Students given financial aid

Fredrick Onyango | NATION Students from various schools celebrate on March 1, 2011 after the Nation Media Group unveilled a Get-on-the-Bus scholaship programme that will see 75 students from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania benefit from fully paid secondary school education. 

By  OLIVER MATHENGE omathenge@ke.nationmedia.comPosted Tuesday, March 1 2011 at 22:00

In Summary

• Beneficiaries from three East African countries to have their school fees fully paid

The Nation Media Group Tuesday launched a scholarship programme that will see 75 students in East Africa benefit from fully paid secondary school education.

The “Get on the Bus” scholarship programme will take on board 25 students each from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania through an initiative supported by the company’s staff.

The programme has already began in Uganda and was launched in Nairobi on Tuesday by Education minister Sam Ongeri.

The 25 Kenyan students are drawn from various provincial and national schools and joined Form 1 this year.

They were selected from a group of students who applied for scholarships through essays on why they needed to proceed to secondary school to excel.

Prof Ongeri called on other local institutions to develop such initiatives as a way of ensuring that the government is not alone in providing financial aid for less privileged students.

“The government has identified lack of school fees as one of the obstacles to the attainment of education,” he said.

NMG board chairman Wilfred Kiboro said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that a large number of less privileged students get secondary education.

He said that it was important for the society to ensure that a larger number of children are able to access education.

“The best thing is for us to ensure that we invest in our children instead of investing for them,” said Mr Kiboro.

And NMG’s chief executive Linus Gitahi said the initiative was an extension of the many education programmes that the company is involved in.

“At Nation Media Group we need a lot of talent. So the more people who can write, or work in television and radio, the better,” said Mr Gitahi.

Prof Ongeri also urged organisations to help the government establish talent academies to cater for students who excel in extra-curricular activities.