Located in Marakwet West Sub-county within Elgeyo Marakwet County, Moi Kapsowar Girls High School is among the schools which were elevated to national status in 2013.
This was after the school posted stellar results in the national examinations for some years.
The school is situated at a strategic place that offers ample environment for learning activities.
According to the school’s Principal, Hellen Mabese Luhangala, the school has recorded a tremendous improvement in it’s examination results.
The effort has placed the school in the limelight as one of the best schools in Kenya.
“Moi Kapsowar Girls High School was ranked at position 126 in the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) countrywide,” said Luhangala.
The school took position 5 in the county with a mean score of 7.6. It had a mean score of 6.1, 6.8 and 5.01 in 2019, 2018 and 2017 respectively.
A number of things keeps the school afloat and focused on achieving it’s target:
Infrastructure
In a bid to steer a better learning experience in the school, the management has provided adequate classrooms for smooth learning.
However, “We may not be having adequate infrastructure but at least there is enough to allow us go on with studies smoothly,” Luhangala says.
She adds that, “We are sourcing for more funds from the government to expand our infrastructure.”
2021 Aspirations
The school now targets a mean score of 9.1 in this year’s KCSE examinations.
The principal is optimistic that they will achieve the target as they have adequately prepared for the same.
Currently, the school has 265 candidates set to sit for the 2021 KCSE Examinations slated for March 2022.
Co-curricular Activities
The school actively participates in co-curricular activities such as soccer, basketball, handball, hockey, badminton, table tennis and athletics.
Notably, Moi Kapsowar Girls High School is doing well in drama and music festivals.
“In music, we made it to the national level. In the other co-curricular activities, we do go up to regional and county levels,” says Luhangala.
The school has clubs such as Debating, Health and 4K. According to the Principal, the different clubs enables them to nurture the students whole, making them all-round students.
She noted that they celebrated the 2019 environmental day by engaging in a community clean-up activity. This aims at making the school part and parcel of the community.
“This year we opted to celebrate the 2020 Environment Day by organizing a charity race. Conservation of the environment is at the centre of this race,” she confirms.
The school has acres of land set aside for farming activities. So far, the principal says that they have planted about 600 bananas and 300 avocado trees.
“The sole intention of planting the bananas and avocados is to ensure that the sloppy land is utilized well. This will also give the girls an exceptional choice when they take their meals,” Luhangala explains.
The farm activities are done by the students and not farmworkers. The girls create time themselves to do the farm work.
There is a program put in place for the farm activities to ensure that students can coordinate themselves.
“We want to utilize the farm so that it can produce food to be used in the school,” says Luhangala.
Covid-19 Preparedness
After the outbreak of the Corona Virus, the school put measures in place to keep the virus at bay.
For instance, they put in place water points for hand washing and made it mandatory to wear face masks while within the school. Additionally, the school always checks the temperature of students, the staff and visitors at the gate before entering the school compound.
Economic Stimulus Program
Luhangala attributes the Economic Stimulus Program (ESP) to the improvement of infrastructure in the school.
According to the deputy principal in charge of academics, Mr. Robert Kimaiyo, students are highly disciplined.
“We are happy because our students are well-disciplined. This is the key to excellence in academics,” Kimaiyo says.
Charity and Conservation Race
In October 30, 2021, the school together with other stakeholders hosted a race aimed at conserving the environment coupled with sourcing for funds to aid bright but needy students in the school. The event saw different leaders join hands both in helping the school raise the funds as well as enabling the students tap from their wisdom and experience.
Speaking during the event, the school principal said they initiated it to get money and pay fees for the needy students.
Marakwet West Sub-county director of education, Mr. Julius Ngonde lauded the school for the initiative, citing that sports play an integral part in the lives of Kenyans.
According to the Women Representative for Elgeyo Marakwet, Jane Chebaibai, girls should remain vigilant to avoid being taken advantage of by those who might prey on them and cut their studies short.
“I want to urge you to work smart so that we can get women who will conquer the world and be great leaders,” said Chebaibai.
Marakwet West MP, William Kisang is hopeful that the school will be able to post better results.
“I want to say that we shall continue partnering with the institution and other stakeholders for the success of this initiative,” Kisang assured them.
He promised to lobby and ensure funds are set aside for environment in the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG CDF) to fund the initiative that is aimed at improving the lives of the girl child.
Elgeyo Marakwet Deputy Governor, Mr. Wisley Rotich asked the students to embrace teamwork in their studies as parents sacrifice a lot to pay their fees.
“Patience is a key aspect of life and I would like to ask the learners to put more effort into their studies. Teamwork is of great essence,” Rotich noted. He added that education is an equalizer and respect is binding.
Kipchumba Murkomen who is the Elgeyo Marakwet Senator and who was the chief guest at the event lauded the school’s initiative.
“It is important that as an institution, Moi High School Girls Kapsowar has positioned itself as the pioneer of a very noble objective of conserving the environment. At the same time, this charitable activity will support many needy students,” said Murkomen.
He also noted that the initiative will remain historical and be part of memoirs that will be written in future.
He added that the humble beginning the management has initiated will bear fruits as it has greater impacts on the lives of the students and the society at large.
Murkomen noted that the race will grow to a marathon in the fullness of time.
“A complete school is not a school that solely allows students to delve into the academics but which paves way for the extracurricular activities so that an all-rounded student can be nurtured,” said Murkomen.
He also added that the nurturing of talents is a great asset to the community.
He said, “Same as sports, education requires a lot of discipline and focus that the goals and objectives of learning can be fully achieved.”
Murkomen further urged the students to set their academic targets and work to achieve them.
During the race, the winners received cheques and cash prizes.
A Look at the 4K Club at Moi Kapsowar Girls High School
The major aim of the 4K club is ensuring that both the school and the surrounding areas have enough food.
Through active participation, the girls learn how to grow crops, equipping their minds with hands-on skills applicable in the future.
Apart from focusing on agriculture, the 4K program also covers environmental conservation, mathematics, nutrition and healthy living, engineering and the use of modern technology.
The reasoning behind the 4K Club
It’s based on a holistic approach for a positive student development at school, home and in the society by tapping on the energy of the young girls and shaping them to become ambassadors of development in the community.
It’s paramount to engage our young generation in agricultural activities if as a country we have the agenda of food security at heart. This would expose them early enough to investment ideas, train them as professionals, trainers and mentors and elevate them to reliable leaders.
The program has come in handy with many advantages both to the young minds and the community at large:
It instills a sense of responsibility to students who understand their responsibility, giving them handsome benefits.
Exposing the students to out-of-class practical experiences builds their discipline and character while giving them a break from normal classwork.
Earning hands-on skills both at school and at home contributes towards poverty eradication.
Planting trees and environmental conservation at large helps prevent soil erosion, allowing for water conservation and contributing to the supply of clean air for breathing.
Student recognition boosts their self-esteem and provides grounds of appreciating those who may not be excelling in academics but are good in other environment based activities. The appreciation may steer them towards self-belief and make them excel in academics.
The club has positioned Moi Kapsowar Girls at a better position in the eyes of the public through trends on mainstream and social media platforms.
This shows how the efforts of the young girls have been bearing fruits, making Moi Kapsowar Girls a better place for learning and development.
Additional reporting by Benevictor Makau
MORE PHOTOS
