Pupils with special needs post impressive results

Dominic Sese Magosi being lifted high by teachers, Family members and teachers at Mau Narok Primary school in Njoro on March 29,2022.He scored 401 Marks in the 2021 KCPE examinations and was ranked among the top performers ibn the Special Needs candidates .[Kipsang Joseph,Standard]

Children with disability have overcome their inadequacies to perform well in this year's Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam.

Aisha Amir from Likoni School for the Blind, is among many candidates with special needs who posted good marks. She scored 337 marks out of a possible 500 and was the top student in her school.

Amir is blind and suffers from a congenital heart defect known as atrial septal (hole in the heart).

She performed well despite missing school many times because of her condition.

Likoni School for the Blind is a public school sponsored by the Salvation Army under the Chaplaincy of Captain Daniel Odanga.

"She did not attend school for a whole year during the period she went for open heart surgery. But she is a resilient girl who always bounces back," said school Headteacher Elizabeth Ngare.

The school had 11 candidates, including six boys, and posted a mean score of 234.

Amir said she wants to become a teacher.

"I had lost all hope when my heart condition got worse. However, I was inspired by my teachers, they supported me a lot. I almost despaired," she said.

Ms Ngare said they resorted to homeschooling during the Covid-19 pandemic when schools were closed.

In the same school, Chidoti Chirunga Ramadhan, who is living with albinism and poor vision, got 232 marks.

At Ziwani School for the Deaf, 10 candidates sat the exas and managed a mean score of 190.2.

School Headteacher Ramla Mwikaa said their best-performing candidate was Abdulsamad Abdulfateh who scored 236 marks.

Their last student, Brian Mwinga Tsuma, scored 173 marks.

In Kericho, Kedowa Special School for the Deaf in Kipkelion East Constituency is basking in glory after posting a mean score of 167.66, a positive deviation of 12 marks.

Korir Joseph, the headteacher, said the school had 15 candidates. The top performer, Doreen Cherotich, scored 207 marks.

The lowest-performing candidate had 137 marks.

"The pass mark for the deaf is 120. I can therefore say that our candidates performed well and we are proud of the results," said Mr Korir.

He attributed the school's success to collaboration among the teachers and their dedication to teaching.

"Ours is more of a calling than a profession. We sacrifice a lot to teach the pupils than our colleagues in ordinary schools," he said.

Korir said although the pass mark for KCPE candidates is 250, it is a hurdle for children with hearing impairment.

"The score for deaf candidates should therefore be different from that of ordinary candidates. The university entry grade should also be lowered to C plain for the deaf," he said.

In Murang'a and Kirinyaga counties, special schools also registered better performances.

Kerugoya School for the Deaf and Blind produced at least 11 candidates with over 200 marks. The top candidate had 274 marks.

School Headteacher Jesse Mwangi said this was their best result ever, keeping in mind that teachers use sign language to teach the pupils.

"We have faced a lot of challenges but this was a good performance. The last pupil had 171 marks," he said. The school has a mean score of 232.40, an improvement from last year's 221.68.

He said they have a teachers shortage and urged the government to post more tutors.

In Murang'a School for Hearing-impaired Children, the candidates posted a mean score of 156.83, down from 160 in 2021.

The best candidate scored 202 marks followed by the second with 180 marks.

The head teacher Charity Wanjiku said they face a lot of challenges when handling children with disabilities.

"We had 18 candidates but one failed to show up. Overall, it was a fair performance, considering the challenges we face," she said.

[Reports by Nikko Tanui, Jane Mugambi and Boniface Gikandi and Ishaq Jumbe]