The National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) for Mathioya is working on plans to construct a school for learners with special needs.
The area MP Edwin Mugo has observed that they have identified a piece of land where the school will be constructed to help children with disabilities have a better learning environment.
He spoke on Monday at Kiriaini Mixed Secondary School where he distributed Sh15 million bursaries for learners enrolled in day secondary schools.The MP said that he has written to relevant government agencies about the special school saying after getting approval from the Ministry of Education, the construction will kick off.
Mugo observed that there were no public learning institutions for children with special needs in Mathioya saying in most times, the learners are mixed with the others thus posing a challenge in handling them.
“The NG-CDF will construct a special school and this will help in enrolling learners with special needs and it will be a big relief for the concerned parents,” he said.
“Once the school is constructed, we will invite organizations, well-wishers to help in supporting the education of the learners,” he added.
On the bursaries, the legislator noted that more than 4,500 students were set each to get a bursary of Sh3,000, money which already has been sent to schools of the beneficiaries.
Mugo observed that day scholars previously have not been well factored in the NG-CDF bursaries saying those who used to be given the financial assistance got at most Sh1,500.
He underscored the role played by secondary day schools saying the institutions have absorbed many learners whom their parents could not afford to take them to boarding schools.
The MP noted that the bursary fund was enough to keep the students in schools and proceed with their studies without interruptions caused by lack of fees.
“Today we have issued bursaries for day scholars. The next phase is to give bursaries to more than 3,400 learners in boarding schools. In the programme, we also factored 1,800 university students and another 1, 200 students of colleges,” he added.
Mugo said currently, learners are applying for bursaries online, a new method of application that makes the bursary issuance process transparent and open.
“The learners are required to apply for bursaries online. This is making the process easy and transparent. Those who fail to apply online are not considered,” he further said.
During the occasion, more than 100 persons with disabilities were issued with wheelchairs to assist them in mobility.
The lawmaker further called on the government to release development money of the NG-CDF to assist in construction of infrastructure needed to facilitate effective implementation of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS).
He said some schools hosting JSS don’t have laboratories and libraries and once the funds are released, they will construct the infrastructure to ensure smooth learning in the schools.
By Bernard Munyao
