Loreto Msongari: An all-women varsity college

By Harold Ayodo

Miss Tropister Njeri attended a mixed secondary school, but preferred a girls only college.

The Information Technology (IT) Third Year student says Loreto College Msongari is a great place to learn.

"I concentrate more on my studies," says Njeri. She went to Aga Khan High School in Nairobi and scored a B in KCSE.

Miss Judy Tek, a Second Year IT student, also attended a mixed secondary school — Eldoret’s Testimony High School.

"Our interaction with lecturers is superb…the facilities are better and we engage in healthy competition," she says.

Loreto College Msongari Principal Samuel Oyuuh says the learning atmosphere at the single-sex college produces the best from the students. "The students do not feel the need to compete for attention and resources so they focus on their studies," he says.

"I have taught girls in mixed and single-sex institutions and they seem to grasp more and are confident when asking and answering questions without men around," says Mr Moses Aluoch, an IT and business studies lecturer.

Njeri and Tek say their parents did not coerce them to enrol at the institution that admits about 100 students annually.

"I feel at home and would encourage other girls to compare their academic performances while in mixed secondary schools," Njeri says.

The principal says studies show that girls challenge and encourage one another, which improves their performance in sciences.

The degree courses are offered in conjunction with Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology, which signed an agreement with the college in 1999. The agreement followed an Act passed by Parliament in 1994 allowing public universities to jointly offer courses with other institutions.

The principal agrees with recent scientific studies that girls perform better in an atmosphere of dignity and professionalism.