Schools for the unprivileged take root in the country

Pupils from Bridge Majengo Mapya Academy celebrate 2017’s KCPE results. [Photo: Nanjinia Wamuswa |Standard]

Learning in a slum school can predispose pupils to various challenges, including insecurity, lack of basic amenities and the danger of being lured to drug abuse.

Some learners also hail from poor families where education is not a priority.

However, when national examinations are set, such issues are not considered and all candidates sit the same test countrywide. It is therefore incredible when schools in slums and remote areas record impressive results in national exams.

In this year’s KCPE exam, Bridge International Schools, which are largely located in slums across the country, registered impressive results, with 60 per cent of its 3,412 pupils scoring 250 marks and above. The academies were first launched in Kenya in 2009, targeting marginalised areas where parents earn very little pay. The first academy was launched in Mukuru kwa Njenga slum in Nairobi. 

The academies have since been partnering with the Government, communities, teachers and parents to help improve education in Kenya.

Bridge International Academies Customer Insight Director, East Africa, Reuben Mwangi lauds the performance.

“We are delighted by the outstanding results posted by our 2017 candidates. Our results are a testament to the dedication and hard work of our pupils,” says Mr Mwangi.

“A school is a community and good results can only be achieved when there are strong and supported teachers who are made accountable to parents and parents who are active and engaged.”

He says their children face many challenges and some come to class without having eaten anything in the morning.

“When most of our children get home, instead of parents welcoming them with a smile and something to eat, pupils are forced to go for jobs to support the family,” he tells Satuday Standard.

Mwangi says the school has had KCPE candidates in 2015, 2016 and 2017. And in all three years, the pupils have significantly performed above the national average. The academy is open to any pupil. But before admission, a new pupil has to be subjected to an entry exam.

“That is the only way we determine which particular pupil fits in which class,” he says.

Today, there are 405 schools across 44 counties. Mwangi says the institution is yet to launch academies in Turkana, Wajir and Mandera counties.

He says they are yet to venture in the counties because of security and accessibility concerns.

“Our business model dictates that we centralise everything, including teachers and managers collaborating on daily basis. But in the three counties, there’s still a challenge,” says Mwangi.