The Vihiga government is in the process of selecting 100 Form 1 beneficiaries of the Governor's Scholarship Programme under the County Education Fund.
The fund was established in 2014 but was reinvigorated in 2019 after Governor Wilber Ottichilo took charge of the county. It is aimed at supporting bright but needy students.
“The programmes’ main objective is to offer full scholarships to bright needy students who scored 370 marks and above to enable them to scale the heights of education,” Education chief officer Pamela Busungu said.
She said in 2019, 100 students benefitted. It covers four-year tuition, personal effects, and a mentorship programme.
Busungu said more than 200 continuing students under Vihiga Governor's Scholarship Programme received personal effects and transport back to school on Monday. The 220 students were enrolled in two cohorts of Form 1 and 2.
Governor Wilber Ottichilo said his administration is committed to scaling up levels of education by considering bright students for support.
“Education is now a human right as stipulated in the Sustainable Development Goal number 4,” he said.
“And my government will ensure that bright and needy children access education without hiccups at any point.”
He said the programme has now entered the third year and will ensure students are not only assisted to pay fees and have personal effects but also guided through mentorship to choose career paths that are in tandem with their capabilities.
The county chief said moving forward the programme will have an increased budgetary allocation to enable more needy students to benefit.
Education executive Henry Lumbasio said his department has secured the scholarships through policy and is supported by law to ensure its sustainability.
He urged parents to give maximum support to students for them to realise their goals.
Two weeks ago, the department of education vetted applicants for the third cohort.
Busungu said Sh46 million will be spent after the enrolment of Form 1 learners.
“I request the students to diligently work hard, be disciplined to reap the fruits of having benefitted from this scholarship,” Busungu said.
