Every year, thousands of students from poor backgrounds are able to join secondary schools and universities and remain in class.
This is courtesy of an academic scholarship program that has been set by the Co-operative Bank to rescue the bright futures of these students from the jaws of poverty.
Launched in the year 2007, the program dubbed Co-operative Bank Foundation has supported over 9,000 students.
“Educational inequality remains a major barrier in the realization of people’s potential within the country. A good education is critical to improving income, employment and enterprise opportunities,” says the foundation in a statement to Bizna Kenya.
“The transition from primary school to secondary school is difficult for many with a marked overall dropout of about 40 per cent.”
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In one of its latest scholarships, the foundation gave 655 scholarships to pupils who completed their primary education but were unable to pursue secondary education due to financial constraints.
Out of this new intake of 655, 420 were awarded by the bank’s Regional Delegates’ Forums and the remaining 235 scholarships, were awarded by the 47 County Governments, 5 from each. The scholarship caters for tuition, school uniform and books.
In the same vein,the foundation offers 28 university scholarships to the top-performing students every year. Other than tuition and accommodation, the students are offered opportunities for internships to work in the bank and for community service.
the foundation states that its approach anchors on the need to ensure that our beneficiaries learn in a supportive environment that motivates them towards achieving their dream careers while giving back to the community.
Quick Takeaways
- 9023 students have been Supported through Secondary Education since the inception of the program
- 655 Secondary School Students are currently being supported
- 482 students have been supported through University since the inception of the program
- 56 students have been supported through the Co-operative Bank University Scholarship Program
- 16 University students currently participating in Vocational Internships at Co-operative Bank