No deserving child should be left out because of academic performance

Over the last decade, there has been an emergence of multiple initiatives to give a lifeline to bright but needy young people who would otherwise fall by the wayside. Thousands of pupils have benefited from these scholarships to the great relief of their parents and communities.
The power and the great need for a good education cannot be understated. Education unlocks potential, opens up the mind to a world of opportunities and converts God-given talent into solutions, innovations, industries and prosperous communities.

Last week, Kenya’s largest tea producer, the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), announced that it was awarding 96 scholarships to the 2016 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates.

The beneficiaries come from tea-growing zones across the country and scored more than 350 marks out of the possible 500 marks. The programme is financed both from internal resources and donor funds and targets bright but needy students from all the 67 tea factories, which the KTDA manages. It currently supports more than 200 students.

This is the kind of corporate responsibility that makes a lot of sense to any business. In fact, this is not just a responsibility. The business is investing in its own future. It is a unique type of philanthropy that can be sustained even in times of depressed returns as it is intricately linked to the company’s primary business.

I do not know of any community that has overcome poverty and prospered without investing in the education of its people. For economic prosperity depends, first and foremost, on the quality of human capital. The country needs curriculum developers who can ensure the school syllabus meets the present and future needs of government and private sector. It requires teachers who can identify talent at an early age and provide correct career guidance; doctors with commitment to research on, and treat complex ailments and a leadership that can channel the resources and energies of the state to realise the nation’s greatest potential.

JUST CONSUME

The country also needs individuals who do not just consume technology imported from elsewhere. It needs inquisitive learners and experts who can study technological trends, understand them, shape them and adapt them for local needs.

The future of the tea industry depends on our ability to innovate, to employ science and technology in production, processing and marketing and a business model that helps smallholders to optimise returns. Tourism needs better marketing, agriculture cries out for innovation, cost of manufacturing needs to be lowered and value addition is required across all the sectors. Despite the great need for skilled and entrepreneurial citizenry and its potential to turn around the nation’s fortunes, a lot of children still fall by the wayside after primary and secondary schooling either due to poverty or failure to secure a place in secondary schools and tertiary institutions due to poor exam grades. Most of the available scholarships target top achievers, with the minimum considered at primary school being 350 marks. Yet only 22.6 per cent of the pupils who sat the 2016 KCPE exam, obtained more than 300 marks. Some 53.85 per cent of those who sat the exams got between 201 and 300 marks.

The private sector, particularly those that support educational initiatives, would do well to focus on this category of learners and not just put all its efforts on the top achievers. Everyone has talent that can be nurtured into a lifelong career. The society must not look down on those who do not perform well in national exams. What we need are alternative centres of learning that do not necessarily follow the normal channels of learning.

Fredrick Gori is a communications specialist.

[email protected]