Embrace girl education, MP Keynan urges NEP region

Eldas MP Adan Keynan has challenged communities in Northern Kenya to fully embrace girl-child education, saying it is key for development. 

Keynan said gone are the days when girls were restricted to doing house chores and waiting to be married off. He called on parents to prioritise girl-child empowerment through education.

"We cannot achieve true development if half of our population is left behind. It is imperative that we provide equal opportunities for our children to access quality education and protect their equal rights as responsible change-makers," the MP said.

Many girls in the region have missed out on education due to retrogressive cultural practices, among them early marriage and FGM, raising concern among leaders and education stakeholders.

Keynan spoke at Tula Tula Divisional headquarters in Eldas South Sub-county when he unveiled the disbursement of bursaries worth Sh41 million from the NG-CDF kitty, for the Financial Year 2023-2024.

The funds will enable learners from the constituency to access education in different secondary schools, colleges, and universities across the country.

“This is a significant step towards advancing education as a window that equalises society and provides every child with a fair opportunity to actualise their dreams.

"Most importantly, the funds will go along way in alleviating the financial burden on many families and pave the way for learners to remain in school,” the MP said.

He also urged school heads not to send students home for non-payment of fees, saying his office will work closely with the institutions to support the learners.

The legislator emphasised the need for learners to take up courses like engineering, education and medicine as the region grapples with a shortage of teachers, doctors and engineers. 

"By prioritising skill-oriented courses, we aim to equip our youth with the expertise needed to thrive in today's dynamic job market and cushion our region with a professional workforce," he explained.

Keynan said the enriching values of education help to build a transformative and dignified society that appreciates development and upholds respect and the rule of law. 

Education stakeholders also continued to express concern over gender parity in Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties.

The three counties have a high gender gap, with a ratio of about one girl to two boys.

Elder Abdi Hussein said pastoralists prefer taking boys to school while girls take care of the animals, contributing to the disparity. 

"We have girls being married off at a young age of 13 years by parents who still don't see the value of educating them. The cases are rampant in the rural areas across the county."

He called for the posting of more female teachers, noting that having male teachers was affecting mentorship.

“We need to have more female teachers to fill the gap in the girls schools but there are none in the county to play the role," Hussein said.

"We don't have role models locally to boost the academic morale for these girls. What they see are fellow girls who drop out of school to start families. These can have a significant impact on the psyche." 

Data from the Kenya National Examination Council recorded that 2,781 male candidates sat for KCSE in Mandera in 2020, against 1,330 males. Wajir had a total of 4,542 candidates out of whom 1,485 were female.