NANCY’S PLEA: LET BURSARIES BE A BRIDGE, NOT A BARRIER
For Nancy, a Form Three student at a girls’ secondary school in Nandi, the journey through education has been anything but easy. This term alone, she has faced days of sitting at home, watching her friends head to class while she waited for her parents to scrape together a few hundred shillings for school fees.
Her parents, smallholder farmers, have struggled with poor harvests and rising living costs. For Nancy, this has meant missing out on valuable lessons, falling behind in her coursework, and fearing she might be forced to drop out altogether.
“I want to finish school and become someone who can change my family’s life,” Nancy says with a quiet determination. “But when school fees keep sending me home, it feels like my dream is slipping away.”
This week, hope arrived. Nancy is among the 7,911 students in secondary schools and learners with special needs who will benefit from the County Government’s bursary program. A total of Ksh. 74 million has been disbursed under the first cohort, giving learners like her a lifeline to continue their education.
For Nancy, the bursary means peace of mind. “Now I can sit in class without worrying if tomorrow I’ll be sent home again,” she says, her face finally showing relief. But she also carries a plea – not just for herself, but for thousands of learners across Kenya.
“I call upon the National Government not to halt bursaries but to support them more,” Nancy says firmly. “For many of us, this is the only way we can remain in school and chase our dreams.
Governor Stephen Sang echoed her sentiments, stressing that education must never be disrupted by financial barriers. “As a County, we have done our part to support learners, but this is a shared responsibility. We urge the National Government to strengthen and expand bursary support so that no child is denied the right to education because of fees,” he said during the launch of the program.
For Nancy and thousands of others, bursaries are not just about paying fees they are about protecting dreams, leveling the playing field, and ensuring that every child, regardless of background or ability, has the chance to thrive.