Gov’t to form board of trustees to coordinate scholarships

By PSCU, Nairobi

President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed the Ministry of Education to set up a board of trustees to coordinate all sponsors and philanthropists for better and effective management of bursaries and scholarships.

The President, who was speaking during the flagging off of the Equity Bank group’s Wings to Fly beneficiaries, said there was need to coordinate the various bursaries and charities for disadvantaged children so that there is no wastage.

The Head of State assured that Kenyans will be able to enjoy free secondary education within the next five years.

He, however, called for accountability and the prudent use of money which the government is already paying to all secondary schools.

The President said the government will continue raising budgetary allocation to both secondary and primary schools.

The President urged major companies in Kenya to emulate Equity Bank’s initiative and dedicate substantial resources to support education for disadvantaged children.

He commended the bank for using 2 per cent of its revenue annually to support education through the Wings to Fly program.

He said the scholarships complement the efforts the government is making to ensure that every Kenyan child gets quality education.

Over 2,000 students from all counties received the scholarships at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

“I ask other organizations to emulate the Equity model which commits substantial resources to service in the community, in particular, to helping disadvantaged students as part of giving back to the communities in which the corporation serves,” said the President.

The Wings to Fly scholarship, run by the Equity Group Foundation, has received strong support from partners including the MasterCard Foundation.

MasterCard also announced that it will support the Wings to Fly scholarships to the tune of Ksh 6 billion.

The US government has also played a major role in support the scholarship program.

Equity Bank CEO and Equity Group Foundation Chairman, Dr James Mwangi, thanked President Kenyatta for his steadfast support for education initiatives and for personally supporting the Wings to Fly scholarships from the days he was the Minister for Finance.