Understanding Basic Education Scholarships and Bursaries Bill 2024

The Ministry of Education has published the Basic Education Scholarships and Bursaries Bill, 2024 which provides a framework for how scholarships and bursaries are awarded in the basic education sector in Kenya (Primary and Secondary Schools).

The Bill seeks to establish a Council whose responsibilities will be to manage and award scholarships. The Bill also introduces a fund that defines how to raise and distribute funds.

Scholarships Award Criteria

According to the bill, scholarships will be awarded based on the following criteria

• Academic Excellence: Consideration of academic performance and achievements.
• Special Talents and Skills: Recognition of exceptional skills or talents possessed by the applicant.
• Level of Need: Assessment of the financial need of the applicant.

Bursaries Award

Bursaries will be awarded based on the following requirements;

• Level of Need: Emphasis on financial need, considering factors such as parental background, family size, and composition.
• Affirmative Action: Addressing social imbalances through positive discrimination.
• Category of School: Recognition of the type and category of the educational institution.

Scholarships and Bursaries Fund

The Council will be responsible for managing and administering the Basic Education Scholarship and Bursaries Fund. The primary objective is to provide funds for granting scholarships and bursaries to learners in Basic Education. The sources of fund shall be;

• Monies appropriated by Parliament to the fund
• Monies or assets acquired during the Council's activities
• Investment returns.
• 2.5% of the surplus generated from revenues by designated public institutions in the basic education subsector.
• Gifts, donations, grants, and endowments.
• Any other income.

Learners interested in scholarships and bursaries will be required to apply to the Council using application forms that will be provided. Those students who are awarded scholarships or bursaries will receive a Personal Identification Account Number (P.I.A.N) from the Council.

The Bill does not mention where members of parliament or MCAs will be involved in the managing or awarding of scholarships or bursaries. The bill does not also mention how this will co-exist with CDF bursaries and ward development funds.

Kindly note that the Bill is in the public participation stage and some amendments might be made before it goes through all the law-making stages to become an act.

For more information, download the complete PDF of the complete bill.