By Ian Kiptoo
Mvita Member of Parliament (MP) Mohammed Machele issued bursaries worth more than sh. 30 million for secondary school students at Ronald Ngala High School in Tudor, Mombasa on Saturday.
The event was attended by local and regional leaders, who Mr. Machele invited to deliver the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) bursaries to secondary school students.
In a press conference, the Mvita legislator expressed satisfaction and pride in his administration’s dedication to prioritizing education as a catalyst for growth in Mvita and Mombasa.
He said that the bursaries will be distributed to the schools and that his team would take extra measures to ensure that the program’s beneficiaries were actively attending school.
Machele also announced plans to introduce school food programs to alleviate the cost of meals for students and provide more time for reading and studying.
The MP urged parents to follow all directives from the Ministry of Education and stressed that education should be a top priority in the community.
Mombasa County Commissioner addressed the issue of low school attendance, citing student truancy as a significant contributor to poor academic performance.
“Many times, students get to school and then sneak out and go hang out,” he said.
He urged parents and teachers to cooperate in ensuring that students stay in school and support the lawmaker’s efforts.
The Commissioner challenged parents and teachers to be firm in their resolve to ensure that the students go to school, as the education committee would soon visit the county to investigate the root cause of the recurring poor results.
Parents were elated to hear from their area MP and expressed their appreciation for his follow-through on his promises.
They urged him to lobby for more teachers from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to be posted in the region, a move they believe will raise education standards.
The bursary issuance initiative is the first of its kind to be rolled by the legislator.