Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani has issued out Sh70 million cheques to be disbursed to 2400 learners under the ‘Elimu Ni Sasa’ scholarship scheme spread in 20 administrative wards.
Governor Achani says the money from the county’s ‘Elimu Ni Sasa’ bursary kitty will benefit public university and secondary school students to continue with their education.
She says the latest disbursement comes in the wake of increased efforts by the coastal county to enhance access, retention, and completion rates in learning institutions.
Achani said during the presentation of the cheques to the beneficiaries that one of the cardinal principles of her administration is to enhance education standards in the region.
“The provision of the scholarship is primarily to those who are from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds and could not afford fees but who excel in their academics,” she said.
The county boss says already the devolved government has increased the annual county bursary funding from Sh. 400 million to Sh 500 million this financial year.
The Governor spoke separately when she led the issuance of cheques to students from Bongwe/Gombato and Pongwe Kikoneni wards respectively.
The Elimu Ni Sasa bursary scheme is an initiative conceptualized by the devolved government aimed at helping students from poor economic backgrounds attain education.
Achani says the Elimu Ni Sasa bursary scheme which started since the inception of devolution in 2013 continues to transform the educational standards in the region.
“Through the Elimu Ni Sasa initiative which is solely dedicated to education development, we are committed to ensuring that our students stay in schools all the time,” she said.
She challenged the county officials managing the education scheme to ensure that the bursary is given to the most deserving students.
Achani says the scholarship scheme will in the long run reposition the education sector in order to move the coastal county forward.
“It is a known fact that without quality education our county will not make any meaningful socio-economic progress and we will continue to lag behind,” she said.
She revealed that since the inception of devolution in 2013, the county government has operationalized over 548 Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centers across the six sub-counties.
The Governor also said the county has employed over 900 ECDE teachers on permanent and pensionable terms since the coming of devolution a decade ago and also promised to recruit and train more to boost education.
By Hussein Abdullahi
