Wundanyi National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) has disbursed Ksh13 million to over 1,300 Grade 10 learners in the sub-county, to ease their transition into senior secondary school.
The funding which was unveiled during the Wundanyi Education Conference held on Monday in Wundanyi, show each student getting Ksh10,000.
The initiative, funded through NG-CDF under the patronage of the area Member of Parliament (MP) Danson Mwashako, targets all Grade 10 learners from the sub-county, with the aim of ensuring that no student is sent home due to lack of school fees.
The money is expected to cushion parents, many of whom struggle with limited income, while guaranteeing learners a stable start to senior secondary education.
Speaking at the event, MP Mwashako said the Grade 10 cohort had endured unique challenges under the new curriculum, noting that many learners were still adjusting to new learning environments and expectations.
“If there are children who have passed through a lot of challenges in their education journey, it is those who are joining Grade 10 because of the confusion experienced in the new curriculum,” Mwashako said adding, “These students have not had a good time, and that is why we must bring them close so that not even a single child gets lost.”
He urged school principals and teachers to handle the new learners with care, especially those encountering laboratories for the first time.
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“The good thing is that we have principals here. The heads of institutions have done their work and brought you these Grade 10s. Kindly, handle them with care,” he said, adding that learners should not be punished for breaking laboratory apparatus due to lack of prior exposure.
“There is no primary school with a laboratory, yet they have been taught chemistry and biology. When they come and mistakenly break apparatus, please don’t punish them. They have never handled them before,” Mwashako urged teachers.
Despite the challenges, the MP noted that many learners from the sub-county had performed well and secured places in national schools. “We have students going to very good schools. Meaning, even with the challenges, they did well,” he said.
Mwashako said NG-CDF had significantly improved school infrastructure in the sub-county, with only eight schools yet to benefit, adding that plans were underway to ensure all schools are upgraded by next year.
He further highlighted the economic hardships faced by parents in the area, citing the prolonged dry spell and the lack of industries and factories to employ residents as major obstacles to income generation.
“What I have chosen is to stand with these parents so that they can give their children the education they deserve. If there is something one can remember me for, let them remember me for improved education. Every family seated here spends about 80 per cent of their income on education, yet they don’t have jobs or reliable sources of income,” he said.
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The MP announced that NG-CDF would pay Ksh10,000 for every Grade 10 learner from the sub-county, including those joining boarding schools, urging day schools not to send students home over fees.
He added that parents would only will be required to pay Ksh3,000 per year, or Ksh1,000 per term, stressing that Ksh13,000 was sufficient to educate a day school student and that any additional charges would be illegal.
“Ksh13,000 is enough to educate a day student. Anything charged on top of that is illegal,” Mwashako said, while warning parents that he would not support extra levies agreed upon in parent meetings.
The conference was attended by NG-CDF Chief Executive Officer Yusuf Mbuno and Director Gabriel Kago, whose presence emphasised the fund’s commitment to supporting education at the grassroots level.
By Juma Ndigo
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