schools will reopen on Monday, May 13, a fortnight after the opening date was postponed due to heavy downpour resulting to floods in many parts of the country.
The schools were initially set for reopening on April 29.
Deputy Governor Christine Kilalo said that the county government is committed to assisting students in their academic endeavors.
Kilalo in return asked beneficiaries to grasp the opportunity with utmost determination and commitment, by putting in diligent effort and maintaining discipline.
The deputy governor revealed that the devolved unit will continue collaborating with other partners in a bid to source more funds to support the county scholarship program.
Kilalo challenged the youth to also enroll in vocational training centers in order to get skills training.
She said the technical skills will help them create self-employment and empower them economically.
She noted that the education department will continue supporting and rallying the youth to acquire self-reliance skills through the vocational training centers thus reducing the number of unemployed youth in the region.