Nyaikuro mixed school where boys and girls do not ‘mix’

Nyamira, Kenya: Nyaikuro Mixed Secondary is a little-known school that is slowly emerging as one of the region's education powerhouses.

It has adopted a strategy that is being hailed by players in the sector in a region where there has been a push to only have same sex schools.

Despite the fact that it admits both boys and girls, the two are taught in separate classrooms which makes the school function like two schools in one.

Speaking to The Standard, Principal Eric Wara said the management decided to keep enrolling both boys and girls and then handle each group separately.

"Doing this has boosted performance because there is a sense of competition which starts right away among the boys and girls," he said.

UNIQUE STRATEGY

This unique strategy is surely working because the four streamed school with a population of 570 students has, in the past three years, managed to steadily raise its mean score despite the myriad of challenges it faces.

Its 2014 KCSE results were well received by parents and teachers alike with a 7.8 average score comprising of 7 A-, 9 B+, 36 B, 63 C+, 14 C and 3 C-.

According to the principal, 92 per cent of these candidates bettered their grades.

Mr Mara, who joined the school from Maranda Boys' High School where he was the Deputy Principal, said he does not believe in setting targets for the students.

"These are human beings, not machines. In this school, we strive to improve students' performance to enable as many of them attain the minimum university entry grade," he said.

Wara said they use a concept called Adding Value Progress (ADP) to improve a student's performance.

This entails looking at what a student scored in KCPE then ensuring he or she gets an equivalent or better grade at the end of their four year secondary study.

"If I set a target, I will be in trouble if I do not attain it because I will not have an explanation.

However, using ADP helps us determine that a student admitted here with 320 marks in KCPE is already a B product. Therefore, a good secondary school must help the student get that grade or better after four years," he said.

 

The principal is himself an English teacher and he says he hardly misses his lesson which sets an example to the rest of the teaching staff.

"Our good results are pegged on proper time management, discipline, committed staff, students and parents," he said.

The school's achievements have also been praised by Board of Management Chair Micah Onyiego who said it has taken hard work, dedication and persistence among stakeholders to improve results.

"Our principal has really struggled with the meagre resources available. The school has teachers and board members from various parts of the country and this promotes cohesiveness," he said.

Mr Onyiego said the school now has a borehole, which also serves the immediate community and a backup generator which has made it possible to provide hot showers for students.

NO FAITH

The principal said his greatest concern is that residents do not have faith in their local schools and instead opt to take their children to far-off institutions.

"Locals need to have faith in their schools so that we make them centres of excellence," he said.

Wara says looking at the new admission criteria for students to secondary schools, counties like Nyamira have no option but to improve their institutions in order to absorb top performers from local primary schools.

According to Onyiego, the school is still contending with dilapidated infrastructure, understaffing by Government which stretches resources and forces the board to hire and pay teachers from fees collected.

"This school was started in 1974 and most buildings are old. We got Sh1 million from the Government for renovation and we still need more," he said.