School heads leak secrets of good KCSE results

Principals from some of the schools that emerged among the top ten in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Exams (KCSE) have noted that proper management is the key to success.

They also linked the excellent grades to their top performance in sports at the national and regional level.

For five years, Kapsabet Boys High School has consistently improved on their KCSE performance.

In 2010, the school scored a mean grade of 9.5; 9.9 in 2011 and 10.4 in 2012. The institution secured fourth  position in 2013, having attained a mean score of 11.2. And in 2014, it posted an impressive mean score of 11.254.

The school, fondly known as the Olympians, had 94 students with A, 108 A-, 31 B+, 13 B and two B-.

“We have cultivated a wholesome  culture in our students. Discipline is key to our consistent excellent performance,” said Principal Kipchumba Maiyo.

Alliance Boys High School Principal David Kariuki takes prides in managing an institution that has over time, been built on traditions and culture that revolves around success.

“The founders intended the school to produce brilliant, disciplined and God-fearing students. The culture of excelling every year pushes the next class to do even better because no one wants to be a let-down and that makes management easy,” he says.

Kariuku has been the principal for the last eight years and says: “This is a very hot seat. It is exciting, but very demanding, bearing in mind that we must produce better results every year.”

  Alliance had a mean score of 84. Of the 348 candidates, 123 scored A, 119 A-, 62 B+, 28 B, 11B-, three C+, one C and one C-.

Maseno School topped Kisumu County with a mean score of 10.9.

Principal Paul Otula attributed the good results to the  strong foundation they had instilled in the candidates right from Form One.

He also noted that the teachers’ dedication had contributed to the sterling performance.

“This is the result of the foundation we have been built over the last four years. We invested a lot of effort and time on the students right from Form One, and we expected good results,” said Otula. This year’s performance is an improvement from 2013, when the school had a mean score of 10.01.

Eighty-three candidates scored A, 94 A-, 47 B+, 17 B and 16 B- this year.

“We didn’t just get good results overnight,” says Sister Anne Josphine Apiyo, the Principal of  Asumbi Girls High School, Homa Bay County.

This follows its 2014 KCSE sterling performance where the school attained a mean score of 10.759. Sister Josephine applauds her energetic teachers “who go an extra mile to keep the girls on their toes.’ This, she says, is the secret behind their success. Sister Josephine has been in the school for eight years, transferring  from St Joseph’s Chepterit Girls in Nandi

Cosmas Nabungolo, the St Anthony Boys Kitale Principal, has attributed the impressive results to thorough coverage of the syllabus, robust assessment of internal examinations and teamwork.

He also attributed their success to their engagement in non-academic   activities and said games   such as soccer and hockey instil discipline. 

The institution has in the past lifted the East and Central secondary schools soccer trophy and won the national soccer championships seven times.

  St Anthony had a mean score of 10.827.

The institution emerged sixth nationwide and third in Rift Valley Province  after Kabarak and Kapsabet Boys.    “I salute the students and teachers and the entire non-teaching staff for the excellent performance,” Nabungolo said.

Out of the 251 registered candidates, 66 scored A, 101 A-, 61 B+, 20B and 3B-.

Nairobi School cites teamwork, discipline and revision as the secret to its  strong results.

The institution had a mean score of 10.835, an improvement from last year’s 10.583.

The principal, Onesmus Mulinge, noted that the outstanding results are a combination of many factors.  

“I don’t believe in a school coming out of nowhere with great results. It means something specific happened that particular year, and the circumstances might not be the same the year that follows,” he said.

Related Topics

KCSE results