Several public and private schools in Mombasa County made it to the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) top performers. This is attributed to the collaboration among stakeholders which include teachers, parents and local leaders.
Sheikh Khalifa Tops the Region
Leading the way was Sheikh Khalifa Secondary School which scored 9.13 and regained its position as the top school in the Coast region and 38th nationally.
Speaking on the school’s performance Principal Rishard Rajab Ramadhan was optimistic despite missing their target by a whisker. “We have gone back to being top in Coast and 38 nationally. Our target is to move to top 10 nationally,” he said.
Allidina Visram Hits a Milestone
Another school that made a big impact was Allidina Visram, a sub-county school which scored its best results in almost a decade. For the first time since 2015 the school got an A- and five B+, nine B, 15 B- and 18 C+.
Principal Dishon Indimuli attributed this to hard work and mentorship programs supported by the County Government of Mombasa. “We have come a long way and this is big improvement. The number of students who will qualify directly to university has increased from 27 last year to 48 this year,” Indimuli said.
He added that the school’s downgrade from provincial to sub-county had affected their ability to admit top students.
“Initially we used to admit students with KCPE marks of 350 and above but now we admit students with any marks, some as low as 99 marks,” he said. Despite the challenges the school has made progress.
Scholarships are driving success in Jomvu
Local leaders have played a big role in improving education in the region. Jomvu MP Baddy Twalib while celebrating the good performance in several schools said it’s due to the scholarship programs under Jomvu NG-CDF.
Among the scholarship beneficiaries was Hellen Ndanu, a total orphan who scored 375 in KCPE at St. Elizabeth Academy and later got an A- at Matuga Girls.
Another beneficiary was Zackary Wesonga from Bangladesh informal settlements who scored A- after getting a full scholarship to join Maranda High School.
Twalib listed some of the notable improvements in several schools:
- Miritini Complex: From zero university qualifiers in 2023 to one in 2024.
- Kajembe Secondary: Top student improved from C+ to B-, university qualifiers increased to 12.
- Jomvu Girls: From C plain to C+.
“We have supported many students throughout their education and we will continue to do so. It’s like future insurance, these students will be the future engineers, doctors and professionals of our community,” Twalib said.
Poor Performance and Rogue Students
Despite the good results, there are concerns about rogue students who are bringing down the overall performance. “Some students don’t want to work. They register for exams and disappear until exam day,” Twalib said. He suggested setting up private centers to separate non-performing students from those who want to learn, to stop the bleeding of academic gains.
Qubaa Muslim School: A Story of Continuity
Qubaa Muslim School which came fifth in the Coast region with a mean score of 8.51 also showed consistency. The school’s Director Zafer Elen attributed their success to a peaceful learning environment. “In the last five years we have been number one in Mvita Sub-county and number three in Mombasa. This is because of the collective effort of teachers, students and parents,” Elen said.