Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani has launched the distribution of bursaries worth Sh. 35 million to help needy secondary school and university students in the region.
Achani said that the latest bursary cheques will be distributed to 800 beneficiaries in all the 20 wards across the coastal county.
The governor said she will ensure that only needy and vulnerable students in secondary, tertiary colleges and universities benefit from the county scholarship programme.
“The objective of the progamme is to enable as many students as possible to acquire education and reduce financial burden on their parents,” said Achani during the distribution of the cheques at the Kwale Baraza Park.
She said the bursaries are being issued by her administration through the Sh400 million ‘Elimu Ni Sasa’ bursaries programme and is in line with her agenda of ensuring that needy but bright students are empowered through education and contribute productively to the society.
Elimu Ni Sasa programme was started by former two-term Governor Salim Mvurya in 2013 to offer full scholarships to students who score good KCPE and KCSE grades and help them pursue higher education.
Achani said she will strengthen the county scholarship programme that seeks to improve literacy levels in the region.
She called on parents to give adequate priority to the education of their children in their interest and for the overall development of the society.
Achani urged parents and teachers to monitor the children’s education and behavior in and outside school as they are the future of Kwale.
She further urged parents to ensure their children produce excellent results in order to get value for money and further secure their children’s future.
“We will continue and even seek to increase the budgetary allocations for the bursary programme as it has encouraged a lot of students to excel in their studies,” she said.
The governor stated that her administration remains committed to supporting the education of the children in the county and improving academic performance.
She said her administration will continue to prioritize the development of the education sector in the county through increased budgetary allocation.
Achani said the devolved unit was looking at improving the welfare and needs of the Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers.
Achani at the same time called on youths to shun anti-social vices such as drug and substance abuse and embrace education saying it remains the best legacy parents and guardians can bestow on their children.
“There is a need for young people to embrace education and skills-acquisition with vigour for meaningful development as education remains the way to overcome poverty, ignorance and diseases,” she said.
She said this would enable them to become self-reliant and for the overall development of the county and country.
The Governor also pledged her continued commitment to give topmost priority to the education of the people considering the importance of education to societal development.
By Hussein Abdullahi
