Schools in Kenya

During my visit in Kenya I have had the opportunity to visit many schools in the villages we have visited. Unfortunately, the school children are on holiday until September so I have not had the opportunity to teach in the classroom. It has been interesting, though, to see many different schools and see the struggles that face schools as they try to educate the children in the community.

The first school I visited was in Maji Moto. The school’s motto is “Don’t exchange girls for cows, give them education.” In many schools, there is a low attendance of girls. Many parents do not find it a priority to send girls to school. The school in Maji Moto was very, very, nice which a rare find in Kenya. The organizer, Helene, has done a fantastic job of developing her school. I was surprised to find that her classrooms were almost as nice as mine. The preschool room, for example, was decorated with posters from our education store in the United States. It had nice toys and an indoor garden. I was very impressed but Jamey was quick to remind me that most schools do not look anything like this.

In Ole Keene, I visited their primary school, which houses preK to grade 3. Next year they will add grade 4. The school started seven years ago with a preschool under a tree. I have had the opportunity to talk extensively with Peter, the teacher that started the school. I am hoping to be able to develop some pen pals between my school and Ole Keene. What an awesome opportunity to expose my students to what school is like in another country. While in Ole Keene, I had the opportunity to attend their closing ceremony on the last day of school. I wasn’t able to understand much of what they said but it was great to see all the kids, parents and teachers together for the celebration. During the ceremony each teacher announced the ranking of each student in the class. This is very different from American schools. Parents of American children want everyone to be recognized equally – everyone gets an award or no one gets and award. They don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings if they are not given an equal award. In Kenya, however, they recognize and distinguish the ranking of each student but there is still a sense of pride in every child that attended school. They do not treat it as a bad thing that they were 5^th, or 15^th, or 20^th in the class. The teachers express happiness in each child that finished the term. I did notice that there were not many girls among the students gathered. I hope that as the school develops that they will be able to get more girls in school.

While in Kisii, we were given a tour of their primary school. The village built a 5-classroom school but have not had the funds to finish it. The walls are there but it needs a roof. For now, they are having class in an iron sheet houses with a dirt floor and a chalkboard. It is hard to imagine students wanting to go to class in an iron sheet building but the kids will be there no matter what.

In Bomet we visited their secondary and primary school. Their schools seemed very advanced compared to the school in Kisii and Ole Keene. The secondary school has just built a library, which is almost finished. They are trying to find the funds to get books for the Library and add computers so that the students can access the Internet. The schools seemed very organized and well run. They also had electricity, which is rare for a school. The community of Bomet is very involved in the education of it children. I think this is a huge strength of this community. When you have an involved community that finds education important, the school will always be stronger. They are invested in their children and in the school so they will make sure that it succeeds. I think that if other communities become more involved in education then their schools will experience more success.

It was difficult to leave these communities and schools behind each time we left for a different village. My heart went out to all the school children and the things they go through to learn. I wanted to stay and help but felt overwhelmed with the needs they presented us. I wish I could do more for them. I have been thinking a lot about what I can do to help once I return to the states. I cannot leave and forget.