As I was set to sit and write this 24th treatise about the new education dispensation, of CBE and CBC, I took a mental flight to my recent village chronicles. At some point this year, I travelled to Anyiko Village in Gem, Yala, Siaya County. For this is where I was born and brought up. After meeting and interacting with my kinsmen, I decided to visit the hallowed ground of learning where it all started — Anyiko Primary School on Yala-Butere Road. Right at the gate, I took note of a certain change. Being a man fascinated by the written word, I took note of the nuances in the school’s naming system. In the new education dispensation, under Competency-Based Education (CBE) and the impressive implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), the name of my alma mater has evolved to Anyiko Comprehensive School. It sounds interesting.
Meaning, my old school has three wings within the same school, namely: Pre-Primary 1 and 2 (PP1 and PP2), Primary (Grades 1 to 6) and Junior School (Grades 7 to 9). So, in 2026, likewise, my other dear alma mater — Nyamninia Secondary School — on Kisumu-Busia Road — will be admitting Grade 10 learners as the pioneers of CBE. Its appellation will also evolve to Nyamninia Senior School. Some schools have done it. In a subtle sense, the beautiful writings — at the elegant gate, comely compound — and state-of-the-art administration blocks — feature as part and parcel of building brands of schools with brilliance.
Actually, branding is a common phenomenon in the corporate sector. Therefore, blue-chip companies such as Safaricom are keen on branding and rebranding. The best brand is what entices more clients to purchase its products and savour its services. In turn, they make more moolah. As they make more money, they accrue plenty of profits. Therefore, schools may not be companies per se, but Heads of Institutions must think about the strength of their brands. For that is what will attract students, hence augment enrollment. A clever HoI aware of the economies of Scale connected to several students, knows what I am trying to hint at.
So, what is branding? Branding is the art of re-invention. Branding revolves around marketing products, services, organisations, companies, or institutions. Branding is what makes something unique. Branding is how people package products and themselves. Branding is the sure mark of identity. In a heroic book titled The Midas Touch, the co-authors, President Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki, write about how the five human fingers are symbolic in the corporate world. For instance, the thumb stands for strength of character and emotional maturity in business. The index finger is FOCUS — Follow One Course Until Successful. The middle finger is the brand: the things you stand for. The ring finger stands for relationships. Then, the small finger stands for little things that count.
Actually, a strong brand has several properties worth writing about. Foremost, there is the brand promise, which is tangible benefits that make a product or service desirable. Secondly, there is the brand identity, which is the authenticity of a product or service. Thirdly, there is the brand value, which is the worth attached to a product or service. In the process of building brands with brilliance, there are four quality questions that must stick out: Why do we do what we do? Which problems do we want to solve in this wide old world? Who are our potential clients? Who are our possible competitors in the great agora of business?
Additionally, there is brand credibility, which is the trust people attach to a product or service. Consequently, there is the brand proposition, which is the statement that summarises “the what” and “the why” you do it. Furthermore, we have brand packaging, which entails what people see at face value. We also have the brand features, which include: Focus, character and consistency. Penultimately, there is the brand price, which is the cost of the product or service. Then, in the great debate about brand properties, we have brand legacy, somewhat, the aspects that remain immortal—making an institution become iconic. For instance, companies such as Johnson and Johnson that Jim Collins decided to allude to in his heroic book titled Built to Last.
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Therefore, schools conscious of the power of the brand should focus on: Guarding their good name and fame built over time. For in Proverbs 22:1, the wise man says that a good name is better than riches. No wonder, every school must strive to maintain a good name by rising to the acme of their game, and working well with the community, involvement in community service, knowing how to handle meddlesome stakeholders, knowing how to handle detractors and containing students without bad history of spate of strikes and unrests.
As part of the rebranding of secondary schools, there is an emphasis on nonpareil performance in the KCSE in the remaining years (2025-2026). Peerless performance focuses on: academic discipline among students; academic culture, practices, and programmes; positive deviations in KCSE; the number of quality grades in KCSE; meeting recognition targets; and upholding exam integrity.
Moreover, every school should have an attractive physical image, which includes: An elegant gate, an ultra-modern administration block, standard buildings, well-maintained playfields, proper landscaping, a clean, kempt and salubrious compound, proper labelling of places, and a creative speaking compound. In this technological age, there is an urgent need for a strong online presence: updating the school website, YouTube channel, TikTok account, Facebook page, and sensitivity in WhatsApp groups. While building brands with brilliance, schools can have branded items: Stationary (books and pens), furniture, buildings, uniforms, means of transport, utensils, et cetera. Excellent customer service by security guards at the gate, school receptionists, and secretaries also says volumes about the school’s brand.
More importantly, the rebranding within the administration should be well thought out. At the front-door office, every administration block should display the school banner with the School motto, six core values or culture principles, and mission and vision statement. There should be two banners: the School banner and the Form Four banner. The following boards should be displayed: School charter (both in English and Kiswahili), KCSE performance for the last 10 years (2014-2024), board of Principals’ of the school since its provenance. There should be the board of BoM and PA Chairpersons since the school’s inception. There should be a board of KCSE valedictorians: the grades they scored and the universities they matriculated into. Then, it is important to have a board of the school’s overall captains.
Finally, just to conclude where I started. As secondary schools evolve to Senior Schools (C1, C2, C3 and C4), Principals should ensure that they begin rebranding the schools right from the gate. Instead of Nyamninia Secondary School, we will now have Nyamninia Senior School (C4 Senior School). Schools with Career Wheels in the compound will have to upgrade. Haply, they can set up a Career Wheel to guide learners on how to land their dream careers, based on the 3 Career Pathways to be offered in Senior Schools, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports Science.
By Victor Ochieng’
Victor Ochieng is an education (academic and career) consultant in schools. He shares good ideas with Principals on the Rebranding of Schools. vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
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