Athletes from the Teso community have been urged to prioritize education alongside athletics in order to secure international athletics scholarship opportunities.
Speaking during the Elalai Cross Country Championship in Teso North, Elalai Training Camp coach Charles Kamau said that athletes from the community are missing out on prestigious life-changing scholarships for failure to meet the required academic standards.
He said that despite succeeding in the track during the Elalai Cross Country Championship held on December 26, they failed to secure four available international scholarships to study and further their talent at Kingston College and Jamaica University.
To acquire the scholarship, an athlete was supposed to have a minimum grade of C-Plain in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Education (KCSE).
Kamau noted that the community had been allocated four slots in the international athletics scholarships, where one slot was for a girl and three for boys.
As a result, he said they are now shifting focus to schools in the community to identify learners who might be able to fill the slots and are best in middle- and long-distance running.
“I will only take runners who meet both running and academic requirements,” Kamau said.
He noted that many young athletes continue to focus solely on talent at the expense of discipline and education, a trend he warned could limit future opportunities.
“Talent pays, but discipline is key. Coaches must be honest with athletes about their abilities, while parents should guide their children to value education as much as sport,” he said.
Kamau explained that while some institutions may prioritize running ability, education remains a major requirement for most international scholarships.
“It is only Japan University that places greater emphasis on running ability than education, but even then, learners are required to master the Japanese language,” he said.
He added that consultations with schools are ongoing and expressed optimism that at least one boy could secure a scholarship by the end of January.
“Education will not end, but talent can end anytime. Learners who perform well academically stand a better chance of securing opportunities in universities abroad,” Kamau noted.
The Kingston College programme began in September 2020 with coach Kamau assisting then sixteen-year-old Ethan Githinji Gioko to secure a full four-year scholarship at the college in Jamaica.
By Moses Wekesa
