Four hundred and eighty three bright but needy pupils who sat for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) last year in Makueni County have received full secondary education scholarships from the Ministry of Education under the Elimu Scholarship Program.
The beneficiaries were among 1,600 candidates who had applied for the Scholarships, a scheme funded jointly by the government in conjunction with the World Bank.
Speaking when he graced the awarding of the scholarships at the Makueni School over the weekend, Equity Bank Managing Director, Dr. James Mwangi, urged the beneficiaries to work hard in their secondary education studies.
Dr. Mwangi decried the high prevalence of teenage pregnancies among schoolgirls and underscored the need to protect them from sexual abuse.
“Parents, we need to protect these children from sexual abuse which has caused an increase to early pregnancies,” he said.
On his part, the Makueni Governor, Kivutha Kibwana called on the pupils to remember their backgrounds and strive for a better future.
Faith Nzisa, one of the beneficiaries could not hide her joy for securing the Scholarship.
Nzisa who lives with her grandmother said she had lost hope in joining secondary school due to lack of fees.
“I didn’t know who would pay for my secondary school education until I received a call that I had qualified for the scholarship,” she said.
By Roselyne Kavoo
