In Kenya, students in Grade 8 and in the last year of high school, sit for national exams at the end of the year. For primary schoolers, it is a course of five exams over three days that brings their primary level education to an end. For high schoolers, the exams take over a month with both theory and practicals in some subjects. Students spend the whole year, and basically their whole student careers, preparing for these all-important final exams. Their scores dictate the quality of their future education.
COVID-19 pandemic has led to huge disruption of education as most governments ordered the immediate closure of schools. Students were sent home indefinitely! These closures have impacted so many students especially those disadvantaged and from vulnerable communities since their learning is paralyzed due to lack of education resources at home. The lucky few in Kenya have access to online studies as some follow educational websites and television programs to help them study from home.
Our heart goes out especially to Elimu sponsored students who are preparing for their national exams this year. These students found a home in Elimu Resource Centre where they can walk in whenever they were not at school for their personal studies (at no cost), and be able to access the educational resources that they are in dire need of but lack back at home and even at school. At home, these kids do not have their own room or desk for their studies. Most of them live in mud walled homes or single-room cement ‘bedsitters’, which are also dingy and dark inside so they are forced to read outside, using any table available to them. Some work on the floor if its cemented. Right now, they are all missing the bright conducive learning environment of Elimu Resource Centre – where they would normally be when schools are closed!
“Education is the key.“
As we worry about the future for this year’s ‘candidates’, as they are called here in Kenya, we thank God as we remember last years’ who did us proud – both in primary and high school. Kelvin, Victor and Harrison graduated Grade 8 in December and were all able to join good secondary schools. They are currently in Grade 9 (called Form One in Kenya), and are among the students in Malindi missing Elimu Resource Centre so much! Joseph, Njoroge and Purity, equally performed well at the high school level, with good grades that allow them to apply for higher education through government programs that offer bursaries and loans.
Our passion for this work is always driven by the success of our students, and watching some of them stranded in their studies really breaks our hearts. That is why we are working on a COVID-19 response that will enable us to offer free offline eLearning to students at home. We need support to make this happen and are actively seeking for partners. If we can achieve this goal, we shall be of great help to many students who are currently disadvantaged by helping them to access education resources in their communities right from our Elimu Resource Centre.