Sh120 Million Scholarship To Benefit More Lamu Students.
At least 2,500 students will continue to profit from the Lamu Scholarship and Bursary Programme, which aims to raise educational standards in the county.
Education Chief Officer Abdalla Ahmed revealed this during the 3rd County Integrated Development Programme (CIDP III) stakeholders’ forum at the Lamu Youth Assembly Building on Amu Island.
Ahmed expressed the Lamu County government’s commitment to the Sh120 million scholarships and bursaries program to ensure students’ transition rates reach 100 percent.
During the previous fiscal year (2020-2021), Sh88,409,529 million was spent to enable the scholarship program, which has encouraged more students in elementary schools to gain the 300 minimum points to qualify for the project.
In recent years, the number of pupils qualifying for scholarships in their KCPE examinations has increased from a meager 160 to over 800, thanks to a scheme that has existed since 2017.
Furthermore, he disclosed that the county government had allocated Sh57,332,853 million for bursaries, which helped 7,785 pupils.
Students attending daytime secondary schools received 6,000 shillings, while those residing at boarding institutions received 10,000 shillings.
Students at higher institutions received Sh10,000 for certificates, Sh15,000 for diplomas, and Sh20,000 in bursaries for university students.
Maliha Mohammed Ali, chief executive officer of the Lamu County Bursary Fund, revealed that 2,307 students enrolled in courses at local polytechnics received a total of Sh29,971,054 million in bursary sponsorships.
She further mentioned that students enrolled in the local TVETs receive full course support, which includes payment of test expenses.
Rukia Ali, deputy director of Lamu West Sub County, stated that there is a need to ensure the sustainability of the bursary and scholarship programs.
She noted that the programs must include more students from marginalized areas such as Boni to have a greater impact on the equitable distribution of the bursaries and scholarship programs.
Lamu County Governor Issa Abdalla Timamy has already hinted that his administration may reduce the present scholarship cutoff from 300 to 250 points for disadvantaged communities in Lamu.
“There is also need to ensure the timely disbursement of scholarship and bursary funds so that beneficiaries are not sent home for fees due to failure by the county government to release the funds in time,” Umulkher Ahmed, Muslim Women Advancement of Rights and Protection (MWARP) Lamu County coordinator said.
She added that education stakeholders must ensure that the school feeding program is executed to protect the well-being of the youngsters.
Faza Action Youth Group Programme Officer Jaffar Masoud shared these sentiments, stating that the county bursary and scholarship program must be enhanced so that all Lamu children can benefit.
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“It is still common to hear children missing out on bursaries and scholarships because ward administrators could have failed to hand in the bursary forms on time,” Masoud said.
Sh120 Million Scholarship To Benefit More Lamu Students.
