By Emmanuel Gwakoi
Hidden in the heartland of Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, Nyamagesa DEB Secondary School has defied odds to improve gradually in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination ( KCSE).
The little known school had suffered mass exodus of students after it recorded poor results in KCSE, forcing learners to move to neighbouring schools.
When Alice Olando took over in 2018 as Principal, the school had a mean standard score of 2.3. It has since improved to reach 6.1 in last year’s national examination and is among the top five improved Institutions in the sub-county.
“I presented 32 candidates. The best candidate, William Nyagaka scored B plain, six had B- as four got C+. 10 had C plain and four got D+. We thank God for the achievement,” Olando told Education News at her office.
There were 35 students only when Olando arrived and most were on their way out after the government announced it would close it for failing to meet the required threshold of more than 100 students and relocate the remaining to other schools.
Olando said clans in the area were fighting over headship, which prompted the school’s Board of Management (BoM) to change tact. It put measures in place to attract more students and the enrollment has since increased to about 400.
Then came de-localization that neutralized the rampant clan politics, leading to improved education standards and better performance in national examinations.
“I teach history and my subject has been leading. It motivates my teaching staff. Teachers have embraced remedial teaching and I supervise lessons to ensure that teachers cover the syllabus in time,” Olando explains.
She adds that some students used drugs and illicit brews while girls dropped out of school due to unwanted early pregnancies.
“We lack teachers and classrooms to accommodate the increasing enrolment due to the government’s policy of 100 percent transition from primary to secondary schools,” Oalndo stressed.
The Board chairman Shem Ayako said it was an uphill task to fight clan politics, which almost tore the school apart.
“The support from the community, unity among teachers, discipline and hard work by students has led to improved education standard in the school,” he added.
Agreeing with the principal on the role delocalization played in restoring order, Ayako applauded the government for implementing the policy.
The best student, 19, was admitted to Mobamba High School but could not join it due to lack of funds.
