Jagiet Academy giving hope to children in Kawangware

It has been a fulfilling moment for Jagiet Academy in Nairobi, which is giving hope to children who had lost hope of getting education.

Jagiet Headteacher, John Githinji is nothing but ecstatic to see children, who otherwise could not have made it to school in low income areas of Dagoretti in Nairobi, leave after Class 8 with their heads high and full of expectations for an even brighter future.

As children leave the school after sitting for their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam, Githinji is happy that he did his part, to lead a team of teachers to take them through learning.

“Jagiet Academy was founded in 1994 and the first Standard 8 students sat for their exams in 2002.

We have been supporting children from poor background within our area of Dagoretti Sub County,” he says.

But it has not been an easy ride for them because educating the children requires a lot of financial support.

Much as they do not receive funding from Government to support their course, Githinji sees to it that they have the basic necessities for his learners, even with support of well wishers

They beat the odds to give learner their best and managed to produce at least eight students with over 390 marks out of the possible 500 marks in KCPE and are assured to go to good schools.

“Over the years, so many people have declared interest to join our school but we cannot have them all at once owing to funding issues. We now have a population of about 1,200 learners,” says Githinji.

With Form One selection exercise expected in about two weeks time, Githinji is optimistic that his learners will secure a place in different secondary schools, to continue with their education.

Already, the Government has rolled out a scholarship programme to assist deserving students from low income areas, including those from urban informal settlements, join Form One.