By Theo Macharia
14,426 bright but needy form one students who scored 280 marks and above across the country will now benefit from the Elimu Scholarship Programme which aims to address financial obstacles faced by learners while transitioning from primary to secondary education.
According to the Cabinet Secretary for Education Ezekiel Machogu who commissioned the scholarships, this initiative greatly supports the government’s 100% transition program and so far has supported 52,000 learners from poor households across the country to transition into secondary education.
The cohort included candidates who sat the 2023 KCPE Examination
“Our first Elimu scholars sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Examination in 2023. Of all the 9,000 scholarly, 42% of them qualified for University Education after attaining a mean Grade of C+ and above,” Machogu said.
The Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof Belio Kipsang appealed to all parents and guardians of the beneficiaries of these Elimu Scholarships to work closely with schools’ management and teachers to ensure retention of their children in school to ensure no learner is left behind.
Through the programme, the awardees were now sure of achieving their dreams in life.
In attendance were some of the programmes alumni who performed well in their KCSE exams giving credit to the scholarship programme.
The scholarship will cover various aspects, including fee payments, personal effects, transportation to and from school, as well as mentorship and monitoring processes for the learners.