Karega secondary sets pace for other day schools in Murang'a

@Alicewangechi

A subcounty day secondary school from Kigumo, Murang’a county, is setting the pace for others after excelling in academic performance for more than a decade.

Karega Secondary School, which is located along Kaharati-Kigumo road, has been taking scores of students to university each year.

In last year’s KCSE, 53 out of the 180 students attained grade C+ and above and managed to join various universities.

The 53 students, most of whom have already joined university, are set to benefit from the county government’s programme that awards university enrollees Sh10,000.

In 2020, 63 students out of 144 scored grade C and above, while in 2019, the school attained a mean score of 6.673 after 86 students out of 168 candidates scored C+ and above.

School principal Stephen Mburu said this year the institution targets having more than 100 students out of the 170 candidates go to university.

Mburu said the good performance of the school has been occasioned by the cooperation between the students, parents and the school’s management.

The school has also been excelling in sports and its girls netball team came second this year in the Central region.

“We have been performing better than many county schools and as such, we were awarded with a school bus from Kigumo NG-CDF to help with our extracurricular activities. We want to ensure we produce well-rounded students who excel in all areas of their lives,” he said.

John Kihanya, the chairperson of the school’s Board of Management, said the school’s turnaround happened in 2012 when former principal Kagema Kibui was transferred to the school.

Since then, Kihanya said, the school has not gone below position five in the county.

The school’s best year, he said, was 2019 when it trumped the academic giant Njiiris Boys High School in physics.

Kagema, the chairperson said, was transferred to another school this year but left Karega Secondary School on such high ground that he had laid structures that are used by the institutions.

The board, he explained, constitutes professionals such as engineers and architects who motivate students and teachers.

“Teachers teaching a particular subject compete for a motivation fee issued to the best performing one which encourages competition. Parents also give appropriate support,” he said.

Subcounty director of education James Ongati said Karega, Muthithi and Ndugamano secondary schools are subcounty schools that have been posting good performances despite being day schools.

The funds given to students admitted to universities, he said, will serve to further motivate students to work harder.

He, however, noted that many parents face economic constraints which force many students who pass the KCSE exam not to join universities or tertiary institutions.

“I ask parents to enrol their children in vocational training institutes and polytechnics to further their studies,” he said.

Governor Irungu Kang’ata visited the school on Tuesday to motivate students and teachers. He said it is the best example that day schools can perform well in national examinations.

“It competes with some of the best schools in the country and we are proud of it. It shows that a student does not have to join a boarding school to excel as long as there is good co-operation between the teachers, students and the school,” he said.

He urged other local schools to benchmark with the institution to boost their performance, adding that nothing stops them from posting similar results.

Sharon Wanjiru, one of last year’s KCSE candidates said she has joined Murang'a University of Technology where she is studying Bachelor of Education Science.

Wanjiru praised the governor for the Sh10,000 she received, saying it will go a long way in making her life in school easier.

“I want to encourage students unable to join boarding schools not to give up because they can still pass in day schools as long as they have the right mindset,” she said.

Alex Nduati, another former said he is now at the Technical University of Kenya studying Bachelor of Technology, Technical and Applied Physics.

He urged boys to work harder in their studies and shun drugs that cause many to lose focus.

Edited by A.N