Two Kenyan schools listed for Sh35m global competition

Biometric technology Ltd Chief Executive Officer Anthony Maina Mithanga presents a trophy to Birithia Girls School's Martha Jerotich who emerged the best student innovator during the school's 1st annual entrepreneurship day and prize giving day. [File, Standard]

Two Kenyan schools have been shortlisted for the Sh35 million World's Best School Prizes.

Silibwet Secondary School, a government school in Nyahururu town, Nyandarua County and Freedom School, a private school in Nakuru County are among the top 10 institutions.

The Sh35 million will be equally shared among winners of the five prizes, with each receiving about Sh7 million.

All short-listed schools will be invited to showcase their innovative approaches and how others can replicate their methods to help improve education in the world.

Silibwet was named in the World's Best School Prize in Environmental Action, for being a game-changer in the fight against deforestation, soil erosion and effects of global warming.

Freedom School was named under the Overcoming Adversity category, for instilling a deep sense of pride, critical thinking, innovation, self-efficacy and entrepreneurship among its students.

By planting over 15,300 trees, Silibwet's Evergreen Environmental Movement club has contributed to ecological resilience, despite limited resources such as transport, seedlings, maintenance, funding and water.

With a target of 100,000 trees annually, the project aims to reduce at least 2,000 tonnes of carbon annually.

The Freedom School, originally a scholarship programme for disadvantaged children, has since built a movement that is impacting the community by recognising limitations of the traditional Eurocentric education model.

While the school follows the Kenyan national curriculum, students learn programming from an early age, complimented by public speaking, as well as critical thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship.

T4 Education and the World's Best School Prizes founder Vikas Pota, said: "The short-listed schools have one thing in common. A strong school culture. Their leaders know how to attract and motivate exceptional educators, inspire change, and build excellent teaching and learning environments.''

He added: ''I congratulate Silibwet Secondary School and Freedom School on being named in the top 10 for the World's Best School Prizes 2023. Schools across the globe will learn from the story of these trailblazing Kenyan institutions and the culture they have cultivated."

The five World's Best School Prizes, founded in 2022 by T4 Education in collaboration with Accenture, American Express, Yayasan Hasanah, and the Lemann Foundation, are the world's most prestigious education prizes.

The competition has several categories including community collaboration, environmental action, innovation, overcoming adversity and supporting healthy lives.