Lamu County government will from this year provide scholarships to KCPE students from marginalised areas who score 250 marks and above.
Students from Mararani, Manda, Kiangwe, Mangai, Barsuba, Bodhei, Pandanguo, Bargoni, Shemgambe and Moa areas who excel in their studies will benefit from a new county education affirmative programme aimed at uplifting education standards as well as increasing numbers for transition to high school.
Speaking to the press in Lamu town Thursday, the county executive for education Paul Thairu stated that the county government had set aside at least Sh120 million for the bursary and scholarships programme intended to improving education standards in the area.
He noted that the new cut off mark for qualifying for scholarships among students from marginalized areas had been reached following deliberations within Governor Fahim Twaha’s administration over how to improve the state of education in Lamu.
“The scholarship programme has so far been a success with students within Lamu Island and the mainland areas of Mpeketoni, Witu and Hindi with students who score 300 marks qualifying and receiving scholarships for the full four years that they are in high school,” Thairu stated, adding that the scholarship also extends to students who score C+ and above in their KCSE marks.
According to Lamu education director Joshua Kaaga, primary to secondary transition rates in Lamu have increased from less than 70 percent in 2016 to 96 percent in 2021, due to national and county government initiatives aimed at improving the local education sector.
The Education Executive also stated that the county government has also introduced a school feeding programme that will be introduced in all public schools within the county.
The County Commissioner Irungu Macharia also stated that the national government would ensure that all public schools are supported in terms of resources with teachers and interns already deployed within areas that did not have tutors such as the Boni schools.
“There are deliberate efforts by the county government to ensure that the area education sector improves by all means available from offering scholarships to county bursaries and also by fully sponsoring willing learners to access free TVET education within Lamu polytechnics,” Governor Fahim Twaha said in a phone interview.
By Amenya Ochieng
