Kilifi County education officials and stakeholders have raised concerns over the failure of students to report to school despite securing scholarships from organisations and well-wishers.
Kilifi County Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) Director Rose Erulu disclosed that they have received cases of students being sponsored but failing to join their respective schools due to extreme poverty, where parents are not able to afford shopping or bus fare for the children to join school.
“We have had many cases where children have been given support; school fees have been paid, but the students do not report to school because of lack of personal effects. Most of these parents cannot afford money to cater for school shopping,” Erulu said.
Speaking during the launch of the Elimika project at Mtwapa, where 40 girls from poor families were sponsored to join secondary schools, Erulu pleaded with sponsors to follow up and give students more support to ensure they report to school.
She also urged school principals to accept students even when they lack some items indicated on the offer letters and promised that the county government would investigate to determine the exact number of students who have not reported after getting scholarships for further action.
“I urge the principals to please take in these vulnerable children who have been facilitated with school fees but do not have other school amenities like uniforms. Let them come in with what they have; a uniform can be paid for later on when the child is in school because the longer they stay out here, the more they will be left behind when they finally get to school,” she pleaded.
During an interview with the media, Samuel Kahindi, one of the parents whose daughter got the Elimika Project scholarship, appreciated the support but disclosed that he does not have enough money to do school shopping, adding that he has put his hope in the school principal to accept her child even if he lacks some of the items stipulated on the calling letter.
“I am very grateful for the help that I have received through this scholarship because it has come at a time when I do not have a job to enable me to provide for my children’s education needs. I now have hope that my child will be able to enroll in secondary school on Monday and that she will be accepted despite not having the full shopping required,” Kahindi said.
By Jackson Msanzu
