A SIMPLE GESTURE THAT MEANT THE WHOLE WORLD TO THE SLUM LEARNERS.

Pupils, teachers and parents of Kianjau Primary School could not hide their joy Friday afternoon when Jungle Foundation came in handy to motivate the school fraternity for their academic and co-curricular excellence.  

Through their representative Mr. Timothy Kimani, Jungle Foundation donated gifts packs to the school was used to reward both the pupils and their teachers who had done well in various fields.

Pupils who had performed well in exams, those who had improved the most, excelled in games, debates as well as in scouting, were presented with gifts raging from thermos flasks, basins, buckets, jugs and cups depending on their grading. The administration also rewarded the pupils who had exhibited the highest degree of discipline, obedience, punctuality and in executing their assigned responsibilities diligently.

Teachers were not left out too. Those whose subjects ranked the best in mean scores were rewarded for their efforts.

This gesture not only motivated those who received the presents, it also challenged those who got none. Through the body language of those present, there was no doubt that it meant a lot to them. 

Otherwise, some of the parents who had attended the fete challenged the organisers to in future reward parents who contributed in one way or the other in the development of the school and in the education of their kids.

The headteacher Mr. Julius Murimi promised to look into the matter. He asked the parents to get more involved in the school and their kids affairs so that they could reap the best from what the school had to offer. He added that though the they came from a financially humble background, the kids were no worse academically and socially than those from the well-to-do backgrounds.

"Your children share the same blood with those from the academies. As members of Kianjau family, if we all work as a team to nature their God-given gifts, these children have all it takes to make it to the top of the world."

"I know we are faced with a myriad of challenges considering that our school lies at the heart of Kiandutu slum but if we pull together, there is no way we can fail to meet our goal," he told the parents who were present.

On their part, the teachers we spoke to were in praise of the day's events saying it was simple gestures like this one that changed the way the children perceived their studies. Recognising the teachers' efforts also motivated them to work harder since they too as humans, felt elated when other people appreciated their work. 

"By awarding these children, the administration has simplified our work as teachers. These children have been encouraged to work harder and participate in various activities in the school. It is long since these kids had someone recognise their efforts and that meant a lot."

"We too as teachers feel the same when someone recognises our efforts," said Mr. Irungu, a teacher whose subjects had excelled in the previous exams. 

Jungle Foundation representative expressed their desire to duplicate this gesture in all schools in the region in order to improve the standard of education in the region. He added that their foundation will continue assisting schools and other public institutions in both infrastructure and technical assistance whenever they were called upon. This he added, was part of their foundation's goal of giving back to the society.