Safaricom's M-Pesa Foundation will sponsor at least 800 bright children from disadvantaged backgrounds in its full scholarships at the state of the art, mixed boarding high school commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday.
The school, which is located on a 100-acre piece of land in Mangú, Thika, opened its doors to the first group of students in 2016 and has grown her enrollment to the current 487 learners admitted to the academy.
M-Pesa Foundation Chairman Michael Joseph says the initiative is their biggest programme which they hold so dear and hope learners will benefit from the innovative approach in learning.
“When the idea to build this one-of-a-kind learning institution was mooted, the board and the trustees of the M-PESA Foundation were clear about the institution we wanted to establish. The thinking was that if Kenya hoped to nurture transformational leaders, then we must adopt an innovative approach to education,” held Michael Joesph.
The admission process begins in March every year when the application forms are sent out across the country and ends in December when successful applicants are selected.
“I thank M-PESA Foundation for giving a hope and future to thousands of young Kenyans making us believe that our past should not determine our future,” stated President Kenyatta.
Every year, the academy aims to admit up to four students per county, who go through a rigorous selection process which includes a multiple stage evaluation process entailing telephone and in-person interviews for selected applicants, as well as home visits to verify information.
“We believe in inclusion and our diversity is beyond cultural. We have within our student body children with special needs such as the mobility challenged and children with albinism. We are also planning to facilitate those who are challenged both audibly and visually,” noted Michael Joseph.
The mixed boarding high school boasts of first-class academic facilities in addition to sports, arts and cultural facilities which include an indoor sports hall, a sports field, running track, swimming pools, squash courts, a music centre and a 500 seat auditorium.
Admission into the school is based on an independent application process separate from the national process.
Each applicant must be in their last year of primary school, be at least 13 years old registered to sit for their KCPE examinations in November. Applications are accepted from students from all counties in Kenya.
