Tana River, KENYA: Over ten thousand students in Tana River County are set to benefit from County government sponsorship aimed at improving the education sector in the county.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday, the county governor Mr. Dhadho Godhana said the scholarship is targeting secondary students together with those in universities and colleges.
He said the program resembles that of the national government where parents are obliged to take their students to schools.
The county boss affirmed that the program is also targeting KCPE top ten boys and girls who did not benefit from scholarship from other sponsoring institutions.
“We are targeting to pay fees for Form 1-4 and those in universities and colleges for one year. We agreed to pay a flat rate of sh. 5, 000 form ones while form 2 and 3 to sh. 4,000 and we shall come out with figures for those in universities and colleges at a later date,” he said.
Mr. Godhana said that the scholarship was not from the bursary kitty.
Furthermore, he insisted that his government is preparing to introduce governor’s scholarship kitty that would improve education level among students.
The issuance of the scholarship by the governor had raised eyebrows in the county assembly who put forward so many questions which the majority leader is said to have avoided and instead given indirect answers, when some MCAs wanted to know where the scholarship money will be obtained from and by which law.
The Governor said the scholarship worth sh. 71 million is from the supplementary budget which the law allows him to use.
Mr. Godhana has instructed the sub-county administrators to inform parents that they should report to school with their children to promote education in the county.
The governor confirmed that enrollment in schools was still poor saying only 13.6 percent of the students had reported.
He urged the principals in the county to admit students whether with or without fees.
Apart from that governor’s scholarship, there is also sh. 10 million bursary fund for every ward in the county which will be administered by MCAs.