The Tinderet National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) has released Sh55 million in bursary to learners in various schools and tertiary institutions.
Area Member of Parliament (MP) Julius Melly who issued the cheques at Got Ne Lel Girls Secondary School said out of the figure, beneficiaries in day schools would receive Sh33 million while those in boarding schools would get Sh8.5 million. Learners in colleges and universities will receive Sh6.2 and Sh4.9 respectively.
A total of 70 bright and needy students will receive up to Sh. 53,000 each to cater for all their expenses in school, he added.
Melly said through the Presidential Bursary Scheme, an additional 56 learners would benefit from Sh679,000 to support their education.
He said the support was a commitment from the government and the Constituency leadership to ensure that all children go to school, urging the respective principals to spend the money prudently for the benefit of the learners.
“The drive to free education has gathered momentum. There is a lot of effort from the government, Members of Parliament, banks and well-wishers and therefore no child should be left at home,” he said.
The MP lamented over cases of school drop out in the area which he said stemmed out of parents abdicating their responsibilities.
He said some of the children ended up working in sugarcane plantations as cane cutters killing the dream of boosting education standards in the area.
He asked chiefs and assistant chiefs through their structures to intensify a crackdown in their areas to ensure that the practice is eradicated.
The administrators, he added, must work with other government agencies to mop up all learners and ensure they go to school.
Melly further urged the school heads not to send children home due to lack of school fees but invite their parents to school and come up with a payment structure.
“The government is struggling with generating revenue. Even the CDF we are releasing today has delayed. Therefore, you must manage the funds to the best of your ability,” he said.
He noted that retaining students in school has proven to have a positive impact on results urging teachers to work with the capitation funds allocated to them to sustain learners.
“Research has shown that sending children home takes away 40% of their performance. This also exposes them to bad company and stigma besides lowering their self-esteem,” he said.
Mental health, he added, was a big challenge in the Constituency and the country at large.
This, he said has seen five Early Childhood Education (ECD) teachers commit suicide in the area over the last one year.
The issue, he said, was alarming calling on school heads to restore guidance and counselling services.
“Let us talk to one another. Let us talk to the students because some of them have children back at home and this affects them in one way or the other,” he said.
By Kosuri Valarie
