Former Mwaani Girls Secondary School Chief Principal Joan Muchina has termed her transfer to Chuka Girls as a promotion despite her reluctance to leave due to the strong bonds she had forged with the students, teaching, and support staff.
Speaking to Education News, Muchina says that she loved her past station dearly but she had to go even though the girls and staff were inconsolable upon hearing the news towards the end of the second term.
“There were mixed feelings. The girls cried, especially the candidates, and I felt sad. I wanted to stay longer but I was going back home after 5 years and I was also excited,” she says.
Muchina served in Mwaani Girls for 5 years and 7 months having been transferred to the school in 2018.
She proudly notes that the school realized major changes under her leadership including an improved academic performance.
The Principal says that the school has not recorded a single drop in national examination performance since she took over, leaving the mean score at 7.2 from a score of 5.0.
“Due to good performance, the population kept growing from 770 to 1,380 students. It is evident that every parent wants to take their child to a progressive school and Mwaani Girls was always their top choice,” she adds, smiling.
Muchina notes that the school was named the cleanest in the Eastern region by the then Eastern Regional Director of Education Dr. William Sugut, a position it still holds.
“It was an all-around school in drama and music and we reached national levels every year. Drama being my passion, I was happy that when I introduced it to the school they picked it up very fast and excelled in all levels they participated in. I will miss Mwaani drama queens as they used to be called,” she says.
She notes that in her new station at Chuka Girls, the Drama department has been doing well and promised to take it a notch higher; and that the team is already rehearsing items for next year.
The Chief Principal was the Producer of many items performed by the girls in plays and chorals in addition to performing modern dances occasionally.
“We presented poems to the former Minister of Education Fred Matiang’i, Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior, Safaricom CEO, and Second Lady Dorcas Gachagua among many others,” she says.
Muchina says that during her tenure, she oversaw the construction and renovation of infrastructure from classes, modern dorms, and a new gate to a complete overhaul of roofs through the Makueni CDF.
The school also had a good relationship with all relevant stakeholders and leaders and used to receive dignitaries and hosted many county and regional events.
Mwaani Girls Deputy Principal Anne Boore termed the outgoing Principal as an academic performer who never compromised on discipline, a trait that streamlined the girls’ behavior. She also embraced cleanliness, improved infrastructure, and enabled co-curricular excellence.
By Lydia Ngoolo
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