Harmonise support for needy

The January 7 Sunday Nation carried a list of bright and needy Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination graduates who need to join secondary school but lack fees either as a result of abject poverty or through the death of parents and sponsors.

According to the profile, the lowest of the pupils had 304 marks and some had as high as 421 marks out of a possible 500 marks.

Some had done the KCPE multiple times with the hope of securing Form One places but again the same factors that have been staring at their career are still stalking them and it is only the well-wishers who can rescue them from such a trap.

Article 43 1 (f) of the Constitution of Kenya guarantees every child a free and compulsory education, hence the various schemes and programmes by the government should be seen as fulfilling this constitutional right.

The other attempt is through the bursary schemes, which must be fixed and made to work effectively to benefit such needy students. Bursaries should be more harmonised or arranged in a manner that ensures efficiency in allocation. The bursary should be disbursed in a manner that ensures the needy and vulnerable students benefit directly.

Five things should be in place in the bursary and scholarship process.  First, there should be clear and transparent guidelines for application. Secondly, the process should have inbuilt efficiency in the application and selection that picks only the deserving.

Thirdly, there should be a fair and impartial evaluation process once the applications are done. The evaluation committee should be drawn from diverse backgrounds and expertise and free of bias.

Fourth, there should be timely communication with the beneficiaries and all the applicants. Fifth, disclose the source of the funds, state the amounts allocated and track the performance of recipients.

Dr Giti is an urban management and environment specialist. [email protected]