Schools that respect tradition always shine

Okech Kendo

When the history of education is fairly recorded, President Daniel arap Moi’s contribution would be rated next to that of the Church Missionary Society, and the Roman Catholic Church.

The results of the 2010 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams illustrate this. Yet, the fact that President Moi made unparalleled contribution to education is hardly cited. Other facts associated with President Moi’s 24 years in power tend to blur his monumental contribution to posterity.

Foundations of these schools were building blocks for the future, which comes one day at a time. Some of the schools, private and public, that post good results, and have done so for years, are associated with President Moi.

Moi High School Kabarak, which was number six of top 100 nationally, is the centerpiece of the former President’s love for education. There is also a university in the neighbourhood, and a primary school to complete the Kabarak trilogy. Each is a centre of excellence.

Moi Girls High School Eldoret, which was number seven of the top 100 nationally, also owes its foundation to the former President.

Moi Tea Girls Secondary School, which was number five of top 100 provincial schools, is also part of the Nyayo legacy.

Moi Forces Academy Lanet, Moi Forces Academy, Moi Siongiroi, and Moi Girls School Nairobi, were also among the top 100. Sacho High School, and Sunshine Secondary School are also part of the Moi heritage. Others, which post equally great results, had missionary foundations. They are still run on the same basic Christian principles.

.

Keep Reading

• Easy recipe: Sim sim bread
• Menstrual hygiene: Not yet out of the woods
• Why you need to do estate planning early
• Why men suffer domestic violence in silence

Alliance High, Alliance Girls High, The Maseno School, and others, owe their foundation to the Church Missionary Society (CMS), foundation of what is today, Anglican Church of Kenya.

These schools still respect and recognise their founders. Alliance High School still celebrates founders’ day more than a century after the first building block.

Iconic Carey Francis

Dormitories at The Maseno School are named for some of its founders. Reverend RR Willis (1906-12) is among the founders for whom a dorm is named. B.L Bowers, for whom another hostel is named, taught in Maseno for 39 years. Ojijo Oteko, a pioneer freedom fighter from Karachuonyo, Homa Bay County, was his student. Ojijo Road, running from Parklands to Westlands, was named for this man.

US Barack Obama’s father was Bowers’ student. Iconic mathematics teacher, Carey Francis, taught at Maseno School, and Alliance Boys High School thanks to their shared CMS heritage.

Half the 18 national schools, which the Kenyatta regime inherited, have missionary foundations.

Top rated schools — Precious Blood School Riruta, Precious Blood School Kilungu, Mangu High School, Loreto, Limuru, Bishop Gatimu Ng’andu Girls, St Joseph’s Rapogi High School, and AIC Chebisaas Boys Secondary School — count Christianity as their pillar.

Rapogi, which was 29 of 100 top schools nationally, has another record. Teachers transferred on promotion from Rapogi are lifting their new schools — Uriri High School, and Rang’ala Girls Secondary School, for example.

At The Maseno School, the chapel is called ‘The Rock of Ages’. There is also a Jacob’s Well, where pupils quench their thirst, literally. But it is also a metaphor for the quest for knowledge. It is not surprising, therefore, for Alliance and Maseno old boys to hold it is sacrilegious to fail routine national exams in their Alma Mater.

One must, however, work hard to keep the tradition. But one must also work even harder to fail exams at Alliance and Maseno. Maseno slipped last year when politicians exported impunity to the school, but it still did much better than some schools that have gone gaga. Politicians forced the Maseno principal to retract suspension orders for their children. But the school is resilient; it shall rise again if teachers get their freedom.

When a minister’s son cannot make the mark for Alliance, Maseno, Lenana, or Mangu, let them go abroad if other local schools are beneath their class. When Stareheans, who did not even sit the exams sulked, it was because they had disappointed the founder, Geoffrey Griffins, who died in 2005.

Taking position eleven nationally when Starehe has always been single-digit was disappointing.

But even at eleven, with 10.3846 mean, the school had done much better than 89 others in the top league. Starehe had good results, but it has always registered superlative results.

Some of the Moi schools carry the founder’s name. Some benefited from his patronage, and have very good facilities. Key leaders around the Moi presidency also laid foundations for some of the best performing schools. They were emulating the master because imitation is the best form of flattery.

Flying namesakes

Kanga High School in Migori County is a fine example. The late Internal Security PS Hezekiah Oyugi was key to its foundation.

Some of the excelling schools are also still run under Moi’s direct patronage. Perhaps the fact that some of the schools carry a Moi name is itself an incentive.

But there are also some schools that carry the Moi name, which are sinking. Moi Nyabohanse Girls Secondary School in Kuria, Moi Nyatike Boys Secondary School, and Moi Suba Girls in Migori County should respect the name they carry or re-brand. These schools should find out why they are sinking when their namesakes are flying.

This is a challenge and reminder their continued stay down there, is undermining the Moi legacy.