SECONDARY school students in Gatanga constituency have benefited from Sh40 million bursaries from the NG-CDF kitty.
Each learner in all 52 local day and boarding secondary schools received Sh5,000.
The move is to ensure schools are cushioned from the effects of delayed capitation from the national government.
Gatunyu Secondary School principal George Thoithi said with the high cost of living, parents have been struggling to pay school fees, hampering the operations of the learning institutions.
“My school has received Sh2.6 million from the NG-CDF. This is the largest amount any school has received and will go a long way in helping to retain learners in school,” he said.
Thoithi said the school has accumulated debt but the consistent support from the NG-CDF has enabled the institution to continue running smoothly.
He did not say how much the debt is. MP Edward Muriu, who issued bursary cheques to the schools on Tuesday, said the decision to support all secondary schools is meant to ensure students’ performance is not affected by the delayed disbursement of capitation.
“We decided to support parents so they can also support their children to perform better. We decided we will no longer get them to queue to receive the bursaries so we take the cheques to them,” he said.
Another Sh13 million has been set aside for learners from the area, who go to schools outside the constituency and those in tertiary institutions.
The MP, who started a bursary programme before he was elected to the National Assembly, said education is at the centre of his initiatives as it equalises children from all economic statuses.
He urged the government to streamline the capitation disbursement process to ease head teachers and principals’ roles in running schools.
The lawmaker said many learning institutions stagnate due to lack of finances. Muriu claimed some learners have been struck off the National Education Management Information System (Nemis) that collects data from schools.
“We have received concerns some learners have been removed from the system to reduce the amount of money sent to a school in capitation. This leaves students in limbo,” he said.
“If anything, the government should be raising the amount of money allocated for an individual learner not striking them off the system.”
The MP has also started Dishi an Wakili programme with the aim of providing more than 15,000 public primary schools learners with meals at subsidised cost.
With Sh20 that is fed into a tracking system, a child gets a meal.
The menu ranges from rice with beans, rice with lentils to rice with peas.
