The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination 2018 results were released on Monday and the top students, Rawlings Odhiambo Aketch from Kakamega Hill School and Olive Mwea from Riara Road Primary School both scored 453 marks.
12,273 candidates scored above 400 marks, 228,414 scored 301-400 while 574,927 candidates got 201-300.
Anyone who has gone through the Kenyan education system knows how hard it is to post such impressive results.
A couple of years back when I sat for my KCPE examinations, I could feel the pressure to perform.
My parents and teachers always told me how hard my life would be if I would not score above 400 marks.
Those who got above 400 marks were to some extent treated like royalty. I am not downplaying their achievement, far from it, but what of those who scored less than that?
The truth is, you can perform dismally in KCPE but still march on to be an important person in society.
Purity Ngina, Kenya’s youngest PhD graduate scored 235 marks in her KCPE exam. She was not satisfied by her performance and on second attempt she managed to get 368 marks.
Determined to achieve her goals in life, Ngina went to high school and worked her socks off to get a B+ in her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
She was admitted to Egerton University where she pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and later a Masters in Applied Mathematics after getting First Class honours.
In 2016, she joined Strathmore University as an assistant lecturer and the German Academic Exchange Service paid her PhD tuition fee.
On June 29, she was among the three doctorate graduates at the Strathmore University.
Her story is one of determination and grit. Candidates who got below 300 marks in the just-released 2018 KCPE results should definitely borrow a leaf from her.
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As much as KCPE is important in determining which schools we will go to, it is important to appreciate the fact that the sheer will to succeed lies within us.
Examination marks do not determine who we are.
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