Education

School-going children from 115 schools in Makueni are set to benefit from a feeding program, courtesy of the National Government.

The relief food, which comprises 280 bags of rice and 126 bags of beans targets primary schools in Kibwezi East and West, Mbooni, and Kilome constituencies which are most vulnerable.

The food is distributed by the county government and will act as an incentive for families to enroll and keep children in school

The Presidential Education Reforms Taskforce on Wednesday paid a courtesy call to Makueni Governor H.E Mutula Kilonzo Jnr for a briefing ahead of their 2-day public engagements in the County.

The Dr. Halima Saado Abdilahi led team will tomorrow engage the public at The Makueni Boys.

The taskforce is evaluating the country’s Education System and later come up with key recommendations on the best implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

At least 94 needy pupils from Makueni who sat their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in 2019 have secured full scholarships to their secondary schools of admission courtesy of the county government of Makueni.

Each of the 94 beneficiaries will receive Shs 70,000 per year for tuition, uniform and books while their families will cater for personal effects.

Governor Kivutha Kibwana who issued scholarship cheques to the beneficiaries on Monday at ATC-Kwakathoka termed the programme a lifeline for most vulnerable and bright children in the society.

“The Makueni County Scholarship support programme has proved to be a lifeline to many bright children who would have ended up in poorly resourced schools that cannot provide them quality education,” said Kibwana.

“Were it not for this programme, others would have ended up as casual laborers with a bleak future despite their stellar performance in national exams,” he further noted.

Kibwana said the county government is currently supporting 362 students in the scholarship programme for both continuing and the new students since its inception in 2014.

He said besides the 94 scholarships, his administration will spend Sh 18 million for bursaries to needy students in both secondary and tertiary institutions in the 2019/2020 Financial Year.

Makueni is playing host to this year’s Eastern regional primary school music festivals at Makueni boys high school with a theme, ‘’Enhancing national unity, cohesion and integration.’’ 

Gracing the festivals on Monday, governor Kibwana said there is need to foster the spirit of nationhood through music and education.

The festivals brings together all the counties in the Eastern region namely; Tharaka Nithi, Machakos, Embu, Meru, Isiolo, Kitui, Makueni and Marsabit.

Governor Kivutha Kibwana has urged for proper mechanisms to implement the Competence Based Curriculum.

Kibwana waded into the subject that has put the education ministry at loggerheads with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) officials over its implementation, saying the new curriculum is good for the countries development.

“The Competence Based Curriculum allows learners to gain practical skills and focus more on their future career building subjects as opposed to reading purely for exams,” said the governor.

“It is understandable that the current teachers were trained purely for the 8-4-4 system and thus proper training on the new curriculum is required. Efforts should be made to train teachers during holiday seasons and the requisite infrastructure put in place if the new curriculum is to takeoff,” he said further.

According to him, Africa lacks a well-structured education system, and this explains the zeal to acquire higher education from outside the continent by a majority of Kenyans.

He however said the Kenyan CBC if well implemented has the potential to cure this deficiency and drive the country’s development to higher heights.

Kibwana spoke Thursday when he presided over a mentorship event for 236 secondary school students from Makueni who are under county scholarships in different schools.

The 236 are among 287 from needy backgrounds who secured opportunities in national secondary schools but could not report for lack of fees. The county has sponsored their full secondary education, while those who score B+ and above also benefit from scholarships to tertiary institutions.

Besides the 287 scholarships, the county has also awarded scholarships to 42,000 learners since 2014 at a cumulative cost of over Sh 300M.

Makueni County government has spent over Sh 250 million on bursaries and scholarships to support at least 36,000 bright students from poor families to pursue education.

Deputy Governor Adelina Mwau said the government is in its final stage of establishing an Education Fund to put more resources on education as it acknowledges it is an investment for the future of the county.

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. To increase Makueni share in supporting transition and retention in schools, the County is in its final stages of developing the long awaited “County Education Fund,” the Deputy Governor said.

But the DG revealed that lack of innovation and invention is the true challenge of education in this country and urged teachers to make learning effective and interactive in order to achieve 100% transition.

Mwau further noted that county government is in the forefront in the adoption of the new system by partnering with YASA, an organisation that deals with youth to mentor girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

“We have made strides with the adoption of a new curriculum focused rightly so on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Partnering with the ministry and YASA, our county has purposed to mentor at least nine schools for one year and improve Girls in STEM,” she said.

She was speaking when she closed the seventh edition of the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association-Makueni Chapter at the Nyali Sun African Hotel in Mombasa.

KESSHA Makueni Chapter Chairman Julius Mutwii who was the host and also leader of a team handling the County Education Fund details termed it as a noble idea that will keep hope alive for the children. He also assured the government of their unwavering support to fully realise the initiative.

He said: “This is a very noble idea whose time has come because more of our students from needy backgrounds will have opportunities to pursue their academic dreams. We therefore as principals in Makueni fully support it.”

She was accompanied by the County Water Executive Bob Kisyula, Education and Trade executive members Joshua Wambua and Eng Sebastian Kyoni respectively.

Makueni County is in the process of establishing the Makueni Education Fund, a kitty to cater for increasing cases of bright and needy students in the county annually, Education and Youth Executive Committee Member Joshua Wambua has said.

Wambua said that the County Government of Makueni has continued to receive an increasing number of applicants for both bursaries and scholarships each year adding that the County budget cannot sustain the applications.

“We are in the process of establishing a larger kitty, the Makueni Education Fund in order to address the increasing cases of bright and needy children. Our County Budget cannot sustain these cases thus the reason for this noble course,” the ECM said.

He was speaking in Mombasa on Thursday where county officials led by Deputy Governor Adelina Mwau met secondary school head teachers during this year’s Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association conference for Makueni chapter at the Nyali Sun African Beach Hotel.

According to Wambua, the overall aim of the fund will be to mobilize financial resources and provide financial assistance to Makueni bright and needy students in their pursuit of higher education, allocate funds and grants for seminars and Conferences and research and other related educational purposes.

He further observed that though constitutionally primary, secondary and university education are not devolved, the County Government cannot escape from supporting them due to their proximity and presence where the people are.

Adelina Mwau stated that the fund was a step to increase Makueni share in supporting transition and retention in schools through supporting as many needy and bright students as possible  thus increasing their chances to better their future.

KESSHA Makueni Chapter chairman Julius Mutwii who was the host and also the leader of a team handling the fund details termed it as a noble idea that will keep hope alive for the children. He also assured the county government of their unwavering support to fully realise the initiative.

He said: “This is a very noble idea whose time has come because more of our students from needy backgrounds will have opportunities to pursue their academic dreams. We therefore as principals in Makueni fully support it.”

At least 90 candidates from across Makueni County who sat for their KCPE in 2018 will join secondary schools of their choices under full scholarships courtesy of the Makueni County Government.

The 90, three from each of the 30 wards were awarded their first year fees cheques, amounting to a maximum of Sh 70,000 by deputy governor Adelina Mwau at Wote on Tuesday.

The 90 brings to 293 the total number of students sponsored by the County Government since 2014 when the scholarship program was unveiled by the Kibwana administration.

The scholarships covers fees, uniform and books and those who score B+ get a chance to proceed to University under full scholarship.

One of the pioneer beneficiaries of this program, Naomi Kithikii who went to Pangani Girls High School from Kiambani primary school in Makindu is now a student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) pursuing Radiography.

“This program is God send for some of us. When i sat for my KCPE, the future looked so bleak with no hope of joining secondary school. Today I’m just a step from my dream career courtesy of this program.” said Naomi who graced the Scholarships award event.

Speaking at the event, deputy governor Adelina Mwau said, “As a government, what we are doing today is like planting a seed that in four years will bear good fruit and a few years later lead to transformation of the ninety families represented here.”

Renown Wote based business mogul  Duncun Mwilu alias Ngooni offered to sponsor up to University one student recommended by the county government.