Cooperatives from the Uasin Gishu now have the opportunity of paying school fees with milk instead of money, this is after Cooperatives CS Wycliffe Oparanya launched the Maziwa ni School Fees Program.
The new program will see milk farmers in the Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS) pay their children’s school fees using milk in an attempt to reduce the school dropout rate in the county.
According to Oparanya, this program not only aims to strengthen cooperative societies through increased milk production but also enables students to continuously learn without interruption due to school fees.
"I am happy that the Maziwa ni School Fees Program is being implemented here, and I would like for it to be implemented in the whole country in dairy cooperatives. It would be my joy that it even graduates from dairy cooperatives to other cooperatives too," Oparanya said.
The initiative, the brainchild of Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim, is currently being piloted at Tuiyo Farmers Cooperative, with plans for expansion to other cooperatives across the county.
In the program, participating dairy cooperatives establish agreements with schools, allowing parents to make daily milk deliveries that will be credited toward their children’s school fees.
The program has an application that has automated the process in that the moment two liters of milk are delivered to the school daily, the fees automatically go to the school where the milk has been delivered.
At the end of each month, the total milk delivered will be calculated, and its value will be deducted as payment for school fees.
Once the process is done, the cooperative chairperson follows through and ensures that a receipt is generated for the school fees and given to the parents.
The CS, who was the chief guest in the launching event, hailed the schools that have partnered with the cooperative for the program, revealing that it has eased a lot of the financial stress cooperators had.
Apart from reducing the school dropout rate, the program also aims to boost milk production. Instead of parents selling their livestock to pay school fees, this program will allow them to save the heifers.
For farmers whose milk supply is insufficient to cover school fees, the county government, through its extension services, will offer support and guidance to enhance production.
This aspect of the initiative is designed to ensure inclusivity, allowing more families to benefit from the program.
