Karega secondary excels, leads day schools in Murang'a

A day secondary school in Kigumo, Murang'a county, has continued to set the pace for similar learning institutions after half of its 2023 KCSE candidates attained university entry points.

Out of 202 KCSE candidates from Karega Secondary School, 100 students acquired the grade of C+ and above, an improvement from the 67 who scored the same grade last year.

In the 2021 exam, 53 out of 180 candidates were eligible to join universities while in 2020, 63 out of 144 scored grade C+ and above. In 2019, 86 students out of 168 scored C+ and above.

The school’s consistent performance over the last few years has seen it grow into one of the best performing day schools in Murang’a county.

On Tuesday, the school organised a thanksgiving service as students, teachers and parents celebrated the good performance.

Principal Muiga Njuguna announced that the school’s board of management will be sponsoring teachers for a tour to Zanzibar, Tanzania, after achieving the target of ensuring more than 100 students attained C+ and above.

Njuguna said the good performance is a direct attribute of the close partnership between the school’s management, teachers, parents and learners.

He said the school has managed to draw parents closer to their children’s education, which has served to better their learning environment.

“We have put in place strict programmes that are tailor-made for our students all the way from Form 1 to get them ready for the national examinations,” Njuguna said.

The institution has attracted a high number of Form 1 admissions, with 497 students choosing to join the school.

This is unlike the norm where many students choose reputable boarding schools as their secondary schools of choice.

The principal said the school will liaise with with Kigumo NG-CDF to have an incomplete administration block completed to accommodate the extra classrooms required for the new Form 1 stream.

Kelvin Mugane who scored an A- at the school said their good performance was a testament that day schools can outperform their boarding counterparts and have more students join universities.

“Our performance has taken a lot of sacrifice on our part, teachers and especially parents. This shows that one can pass regardless of the school they are in if they focus on excelling in their academics,” he said.

Mugane’s hopes to study medicine or law at the University of Nairobi.

Ruth Ngugi, an aspiring teacher, who scored B, said their performance would further motivate the rest of the students to do even better.

Area MP Joseph Muhoro confirmed that his NG-CDF kitty had committed to complete the building at a cost of Sh3.8 million that will also accommodate a computer laboratory.

The school, he said, has become the pride of the constituency after leading among the day schools in the county consistently.

“I want day schools to stop thinking they are inferior to boarding schools and understand they can outperform them," Munyoro said.

“Parents should not to insist on taking their children to schools that will probably not do very well and are far away while overlooking well performing local day schools."

Governor Irungu Kang’ata reiterated his commitment to support learners who excel in national examinations.

He said his administration has started a programme that supports all candidates from day secondary schools who achieve university joining grades with Sh10,000. He also said the top five public primary schools KCPE candidates receive Sh15,000 to enable them join their secondary schools of choice.

The programme, Kang'ata said, is aimed at motivating learners to perform better and providing equity to all parts of the county.

“This in an automatic process which eliminates favouritism. Most day school students are from humble families and it’s important that they know they have the support of the county government”.