Kenyan Parents Could Pay School Fees With Milk As Pilot Program Kicks Off
Cooperatives in the Uasin Gishu can now pay school fees with milk rather than money, according to the Maziwa ni School Fees Program, which was developed by Cooperatives CS Wycliffe Oparanya.
Milk farmers in the Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS) will pay their children’s school tuition with milk under the new scheme, which aims to reduce the county’s school dropout rate.
According to Oparanya, this program not only attempts to strengthen cooperative societies by increasing milk production, but it also allows kids to continue learning without interruption owing to school costs.
“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,” Oparanya said.
“It would be my joy that it even graduates from dairy cooperatives to other cooperatives too.”
Today, I was hosted by @GovernorBii at the launch of the Maziwa ni School Fees program at Tuiyo Farmers Cooperative Sacco, Uasin Gishu County. This initiative empowers dairy farmers by converting milk into school fees, ensuring education access for their children. A game-changer… pic.twitter.com/iy2VZ7jpkD
— Hon Wycliffe A. Oparanya, EGH (@DrOparanya) February 28, 2025
The program, the brainchild of Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim, is presently being tested at Tuiyo Farmers Cooperative, with hopes to expand to other cooperatives throughout the county.
Participating dairy cooperatives form partnerships with schools, allowing parents to make daily milk deliveries that are credited toward their children’s school costs.
The scheme includes an application that automates the procedure so that when two liters of milk are brought to the school daily, the fees are automatically sent to the school where the milk was delivered.
At the conclusion of each month, the total milk delivered will be computed and withheld as payment for school tuition.
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Once the process is completed, the cooperative chairperson follows up to guarantee that a receipt for school fees is prepared and distributed to the parents.
The CS, who was the main guest at the inaugural event, praised the schools that have cooperated with the cooperative for the program, noting that it has alleviated much of the financial hardship that cooperators have had.
Aside from reducing school dropout rates, the program attempts to increase milk production. Instead of selling their animals to pay school fees, this scheme will allow parents to keep the heifers.
Farmers whose milk output is insufficient to cover school fees will receive support and guidance from the county government’s extension services to increase production.
Kenyan Parents Could Pay School Fees With Milk As Pilot Program Kicks Off
