By Achola Bulimo Mathews
The Bumula Constituency legislator, Hon Jack Wamboka, has disbursed bursaries to a tune of Kshs 40 Million towards improving the education Sector.
Addressing various stakeholders at St Kizito Mayanja Mixed Secondary School during the official unveiling of the bursaries, Hon Wamboka said that each needy student will get an allocation of between Kshs 3,000 to Kshs 5,000 for payment of their school fees.
He thanked the ward committees and education stakeholders for working tirelessly to ensure all deserving students benefit from the programme.
The MP used the occasion to hint that in his administration through the NG-CDF kitty, he will also ensure that he builds
new classrooms for the learners in various schools so as to totally do away with the mud walled classrooms.
Hon Wamboka noted that he will continue working in partnership with all School Head teachers and Principals in improving the
performance of bumula schools in national examinations.
He urged them to shun away from sending students home for lack of school fees but rather have dialogue with parents and
Guardians plus the NG-CDF Office on the payment plans of the areas since no child will be allowed to stay at home instead of learning in school.
According to the MP, the kitty will benefit over 7,000 students from high school, colleges and universities, adding that lists published in each ward
whereby the constituency team will distribute cheques to all the schools.
“As the host school, Mayanja Secondary school will receive a Kshs 1.2M cheque to benefit all applicants and a bull for their lunch,”
said Hon Wamboka.
The school Principal Mr Kong’ani Mabonga who is also the KESSHA Chairman in Bumula reiterated that teachers are committed to working tirelessly
in preparing holistically the learners for the future.
Also present was the Bungoma South KNUT Executive Secretary and a member of the union’s National Executive Council Mr Ken Ng’ang’a who urged the
Teachers Service commission to fast track the employment of more teachers to teach into Junior Secondary Schools JSS, noting that one teacher cannot sustain to teach about 14 subjects as it is now overburdening primary schools teachers.
On his part, UASU Bungoma County Chapter Secretary General, Dr Robert Wanjala Nyukuri, said that the union is in talks with the state department of
University Education and Research to ensure that no fees increment is introduced in universities.
Dr. Nyukuri noted that if a recent fee increment proposal by the Presidential Working Group on Education Reforms from Kshs 16,000 to Kshs 52,000 is implemented
without proper consultations then, many university students will drop out of Campus.
The UASU official said that it will be better for the Ministry of Education to give additional funds to Higher Education Loans Board HELB in order to avoid looming crises in matters university education.
