By Felix Wanderi
Kiambu County Senator is pushing for expansion of bursary fund coverage to Junior Secondary School (JSS) students by calling for amendment of the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) and bursary Acts.
This is even as parents accuse some schools of charging admission fees despite the state paying Ksh 15,000 for each child as Grade 7 learners report for JSS.
According to Karungo wa Thangwa, by expanding the coverage of the bursary programs to JSSs, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds will have access to the necessary resources such as uniforms and books, allowing them to fully participate in their education
“These Acts do not currently cover students in junior secondary schools. With the introduction of junior secondary schools, it is imperative that the NG-CDF and counties bursary acts be amended to include these students as beneficiaries,” he said.
The Senator said that by including JSS students in bursary programmes, the learners will receive the support they need to make a successful transition from primary to secondary education.
Thangwa said that rollout of junior secondary schools in Kenya presents an opportunity for the country to further invest in its education sector.
The sentiments were echoed by Ndeiya Ward MCA, Nelson Munga who said that there should be concerted efforts from all leaders to amend the bursaries legislation so as to accommodate JSS learners.
“It is a burden for many parents who are grappling with financial challenges. It is our prerogative as leaders to amend laws and aid the needy,” Munga said.
He said that JSS requires parents to buy items almost amounting to Ksh 10,000 and a school feeding programme costing Ksh 4,000 which is costly for some parents.
Munga proposed that school uniforms, whose prices has shot up, can be made by TVET learners and be distributed to schools at a subsidized price.
