Education stakeholders have lauded the County Government of Mombasa for well-thought-out interventions in the education sector that have bolstered performance in KCSE.
Governor Abdulswamad Nassir’s administration initiated a raft of measures geared towards enhancing candidates’ performance in national examinations.
Nassir pioneered a mentorship programme during school holidays aimed at keeping students away from indecorous behaviour, distributing revision materials, and feeding during examinations.
In the mentorship programme, Form Four students receive a daily stipend of Sh150 for transport and lunch while Sh250 is saved to pay for their school fees when school reopens.
All students in the 137-day secondary schools are receiving a Sh5,000 bursary per year paid by the County Government.
The move is intended to ensure the retention of students in schools, ensure fairness in the issuance of bursaries, which was marred with allegations of favouritism, and relieve parents from back and forth in pursuit of bursaries.
County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education Dr. Mbwarali Kame was delighted about the 2024 KCSE performance in comparison with the 2023 results.
“Our 2024 results were encouraging, and the students have started to perform well,” said Kame at Allidina Visram Secondary School.
Allidina is gradually reclaiming its lost glory as an academic powerhouse; it used to compete with other academic giants in the country.
The CECM explained that the school’s performance had started to decline, but through the leadership of Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, it is now on the right trajectory.
The school’s Principal, Dishon Indimuli, lauded the interventions from the County Government of Mombasa for boosting the school’s performance.
The number of students going to university has increased from 27 in 2023 to 48 in 2024.
“We were prepared for the exams all around, starting with nutrition, mentorship, and finally revision materials, over and above funding. As a result of that, the school performance has gone up,” stated the principal.
“The last time this school had an A (minus) was in 2015; this has been achieved again this year,” he added.
Private schools were not left out in the devolved government strategies for enhancing performance.
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Secondary School Principal Sheikh Rishard Rajab said they recorded a mean score of 9.93 and a 97 per cent transition to University.
He cited the support they received from the Governor as one of the contributing factors to the outstanding performance.
“We have regained our position as the giant of education in the Coast region; we are number one and have 38 positions nationally. That is not a small achievement; we really thanked God for that. We thank all our stakeholders, teachers, and students for their hard work,” stated Rajab.
The school now aims for a spot among the ten best schools nationally in the 2025 KCSE.
Muhsin Safari, a Sheikh Khalifa student who got an A (minus) and wants to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, said the revision materials assisted them in preparing for KCSE. Although it was not a walk in the park, they burnt the midnight oil to achieve remarkable results.
“Hard work pays; struggle, and you will see the results,” he advised secondary school students.
Dr. Jamal Ali, CEO of the Mombasa County Elimu Scheme, noted that they have invested heavily in education in line with Governor Nassir’s manifesto.
The programmes, he said, have encouraged the students to perform in their national examinations. Education, he expounded, is not a one-sided coin; thus, other stakeholders have to join hands with the Department of Education for students to excel.
By Sadik Hassan
