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Beatrice Muthoni from Nyeri County smiled twice last Thursday after her last Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam paper.
Not only had she achieved her dream of completing her primary school education, but she could also finally spend more time with her three-month-old daughter, Shaleen.
Mother and daughter had been attending school at Mutaathi-ini Primary School in Nyeri for a whole term, with teachers taking turns to babysit little Shaleen in the staffroom as Beatrice attended class.
“Of course we have made special arrangements and relaxed some rules to accommodate this extra-ordinary situation. Some of the exemptions we made included letting her arrive late at 8am and leave early at 4.30 pm. Her classmates and friends were also not allowed to come to the staffroom to see or play with the baby,” said school principal, John Wakaba.
Teachers also had to counsel her schoolmates not to mock or make fun of Beatrice. “Being from the same neighborhood, and seeing the teachers were involved, this was not hard to achieve...she has also maintained a good performance trajectory, which confirms to us she is at peace in this environment” said Beth Rukwaro, one of the teachers, adding that Beatrice’s mum is a single mother of five, the youngest being nine months.
Beatrice is the first born. “We tried to persuade her to take care of Shaleen as Beatrice attended school, but it proved difficult. At one point, she tried to physically remove Beatrice from school, insisting she must go home to babysit. The only other close relative at home is the elderly grandfather of Beatrice. The school and community then decided to do the best we could to help,” she said.
The school’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre kitchen provided meals during school hours. “Teachers who did not have lessons at any time took turns to watch over little Shaleen. Fortunately, she was asleep most of the time, as long as she was well fed and warm. We are confident Beatrice will do well in the exams,” said Rukwaro.
Former Naivasha MP, Jane Kihara, who hails from the Mutaathi-ini village, has pledged to support Beatrice’s high school education.
“She has a positive outlook and is determined. Anyone can tell she is happy to be in school and is very disciplined,” she said.
“I look forward to passing my examinations and proceeding to high school. I would like to be a doctor,” she said.
