Columnists

LETTERS: Plight of poor students calls for quick action

kids

A policy that covers orphans and their well-being must be adopted. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Schools opened a week ago with reports of some parents complaining about lack of school fees. This is a policy factor that Kenyans experience every year. Our education policies should effectively address this gap.

A study by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that nearly half of Kenyans are poor and cannot afford basic food and non- food items.

One of the fundamental human rights is the right to education. The Free Primary and Secondary Education Programmes rolled out by the national government have partially fulfilled this right.

Legislation for both Constituency Development Fund and County Bursaries provide the criteria for awarding bursaries.

Unfortunately, the funds are never enough. Currently, every pupil in primary school gets financial and material support of at least six books each.

Several counties have bursary policies that were approved by the respective Assemblies and the Office of the Controller of Budget.

In Busia County for example, funds were disbursed to various schools. Needy children in secondary schools have been allocated a total of Sh77 million this year. Over Sh100 million was issued to university students across the county.

READ: Class 1 and 2 pupils now set for new curriculum

Despite the community awareness in schools and villages, some poor parents do not apply for these funds but only wait until exam results are out then start complaining.

The end result is some parents seek help from multiple sources leading to one child getting sponsorship from more than two institutions at the expense of other needy children. In Kenya, some parents keep complaining of minimal government support yet they never save even a single cent.

Village apathy about scholarships must be addressed urgently. This is a weak policy area. Several organisations offer educational support to bright and needy children.

But most parents do not apply for the scholarships as they believe the procedure is too long and that the winners have been pre-selected. Economic empowerment is essential to reduce poverty level. A policy that covers orphans and their well-being must be adopted.

Vincent JP Ouma Ngala, public administration and management consultant.