Chief Officer Kiboi: Scholarships Are Eating Into Our Budget
Each ward in Bungoma County is set to have at least two Early Childhood Development and two Vocational Training Centres of Excellence within the next three years.
Speaking during an exclusive interview with The Times Newspaper at his office, Bungoma County Chief Officer for Education and Vocational Training, Nicholas Kiboi, divulged that the grand programme is underway amidst numerous financial constraints.
Kiboi: “In the near future, my office is devoted to having at least two ECDE centres of excellence and VTCs in every ward, which will be primarily used for benchmarking across the county for the betterment of our future generation.”
“The public is largely misinformed regarding the county funds for education, with many mistaking them to be for bursaries and scholarships in secondary schools, technical training institutes, and universities,” observed Kiboi.
This misconception, he says, was instilled in people during the former political regime, and it has greatly disenfranchised their money allocation, forcing them to pay fees for the already-enrolled, needy students who would otherwise not pursue their education.
“Lusaka’s government has had to strain so much in keeping up with scholarships, but we hope to change the narrative soon by sensitising the public on our key mandate so that they can appreciate our input in ECDEs and VTCs,” explained Kiboi.
On pending projects, including but not limited to the High Altitude Training Centre at Chemoge and Kanduyi Stadium, the chief officer affirmed that Lusaka will ensure their completion at least by the end of this financial year.
In conclusion, Kiboi challenged the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Gender to stick to its key mandate of servicing, advocating, promoting, and improving the living standards of the most vulnerable persons in society and keep off nepotism and favouritism.
“Many young talents have been left out on big opportunities because of corruption and bias; this should cease so as to enable us to nurture our children right from ECDE to the top most levels of education and even later in their career,” advised Kiboi.
About The Author
