Beneficiaries of the 2017 Wings to Fly scholarships who sat for the 2020 KCSE exams have out-performed themselves registering an improvement in performance from the 2019 KCSE class.In the recently released results, 203 Wings to Fly scholars managed to score a mean grade of A plain (A) and A minus (A-), forming part of the 7,313 finalists who topped in the national exams.
Of the 203, 18 scored a mean grade of A plain (A) and 185 scored A-, while 1,410 out of a registered class of 1,640 attained university qualifying grades; representing a university transition rate of 86%. The highest transition rate for the program over the last 5 years.
Additionally, despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,640 scholars managed to sit for their KCSE exams out of a class of the 1,680 scholars who joined in 2017 representing a 98% completion rate.
Commenting on the performance, Dr. James Mwangi, Executive Chairman Equity Group Foundation said, “Despite being in a COVID-19 year, the 2017 Wings to Fly cohort registered a very high completion rate and transition rate as 1,410 will proceed to join both local and global universities. Together with our partners, we are proud of their achievements and wish them all the best even as they enter a new phase of their lives.”
In 2020, Equity Group Foundation (EGF) partnered with Mastercard Foundation to provide over 14,600 Wings to Fly, Elimu and TVET scholarship beneficiaries with a monthly stipend of Ksh 3,000, a transistor radio-cum-solar lamp and psychosocial support as part of efforts to cushion the scholars from the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We made the deliberate effort to support these young scholars during the unprecedented times and our efforts have paid off. This year’s transition rate is the highest that we have had over the past 5 years indicating that the program is continuously improving and changing the lives of communities one scholar at a time. Top performing students from this cohort have been invited to join the Equity Leaders Program (ELP) College Counselling Program where they will receive coaching on how to apply and secure admission with scholarship to leading global institutions.
This year’s Wings to Fly finalists bring the total number of scholars examined so far to 13,568 with 10,991 attaining a mean grade of C+ and above. Overall, 83% of Wings to Fly scholars have attained university level grades since inception of the program in 2010 compared to the national transition rate of 20.6%.
“Working closely with stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education, teachers, Equity branch champions and the community through the Community Scholarship Selection Boards (CSSBs) has allowed us to offer all-rounded support to our scholars. Every end of term, the Wings to Fly scholars visit their local Equity branch for a performance review discussion. We not only discuss performance but also focus on mentoring them, offering mental wellness and psychosocial support and encouraging them to explore their talents, give back to the community and take up leadership positions within their schools. This ensures that we are training all-rounded leaders for tomorrow” added Dr. Mwangi.
During the April school break, the Wings to Fly scholars participated in the ongoing tree planting exercises coordinated by Equity through its 190 branches as part of community give-back initiatives and in support of Equity Group’s 35 million trees, tree-planting initiative.