The Mukuru Junior Secondary School Project
Preamble
The year 2022 marked an important moment for Mukuru school. The combined effort of teachers and students gained the attention of the Ministry of Education for their unexpectedly high academic results. Enoch, the Head Master, told us that most of our children had excelled in achieving the qualifying results in their primary school exams to be able to join the best national secondary schools. However, those schools are prohibitively far away, typically hundreds of miles from Nairobi. At that point Enoch had the vision to build a secondary school in Mukuru.
"Academically we've reinvented ourself as an academic powerhouse. It's only that we lack space and modern facilities to deliver for our children." Enock
"Academically we've reinvented ourself as an academic powerhouse. It's only that we lack space and modern facilities to deliver for our children." Enock
Our current project
Shirikiana has raised the funds over the last two years to enable the construction of a new one-storey SECONDARY SCHOOL building. We broke ground at the school site in Mukuru in 2023. The building comprises a library, a science laboratory, a computer room, a small administration office and three new classrooms. This is being done in three phases and is nearing completion.
Timeline
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In February 2023 a property comprising four rooms adjacent to the current primary school was purchased.
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In April 2023 the sewage system was repaired; the pit latrines were drained as they were full and represented a health hazard.
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Replacement of a leaking classroom roof.
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In June 2023 we purchased drainage and plumbing materials and the waste was removed from the pit latrines.
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Renovation of classroom floor.
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In November 2023 The foundations for the new secondary school building were laid.
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In December 2023 the construction of the secondary school building is in full flow.
Delivery of materials: gravel, cement, timber, stone, breeze blocks, metal wire, etc arrives to the main road and then needs to be carried by hand or wheelbarrow through a narrow alleyway to the point of construction. |
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‘Junior Secondary Schools’ is a new government initiative that is being introduced in all suitable primary schools within the Competence Based System of Education (CBC) currently being rolled out in Kenya.
With the Mukuru Academy gaining a reputation for achieving excellent academic results, many students travel into Mukuru from outlying areas in order to benefit from the high standard of education that it can offer. In this way, the academy is able to help them to achieve the goals and objectives necessary to qualify for further education in an existing state run secondary school.
However, because of prohibitive travel and financial constraints, many pupils are not able to access secondary education in other localities. This means that they become unable to continue with their education with all the serious social vulnerabilities that this can entail.
The proposed project will enable the Mukuru Academy to meet all the necessary government requirements to apply for Junior Secondary School Status and thus make it possible for all the children within the community to have access to a comprehensive education path - and all the opportunities that this path can offer.
The project will comprise of a new one-storey building that will house a library, a science laboratory, a computer room and a small administration office, together with the accommodation of the three new classes of secondary pupils.
The permanent one-storey structure will also guarantee the safety and security of the equipment needed for the science and computer classrooms, as well as for all the new textbooks and other teaching materials required by the secondary level curriculum.
The Academy currently has a class of 45 grade 6 pupils who - if the project is successful - will proceed to the new Junior Secondary forms 7, 8 and 9 after sitting for their national KEPSEA exams (Kenya Primary School Examination Assessment).
However, the true number is expected to be far higher. This is due to the fact that many pupils from the previous academic year (2022), who have already excelled in their national exams, having been unable to continue to secondary schools in other locations, are keen to return to the Mukuru Outreach Academy to continue their studies.
This has been confirmed by both the pupils and their parents.
The project will be a dream come true for both the school and the community and will be a significant step forward for the school’s vision of providing both high quality affordable education for the children, and much needed hope for the population of Mukuru.
Not least, the Junior Secondary School Project will represent the celebration of 15 years of commitment, faith and dedicated hard work on the part of everyone involved in Mukuru Outreach Kenya.
With the Mukuru Academy gaining a reputation for achieving excellent academic results, many students travel into Mukuru from outlying areas in order to benefit from the high standard of education that it can offer. In this way, the academy is able to help them to achieve the goals and objectives necessary to qualify for further education in an existing state run secondary school.
However, because of prohibitive travel and financial constraints, many pupils are not able to access secondary education in other localities. This means that they become unable to continue with their education with all the serious social vulnerabilities that this can entail.
The proposed project will enable the Mukuru Academy to meet all the necessary government requirements to apply for Junior Secondary School Status and thus make it possible for all the children within the community to have access to a comprehensive education path - and all the opportunities that this path can offer.
The project will comprise of a new one-storey building that will house a library, a science laboratory, a computer room and a small administration office, together with the accommodation of the three new classes of secondary pupils.
The permanent one-storey structure will also guarantee the safety and security of the equipment needed for the science and computer classrooms, as well as for all the new textbooks and other teaching materials required by the secondary level curriculum.
The Academy currently has a class of 45 grade 6 pupils who - if the project is successful - will proceed to the new Junior Secondary forms 7, 8 and 9 after sitting for their national KEPSEA exams (Kenya Primary School Examination Assessment).
However, the true number is expected to be far higher. This is due to the fact that many pupils from the previous academic year (2022), who have already excelled in their national exams, having been unable to continue to secondary schools in other locations, are keen to return to the Mukuru Outreach Academy to continue their studies.
This has been confirmed by both the pupils and their parents.
The project will be a dream come true for both the school and the community and will be a significant step forward for the school’s vision of providing both high quality affordable education for the children, and much needed hope for the population of Mukuru.
Not least, the Junior Secondary School Project will represent the celebration of 15 years of commitment, faith and dedicated hard work on the part of everyone involved in Mukuru Outreach Kenya.
Projected Costs & Deadline - Junior Secondary School
Total budget (a complete cost breakdown is available, please contact us) £12,600 or 2,277,030 Ksh
Application deadline for Secondary School Status 30th September 2023
Application deadline for Secondary School Status 30th September 2023
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The Shirikiana Vision
Shirikiana is a UK based non-profit organization dedicated to bringing educational opportunity and outreach to communities in the developing world that lack access or resources to schools, higher education qualifications and knowledge opportunities. |
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