MP Mureu Advocates for Bursaries in Primary and Junior Secondary Schools
Edward Mureu, the MP for Gatanga, has introduced a motion requesting a review of the scope of the education bursary under the National Government Constituency Development Fund capitation for pupils at primary and junior secondary schools.
The MP said it was wrong that bursaries were not given to primary and junior secondary schools because people think those levels of education are free.
However, the government’s per-pupil funding is not enough to cover the required materials for competency-based curriculum, which hurts students whose parents cannot pay for them.
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Muriu said that the fact that primary and secondary schools are not getting bursaries violates Article 27 of the Constitution and makes it harder for Kenya to reach its goal of providing basic education to all of its citizens.
He also asked that the bursary program be expanded to include primary school students so that it could meet the needs of the competency-based curriculum.
Mureu said that the NG-CDF Board in each constituency gives extra money for the education bursary program in line with Section 48A of the National Government Constituency Development Act, 2015.
This additional allocation aims to bolster teaching and learning activities related to CBC education, including support for school feeding initiatives.
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The member of parliament wants the government to revise the capitation per student in primary schools from the current Sh 1,420 per year to at least Sh 7,760 as the minimum optimal capitation, taking into account the new competency-based curriculum education system and the current high cost of living.
When you read article 43(1)(f) of the constitution along with article 53(1)(b), Mureu said that every child has the right to a free, mandatory, high-quality basic education. He also said that getting money for school is a big part of making sure that everyone in the country gets a basic education.
He told the lawmakers that Section 48 of the NG-CDF Act sets out education bursary programs so that everyone can get a basic education.
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He also said that Section 48A of the NG-CDF Act includes affirmative action mechanisms for giving extra money to education bursary programs and other activities related to teaching and learning.
Mureu expressed concern over the NG-CDF Act, which limits the allocation to bursary schemes to no more than 35% of the total constituency allocation in a financial year.
He also highlighted that the NG-CDF board has only approved bursary support for secondary and tertiary education, neglecting primary schools and recently established junior secondary schools.
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MP Mureu Advocates for Bursaries in Primary and Junior Secondary Schools
