At least 596 students from Loima constituency have been enlisted for bursary sponsorship from the local National Government –Constituency Development Fund kitty.
A total of 448 needy students who will be joining form one and an additional 146 who were still at home for lack of school fees have a reason to smile after they were awarded the bursaries.
Loima Member of Parliament Protus Akujah on Wednesday launched the first phase of the NG-CDF bursary disbursement for form ones and continuing secondary school students at Lorugum on 8th February 2023.
The exercise which involved sorting of bursary forms, verification of details, and writing of cheques saw a total of 448 needy form one students who will be joining various secondary schools benefit from the bursary kitty, each awarded a generous amount of Sh10,000.
The cheques were delivered to schools by the responsible NG-CDF staff on Thursday.
The event was also a reprieve for continuing secondary school students who were returned from school due to cumulative fee arrears.
In his address to the community, the MP urged parents to step up their roles and ensure steady monitoring of children’s performance by attending school events or parents’ days whenever invited saying this would help realize the efforts put in paying students school fees.
The MP also emphasized on the need for parents to stay with their children during school holidays to curb cases of drug abuse and early pregnancies.
“These cases are prevalent among the youth and school going children in Loima which contributes to poor academic performance,” he said.
On Junior Secondary School (JSS) directives, the MP admitted to have received numerous complaints from parents who decried the burden bestowed on them by school heads.
He directed that no single child should be sent away from school because of unrealistic and inconsiderate requirements like new uniforms, reams of printing papers, or the purported Sh5000 fees.
He enlightened the community members that the government, in the spirit of 100% transition, is committed to paying Sh15,000 per child to pursue the JSS and therefore any head teacher found to have contravened the government directives would be dealt with appropriately.
The school heads have been put on notice and asked to focus on education and desist from engaging in entrepreneurial activities like selling of school uniforms to earn dubious profits from unsuspecting parents. This distracts learning and deviates from the main course of educating a Turkana child.
By Peter Gitonga
