STRATHMORE SCHOOL BURSARY FUND
Contrary to popular belief that Strathmore School is a rich-man's school, the school has an active and efficient bursary scheme that has seen many orphans and students with ability but little financial muscle to make it through. Strathmore has two schemes through which its well-wishers donate funds to aid needy students. In the first scheme, money can be donated to the Bursary Fund and utilized in full in the year in which it is donated. The second scheme involves setting up an Endowment Fund usually named after the donor or in memory of a person of their choice. The school invests the Endowment fund money and, in agreement with the donor, allocates some of the interest earned every year to bursaries and reinvests the rest of the interest to make the fund grow.
Approximately 15% of students at Strathmore School are on bursary.
In 2007 alone, the school paid off more than Kenya Shillings 3.8 million as fees to 80 needy students compared to Kenya Shillings 255,000 in 1991. Unfortunately, the bursary figure has not always been matched by an equal amount of donations from parents, past students, companies and well-wishers. In fact the school has in the last 10 years found herself digging deep into her coffers and sometimes withholding funds meant for other projects due to the rising need for bursaries. In 2007 for example, the deficit between the bursaries given out and the donations was more than Kenya Shillings 2.5 million.
We appeal to well wishers to sponsor a student in the school and support the scheme. Those who wish to send contributions can do so through following account:
STRATHMORE SCHOOL ENDOWMENT ACCOUNT
BARCLAYS BANK OF KENYA LTD, HURLINGHAM BRANCH, NAIROBI
ACCOUNT NO. 03-045-5316235
SWIFT CODE: BARCKENX
ENDOWMENT FUNDS
Over the years, the school's benefactors have started 30 endowment funds whose total capital value at the end of the year 2007 stood at Kenya Shillings 22,000,000.
Part of the interest generated from investing these funds is allocated to bursaries while the remaining balance is ploughed back to make the Principal grow and to hedge it against inflation.
The first Endowment Fund was created by
Mr. and Mrs. Gajree in memory of their son,
Jawahar in
1994. Four other small Endowment funds followed soon after started by three past teachers and the parents of one past student (
Mr. S. de la Bedoyere Family, Dr. & Mrs. Branya, Mrs. A. Drackard, and
Mr. and Mrs. J. Githongo). In
1998 the parents of the late
Ajay Chotai (Form 1-1984) started an Endowment Fund in his memory and
Dr. Deepak Bedi (Form 5-1969) started one to help good science students benefit from the same type of education he received while at Strathmore. The
Eirtman Gendia Fund was started by a number of graduate students in fond memory of this long-serving Strathmore teacher who taught them.
Endowment funds donors receive an annual statement of accounts indicating principal and interest earned, and also academic reports of the beneficiaries.
The School is appealing to past students, parents and well-wishers to start new Endowments funds, no matter how small the initial amount may be.
Jawahar Gajree was a student at Strathmore School from 1982 to 1986, after which he moved to Merchant Taylor's School in London, and subsequently joined University College, Oxford. At Oxford he completed his degree in Engineering, Economics, Finance and Business Management with honours in 1992. While he was doing a second degree as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Anderson in London he came for a short visit to see his parents in Kenya. On 8th April 1993, while returning home from a visit to a national park, he died in a car accident two hours from Nairobi. Jawahar was top of his class. He was good in all subjects and excelled in the sciences. Besides his outstanding academic qualities, he had a simple and pleasant personality; he would avoid the limelight, trying to help all who came into contact with him.
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Ajay Chotai joined Strathmore in Form 2 in January 1985. His case was special because he chose to skip Standard 8 and join the old system. This was possible because, due to change of system, there was no Form 1 that year. He was so well prepared and so hard working that, despite the age difference, he was soon among the top students of a competitive class. After completing his O levels in which he got top marks in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, he joined Form 5. He was later admitted to the Merchant Taylor's School, London in September 1998. From there he qualified to Oxford University. He was about to complete his degree in Engineering and Economics at Balliol College, when he passed away on 2nd April 1994, shortly before taking his final exams. His parents and brothers have funded the "Ajay Chotai Physics" Prize awarded to the top Form 4 Physics student each year. They also started the Ajay Chotai Endowment Fund in his memory, in September 1998.
Dr. Deepak Bedi is an old boy of the school. His fund (the Dr. Deepak Bedi Endowment fund) is used to help needy students gifted in the sciences, especially Biology.
(Table showing endowment funds - updated May 2010) ENDOWMENT FUNDS | 2009 PRINCIPAL 01.01.10 | 2010 ADDITIONS RECEIVED | 2010 PRINCIPAL 01.05.10 |
Mr. & Mrs. Githongo E. Fund | 78,990 | | 78,990 |
Dr. Branya & Family E. Fund | 141,532 | | 141,532 |
Past Students E. Fund | 3,602,903 | 100,000 | 3,702,903 |
Mr. Bedoyere Family E. Fund | 167,418 | | 167,418 |
Our Lady of Africa E. Fund | 814,718 | 24,967 | 839,685 |
Jawahar Gajree E. Fund | 2,142,551 | | 2,142,551 |
Ada Drakard E. Fund | 1,344,236 | | 1,344,236 |
Ajay Chotai E. Fund | 308,890 | | 308,890 |
1989 Class E. Fund | 61,256 | | 61,256 |
Dr. Deepak Bedi E. Fund | 444,033 | | 444,033 |
Mr. Wambua & Family E. Fund | 376,198 | 200,000 | 576,198 |
E. Gendia Memorial Fund | 1,473,170 | | 1,473,170 |
Mr. & Mrs. Knott E. Fund | 52,557 | | 52,557 |
Current Parents E. Fund | 10,504,667 | | 10,504,667 |
Current Students Fundraising | 932,429 | | 932,429 |
Jos Konzolo & Family E. Fund | 292,301 | | 292,301 |
Mr. Ongwae & Family E.Fund | 46,611 | | 46,611 |
Vincent Maiko E. Fund- (1986 F6 class) | 43,865 | | 43,865 |
Peter Mboya Memorial Fund - (1982 F6 class) | 236,225 | | 236,225 |
Nathan Ngumi E. Fund | 515,553 | | 515,553 |
Kingori Mwangi E. Fund | 6,709,542 | | 6,709,542 |
Mr & Mrs. Muthoka Fund | 41,532 | | 41,532 |
Nkonge Majani Fund | 26,907 | | 26,907 |
Bakhtawar Singh Virdee Memorial Fund | 25,675 | | 25,675 |
Kevin O'Byrne Memorial Fund | 412,291 | | 412,291 |
Class of '84 E. Fund | 69,698 | | 69,698 |
TOTAL | 30,865,759 | 324,967 | 31,190,726 |
