Learner Scholarship Programme

The reasons for children not being in school vary widely, but the result is that a large number of children have never attended primary school, and many more have had to drop out. KCC’s aim is to educate as many of these children as possible so they can pass their Standard 7 exams. Passing these exams results in the offer of a place in a Government Secondary School. If a learner does not pass these exams, the only remaining option is Private Secondary School, the costs of which are prohibitive for all but the wealthiest families in the area.

However, there are also costs associated with attending a Government Secondary School. With 33% of the population living on less than 26p/ 0,35€ per day, even basic school fees and the costs of school uniform and text books are beyond the means of most families in this area, and as a result, many children who pass their exams end up having to forfeit the place they have earned. The Learner Scholarship Programme has been established to minimise the number of learners having to give up these places.

About the Programme

KCC wants to ensure that no child is unable to receive a full primary and secondary education due to financial hardship.
Each time a new learner joins the KCC Primary School, a member of KCC visits the learner’s family in order to gain an understanding of the child’s family situation.
Of the 86 Children receiving full time education at KCC in 2014, 31 come from families who would be unable to meet the costs of secondary education. Some of them are also learners from KCC’s afternoon tutoring programme who will require support.

Around Tsh650,000 (£250/ US$400) per year (you can find more information about the costs in the brochure below) is enough to cover the full costs of school fees, text books, a uniform and transport, enabling a child to continue with their education rather than having to forfeit their place.

The nature of each scholarship will vary due to the particular circumstance of the learner’s family. For example, some families may be able to meet part but not all of the costs. There are 3 areas in which costs are incurred:

1 – School Fees
2 – School books
3 – School uniform
4 – School Transport

The costs for each year of education will vary slightly based on the needs of the individual child and the changing circumstances of the learner’s family.

Because each learner’s family situation is unique, some will require only a partial scholarship, whereas others will need a full scholarship.
Some learners may be offered places in government boarding schools in other regions, which means there may be some additional or different costs.
The KCC Team keeps a list of those learners in need of support, and the required value of each individual scholarship. This list is updated and amended as needs change.