Form Four candidates have been challenged to maximise their chances of securing university admission, even as the government moves to introduce state-funded tuition education for students transitioning from Grade 12 next year.
Deputy Head of Public Service Amos Gathecha said the planned programme should spur candidates to attain the grades required to join university and benefit from government-funded education through to graduation.
Gathecha spoke at Thika High School in Kiambu Wednesday, while delivering musical instruments and other facilities donated to the school by President Dr William Ruto.
“The government has pledged that those who sit for Grade 12 and proceed to university will be supported fully for their education. Those sitting national examinations should therefore focus on securing the opportunity for a 100 per cent transition to university,” he said.
President Ruto announced recently that going forward, so long as a student has passed his/her examination and has been placed in a university or college, they will get full funding for higher education. However, this awaits passing of the Tertiary Placement and Funding Bill 2026 in parliament.
Currently, funding for higher education is determined by family income, where students receive a particular mix of scholarship and loan support. This has had its challenges, with learners complaining that the amount they receive cannot effectively fund their education.
“We hope to get a high number of students transitioning to higher education from next year,” Gathecha said.
He at the same time said the government had also invested heavily in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, with courses intended to equip young people with skills relevant to the job market.
Among the facilities delivered at the Scholl included musical instruments such as guitars and pianos alongside the commissioning of a 1,000-bed-capacity dormitory and a dining hall with a capacity of 2,000 students in efforts intended to enhance the learning environment and improve students’ welfare.
The school will also receive Sh10 million for classroom renovations and Sh2 million from the National Assembly for bursaries targeting vulnerable students.
Gathecha said the government was in the process of procuring a modern bus for the institution while urging the school to ensure all stakeholders remain involved in decisions concerning students’ welfare.
Thika MP Alice Ng’ang’a said the additional facilities would reinforce the school’s efforts to sustain its strong academic record.
She urged Form Four candidates to remain focused on the national examinations, saying their results would determine access to further education and opportunities beyond secondary school.
The school’s chief principal, Julius Muraya, said the new facilities would provide additional motivation for students as they prepare for the national examinations.
Muraya said the school had maintained a strong academic record over the years, with several students attaining Grade A in successive national examinations.
By Muoki Charles
