Post-secondary school students fail to get government funding because they do not know how to apply despite persistent mentorships and career guidance forums.
Failure to access the various funds affects students in such facilities, sometimes leading to discontinuation of studies or delayed completion of courses.
The ignorance has placed a huge financial burden on parents struggling under the present economic doldrums, most of them seeking loans from commercial lenders.
Access to various bursaries from the government and the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) requires that the students apply for the bursaries through digital portals.
However, sometimes the trainees rely too much on their parents and guardians who end up paying a lot of money to cyber cafes.
Some of the parents have suggested that those attending various government institutions should be fully familiarised with systems to apply for the finances on arrival at the respective colleges.
“We need a systems in which those enrolling into the various technical institutions are made familiar with all the systems of applying for bursaries, capitation and other finances to remove the burden of paying the huge levies demanded by the institutions,” said Robert Ndavano, a parent.
Despite the failure by some of the trainees to apply for funding, Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Services (KUCCPS) provide courses selection advice and career guidance under various forums.
Under forums organised by the Embu County Professional Development Association (ECPDA), senior officials throughout the second and third terms last year organised mentorship forums where systems of funding application were carried out.
However, it emerged that some students did not concentrate on the details provided and after some of the mentorship sessions, brochures could be seen scattered on the venues; meaning the learners did not carry them home.
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By Robert Nyagah
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