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Poor Form Ones Yet To Join School.Title: Educational Dilemma for Promising Students in Kenya Amid Financial Hardship.
Introduction:
Thousands of 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) graduates with impressive results face an uncertain future due to poverty.
Financial Struggles And Form One Admissions
Over 20 students from impoverished backgrounds at Kakamega Primary School, risk losing their Form One admissions as their parents grapple with financial challenges. Despite efforts to secure bursaries, parents express frustration at the daunting task of raising Sh54,000 and Sh40,000 annually for national and extra-county schools. This financial burden, excluding additional costs, accumulates to over Sh70,000 for the first term in Form One.
Educational Leaders Speak Out:
Dickson Wanyangu, the head teacher of Kakamega Primary School, underscores the financial hardships faced by students from humble backgrounds. Being raised by single parents lacking the means to cover education expenses. The struggle is compounded by the fact that many promising students find themselves at the mercy of their families’ limited financial resources.
Socioeconomic Realities:
By December 2023, more than 7.8 million Kenyans survive on less than $1.90 a day, with 2.97 million experiencing unemployment. The prevailing minimum wage in Kenya stands at Sh7,544, highlighting the urgent need for the government to align education with constitutional guarantees ensuring every child’s right to education.
National Call to Action:
The plight of Kakamega Primary School, sheds light on the widespread challenges faced by hundreds of thousands of needy students nationwide. Many have lost hope of joining secondary school without government intervention. The call for proactive measures to bridge the education gap resonates strongly with the Constitution’s commitment to providing education for all.
  Personal Stories:
Individual stories paint a poignant picture of the struggle. Marion Jabriell, a single mother, pleads for assistance to educate her niece. And Susan Afandi, engaged in manual labor, faces difficulty covering her daughter’s fees. Phillip Kevin Ambenje and Mitchelle Akinyi, both with remarkable KCPE scores, share similar uncertainties about joining secondary school due to financial constraints.
Hopes Pinned on Well-Wishers:
Needy students, unsure of their educational future, are reliant on compassionate individuals to come to their aid. They emphasized on the crucial role of community support.
Political Influence on Bursary Awards:
Politicians utilizing bursaries as a political tool create an inequitable system, disadvantaging the poor. Concerns are raised within the education sector about the selective allocation of bursaries at county and constituency levels. The call to the national government to reassess the bursary allocation process gains momentum.
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Advocacy for Fair Bursary Allocation:
Margaret Onyango, a parent from Vihiga County, advocates for the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with school heads, to spearhead bursary allocation. This approach, grounded in understanding individual student needs, is deemed more equitable than the current politically influenced system.
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1 comment
Very interesting