1st Lady Expresses Great Admiration To Joytown Students’ Attitude Despite Their challenges.
Speaking when presiding over the secondary school’s Prize
Giving Day, Margaret said that she was amazed about the way they knew how to be
happy in spite of their challenges; how they thought about others and how they practiced
compassion and kindness with one another.
“You have learned to live in gratitude and to live with your
hearts not wasting a single minute of life. Being here, being with you students
inspires me personally. You all, by being the best of you, help me strive to be
the best of me,” she said as she also conveyed greetings to the students from
President Uhuru Kenyatta.
She also appreciated the devotion by their parents in
raising these wonderful and uniquely gifted children who she referred to as a
true blessing to this country. She heaped praise to all the teachers and staff
members for their unshaken commitment to lovingly serving those students and
equipping them to succeed.
“It is wonderful to see everything you have done to make
learning easier for them. I (also) am impressed by the members of the school
Board of Management and Parents Association for efficiently managing the
institution’s both material and human resources for the well-being of the
students.”
The school’s Principal Mrs. Leah M. Kamonye thanked the 1st
Lady, President Uhuru Kenyatta, The Area MP, the government, parents and
well-wishers for the continued support that has seen the institution’s amenities
improve significantly over the last few years. She applauded the government’s
proposed new special exams for disabled students saying that it will go a long
way in exploiting their gifts in various subjects.
However, she said that the school was still faced myriad of challenges
including insecurity due to lack of a perimeter wall. Other challenges included
the lack of enough facilities such as laboratories, dormitories, insufficient
physiotherapy facilities and in the library.
The school was had some shortage
of the teaching staff.
She therefore called on all stakeholders to join hands and
help save the situation.
Speaking on behalf of the Principal Secretary Ministry of Education Dr. Richard Belio Kipsang, Director of Basic Education Mr Habat
Abdi said that his Ministry was very committed to providing quality education
to the specially-gifted learners. He said that they had allocated a sum of Sh.
32,000 per student annually so as to enable them learn in a conducive
environment.
He added that by the year 2018, secondary school education
in the country will be free.
Area MP Alice Ng’ang’a pledged sh. 5million from the 2016-17
CDF budget to go towards improving the school’s infrastructure. She thanked the
1st Lady for being a good role model to the women of Kenya.
Last year’s Joytown 42 KCSE candidates attained a MSS of
3.805 of a Mean Grade D+ with the best student scoring a B-.
The school has 26 members of the teaching staff and 27
non-teaching staff. To date, the school has a population of 197 students, 114
boys against 83 girls who come from all parts of the country.
Joytown was started in 1980 in the pursuit to providing a
conducive environment to pursue secondary education to all the pupils who sat
for KCPE examination at Joytown Primary School. It began by admitting 20
pupils.
During this year’s Easter Holidays, President Kenyatta and
the First Lady made a surprise visit to the school where the Head of State
reiterated an earlier pledge that the school curriculum would be reviewed to
make it friendly for students with disabilities.
A week earlier before the visit, the President had listened
to pleas by Students from the school who participated in the “Seeing is
Believing” initiative of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Awards and the
President’s Award-Kenya during a function on the slopes of Mount Kenya.
After listening to their plea and the difficulties they
faced sitting for national examinations, the President said it was unfair for
disabled students and pupils, some suffering from cerebral palsy to undertake
the same national exams with their counterparts without any disabilities. On
the President’s instructions, the curriculum is now undergoing a review to
address the method and content of national examinations for the disabled among
other concerns.
During the Easter Visit to the School, the President and the
First Lady also promised two, 52-seater buses to the two sections of the
institution. The buses have since been delivered to the schools.
Also present at the occasion was the area MCA Mwangi
Wamwangi among other dignatories.
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