By Erick Nyayiera
Teachers have a solemn and sacred responsibility to bring up children the best way God has inspired them to do, a top KCPE school head teacher Hellen Oginga has said.
“Teachers need to have a calling for their profession, a strong urge to do what they are trained to do and the love and passion for their work,” these are the warm sentiments of Oginga.
Oginga is the head teacher of A.C.K-sponsored Maseno Girls Boarding School in Kisumu County, a public primary school that has dominated the charts of top performing schools in Kenya and undoubtedly the best in the Nyanza region.
“Teachers need to be an innate desire to express and share their love of learning and of a subject,” she mused thoughtfully.
Since she took over as the head teacher of the school in 2018, the institution has registered tremendous improvements in successive KCPE examinations.
Due to her dedication and proven good leadership, Mrs. Oginga was honored and awarded a trophy by Teachers Service Commission CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia for producing outstanding performance in the 2020 KCPE results and being the best performing school in Kisumu County.
The recently released KCPE results saw Maseno Girls Boarding School post impressive results.
20 candidates scored over 400 marks with the top candidate Owori Graca Idah Awuor managing 422 marks, becoming the 13th overall nationally. The school posted a mean of 377.96, a positive deviation of + 1.25 from the 376.83 in 2020 KCPE.
Only two candidates scored below 300 marks.
She opines that being a head teacher is only an added responsibly on top of teaching, which should take priority above all else. This has shaped her routine where she rises up ahead of all colleagues to cover lessons before assuming administrative duties.
“Even during my busy day in office, I have to excuse myself and delegate duties to my staff so that I rush to attend my classes,” she affirmed.
It is why English has been leading in the school for the third year running. In fact, Hellen Oginga is the best teacher of English in the whole of Nyanza region as per the 2021 KCPE results.
“To achieve results, we must put the Almighty God first and there must be no shortcuts,” she advises, pointing out discipline as another key factor.
Teachers too, she says, must be motivated for effective outcomes, even as you listen keenly to the learners to understand their needs.
She noted that her dedicated and hardworking teachers have put a lot of premium on the holistic development of the learners, including sacrificing their time to teach and guide at odd hours.
Being a reputable public school that draws admiration from the entire country, the head teacher has to contend with difficulties such as balancing school fees payment and keeping bright but needy learners in school.
“I often consider my position as one accorded to me by God to also act as a mother to these young girls. They must be kept in school and we must sacrifice so that they get the best. We don’t send them home for fees,” she revealed.
