Maranda High School principal supports abolition of ranking schools in exams

Maranda High School principal Boaz Owino has defended the ban on ranking of schools in national examinations.

Mr Owino broke ranks with his colleagues and other education stakeholders, who have criticised Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi’s decision to abolish ranking of schools and candidates.

The principal said ranking is not the best tool to measure performance in schools now.

“It doesn’t make sense to me now. What matters is the total number of candidates. We registered many students and we are taking more than 300 students to university,” he said.

Mr Owino explained that it is wrong to rank schools which have registered 400 candidates for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam with those with 100 or less. He says the focus should be on enabling many students to pursue quality education than encourage cut-throat competition where schools deny slow learners the opportunity to advance.

That is the reason why Maranda High School welcomes students from neighbouring institutions to learn together.

“This has greatly helped performance in the neighbouring schools and I think as teachers, we need to focus on assisting many students get the best education rather than register a few candidates and compete for national honours.

Owino says the secret to success is unity of purpose where all stakeholders are united for effective administration and and excellent performance in examinations.

The school has maintained a mean of 10.20 and above for the last five years.

Maranda topped in Siaya County, with a mean grade of 11.40 in last year’s  KCSE examinations.The school posted impressive results: A(120), A-(145), B+(105), B(65), B-(35), C+(8), C(1), C-(1).

The best subject in the school was agriculture with a mean score of 11.87. It is taught by three teachers: Kevin Ongoma, MaryLinet Ombima and Violet Adongo. The teachers say they work as a team to ensure the students perform well.