Twenty four Wings to Fly scholars managed to score a mean grade of A (plain) while 199 scored a mean grade of A- (minus) in the recently released KCSE examination results. Of the 2016 Wings to Fly cohort of 1,868 who were examined, 1,519 managed to score a mean grade of C+ (plus) and above.
This year’s performance saw the class achieve a university entry qualification rate of 81% against a national rate of 18%. Additionally, the results are an improvement from the 2018 ones where 15 scholars had scored straight As and 157 had A minuses.
Dr. James Mwangi, Equity Group’s Managing Director and CEO applauded the students for their commitment and hard work. Commenting on the performance, he said: “As an organization, we are proud to be part of this journey. It is fulfilling and rewardingto witness the impact of the programme on the lives of our scholars and the community at large. At Wings to Fly, we champion academic excellence, the development of a value-centred life, the nurturing of transformative leadership and embracing a culture of giving back.”
Dr. Mwangi who also serves as the Executive Chairman at Equity Group Foundation also expressed gratitude to the teacher champions for their commitment to support the scholars in their academic work. He attributed the improved performance to the sustained, positive relationship between the scholars, teachers and community scholarship selection boards (CSSBs), whereby each student’s performance is reviewed during school holidays.
For the past ten years, the Wings to Flyprogramme has supported 16,168 students to pursue secondary school education on full scholarships. The success of the programme can be tied to the integrity and fidelity in the selection process which is done by the CSSBs that sit in all 47 counties ensuring that only the most deserving students gain scholarships. The programme has also greatly benefited from the goodwill of the Kenyan public and various Equity stakeholders.
With a proven performance track record, Wings to Flyalumni have set high standards, hence motivating those behind them to work towards excellence. So far, 11,928 scholars have sat their national exams with 9,581 managing to secure admission to university.
The programme is a partnership between the MasterCard Foundation and Equity Group, with additional support from partners such as the German Government (through KfW), USAID and DFID. The 223 Wings to Fly2019 finalists who scored A and A- are eligible to join the bank for six to nine months under the Equity Bank Paid Internship Programme. During this period, the scholars will secure valuable work ethics and skills where they will be mentored and earn a monthly stipend of Kshs. 40,000 to assist them with meeting their basic needs and save for university education.
