The Mathioya National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) has, since the beginning of this year, spent Sh49.5 million on bursaries for learners in secondary schools and tertiary institutions.
From the amount, Sh19.4 million benefited 3,294 students in boarding secondary schools, while another Sh12.9 million was used to sponsor 4,301 learners in day schools.
The area MP, Edwin Mugo, said on Thursday that the amount used for bursaries this year is the highest since the inception of NG-CDF.
Speaking during Mathioya sub-county education day held at Njumbi High School, the legislator noted that this year they also considered students with special needs, where 70 learners were awarded bursaries amounting to Sh700,000.
Another Sh7.18 million was given as bursaries to 1,197 students pursuing university education and an additional 751 college students received bursaries amounting to Sh4.5 million.
Apart from the bursaries, Mugo said the constituency established a model student programme, which currently has 130 students whose full fees are covered by the local NG-CDF.
He explained that the model programme benefits needy students who performed exceptionally well in KCPE but lacked means to join secondary schools.
“A staggering 9,683 students have directly benefited from these bursaries. This is the highest number of learners ever supported through the NG-CDF kitty in Mathioya,” added Mugo.
Apart from the bursaries, he further said Sh27 million has been ploughed into various schools to facilitate improvement of infrastructure.
“Some schools have received money to construct classrooms, laboratories and dormitories. This is to ensure the schools have the required facilities to provide a conducive learning environment for students,” said Mugo.
He underscored the need for channelling more resources to education, saying his aim is to see improvement in education standards in Mathioya.
“Mathioya has been lagging behind in education performance and through channelling more resources to the sector, we aspire to improve performance in the national examinations,” he added.
The MP encouraged learners to take full advantage of the resources provided to them and post better results in the national examinations.
Speaking on the same occasion, Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu faulted the Ministry of Education for scrapping MOCK examinations for Form-four candidates, saying the decision needs to be reconsidered.
The Ministry of Education recently scrapped MOCK examinations, citing them as reasons behind increased cases of school unrest.
“The examinations were crucial in preparing learners for their final exams. This matter can be relooked at, as we also don’t advocate for unrest in our learning institutions,” said Nyutu, who is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education.
He called for collaboration among all education stakeholders in the fight against drug abuse in learning institutions, saying the menace is a big threat to future generations.
“School management needs to employ various ways to fight drug and alcohol abuse in our schools. Those supplying the learners with the drugs are the ones to be targeted and dealt with first. Students who indulge in drugs need to be counselled and rehabilitated,” Nyutu further said.
By Bernard Munyao
