Little-known village schools make history with first-ever A- scores

St. Mary's Buyofu Secondary School. [Standard, File] Felix Wanzala, 19, is a happy child after defying the odds to attain an A- from St. Mary's Buyofu Secondary School. Speaking to The Standard, he said he used to walk 10 kilometres daily to get an education. "We are 12, and I am the fifth-born son. I am the only one who has scored an A- of 80 points at our home. I got 349 marks in Class 8, but I couldn't join Nakuru Boys High School due to fee challenges. That's how I ended up at Buyofu Secondary," he said. Wanzala said his father, Fredrick Wanzala Aringo, who does casual jobs, had no money to take him to school, forcing him to work hard to make him proud. The 19-year-old now wants to pursue a medical course at the University of Nairobi. "I know I will make it to the University of Nairobi, but I am calling on well-wishers to help me achieve my dream and change my family's situation," he said. Although Wanzala says he wanted an A plain, he still has hopes of improving in the future. "Everybody around me was very supportive, including my teachers. I feel good breaking the monotony because I am the first one to give my local school an A-," he said. School principal Catherine Odhiambo Were said her hands-on approach had contributed to the school's performance. The school has 416 students. "I am happy that my students have made me proud because I had 137 candidates, and ten are going to university. It's the first time the school is taking more students to university compared to last year when we only took two," she said. Odhiambo said the students had faced lunch and transportation challenges. "Some come from far away, and during the rainy season, they don't come to school. Disco Matanga has also affected my school, but I thank God I've managed the situation by guiding and counselling them," she said. St. Angorom Girls' School is also celebrating a historic achievement after a student scored an A-, the highest grade ever recorded at the school despite the area's high cases of teenage pregnancies. For the first time in the history of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), a female candidate from the county scored an A-. The straight A- (75 points) came from Shirleen Chemtai. School principal Grander Oprong said the school had faced challenges like teenage pregnancies, but despite this, they had managed to produce an A-. "This school is in a rural area, and it has had high cases of school dropout. I thank God for everything because, for the short time I've been here at St. Angorom, I've produced the best girl," she said. She added that students had been demoralised earlier because they were initially referred to as academic underdogs. St. Monica Charcoal Girls' School has shown improvement in its performance, with Principal Jackline Judith Itubo expressing confidence that the school is on the path to regaining its former glory. "We are happy about it. It's an extra-county school, and we are determined to make it the best. We are among the top schools this year as Charcoal," Principal Itubo said. Compared to last year, the principal said they had managed to take 163 girls to university. "Last year, we took only 85 students, and we thank God for the results. It's a big achievement because we are at a C+ level," she said. "Academically, we are improving in Teso. We pray that God takes us to a mean of 7 from our current 6.5," she added. She also mentioned that 90% of the students come from Busia, particularly the Teso region. Principal Itubo explained that the school had already started transforming, and while Butula is considered a leading school in the area, St. Monica Charcoal Girls is aiming to surpass it. "We have started to transform this school. Butula is the giant, but we shall beat it," she added. "This initiative has helped reduce the number of teen pregnancies, with the school reporting minimal cases in 2024," Principal Itubo said. "We had minimal cases of teen pregnancies last year, and we pray that this year we don't have any." Another school, St. Marks ACK Machakusi, has celebrated a remarkable achievement. The school registered its first-ever cohort of twenty students who have secured places to join universities. Headteacher Bennard Okema expressed his joy and pride, highlighting the efforts of everyone involved in making this achievement possible.

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