Thika High School Celebrates Best Ever National Exams Results!

Thika High School Saturday held a massive Thanks Giving cum Prize Giving celebrations after its 2015 candidates accomplished the School’s best ever National (KCSE) results in its 59-year history. Their results reflected an even stronger performance than the previous year, with some outstanding performances from individual students.

Speaking during the fete, the Principal Mr. J.N. Muraya said that the staff and the entire Thika High School fraternity was very thrilled that their 2015 candidates had been able to achieve such impressive academic results alongside all of their other accomplishments which empowered them to leave the institution better equipped for the life ahead.

“Our results last year were superb and built on the on-going academic success we have enjoyed in recent years. I am very proud of the students, staff, Board of Governance and the parents. Their achievements are testament to the hard work of all our students and the inspiring teaching and dedication of our staff,” said Mr. Muraya.

“We had more students than ever passing with good grades enabling them to go to universities of their choice and into excellent colleges. I am very proud of their successes, congratulate them for all their hard work and wish them well in their future careers,” he added.

Last year, the school scored a mean grade of B Plain of a mean score of 9.137, an improvement of 0.649 from 2014’s 8.488.

172 candidates out of the 183 who sat for KCSE met the minimum university entry point requirement of a C+, representing a 93.3% transition from secondary to university. Out of these candidates, 132 of them had a mean aggregate of a B- of 60 points and above.

9 of the remaining candidates scored a C Plain, 2 of them had a C- while last candidate scored a D+.

The school has been registering a steady rise in its performance in national exams for the last 10 years. It has also been registering positive results in the co-curricular activities.

Started in 1957 and sitting on a 42.2 Acres of land, Thika High School currently has a student population of 850, 40 teaching staff and 38 non-teaching staff.

It has not been smooth sailing for the school for it has to bear with several challenges that, according to their principal, need to be addressed soon so as to improve the learning environment of the students.

The majority of their classes were quite small and congested, having been erected in the colonial era. This, according to Muraya, called for all stakeholders to join hands to assist the institution add more classes to increase their enrolment to 5 streams.

The principal appealed to the school alumni, the area C.D.F. and other stakeholders to work out a programme to support the school in the improvement of its old infrastructure.

Muraya also called on the parents to ensure they paid their school fees on time to avoid too much time wastage among the students when they were sent home to collect the same. He also lamented about cases of insecurity among his students who were occasionally attacked and robbed within Thika Town during the Mid-Term and Closing days by muggers. He appealed to the relevant authorities to ensure their safety whenever they were out of school.

The Chairperson, Board of Governors Rev. David Gathanju on his part challenged the current Form Four Candidates to get motivated by their predecessors to now grab the opportunity to challenge the renown national educational giants such as Mang’u, Alliance, Strathmore High Schools, just to mention a few.

He also appealed for assistance to upgrade their classrooms, dormitories, construct an administration block, a modern science and ICT labs as well as equipping their library. He also called on well-wishers to help pave the footpaths and dig up a new water borehole.

The Chief Guest Hon Aden Duale told the students that the ultimate goal of every student was to pass their examination, thus they had to double their efforts in order to achieve their goals. He told them that the choice to succeed was theirs and they had no reason to disappoint their teachers and parents.

He castigated the commercialisation of education in this country saying that it was the reason behind exams cheating. He supported the efforts by the CS Education Dr. Fred Okeng'o Matiang'i to weed out the vice in the examination body saying that it was wrong for KNEC officials to still keep their jobs after killing the dreams of over 5,000 students whose results for last year’s KCSE were cancelled over malpractices.

He promised to help them plan a major harambee to help in the upgrading of the old facilities.

Area MP Alice Ng’ang’a promised to help put up four classrooms adding that she would, during the course of this year, bring the students of Thika Girls High School to this institution for some mentorship programme.

Also present in the occasion were MPs Jude Njomo (Kiambu Town), Kimani Ichung’wa (Kikuyu), and Esther Gathogo (Ruiru Town), the Assistant Director of Education Mr. Adan Hussein Osman, Kiambu County Director of Education Mr. Boniface Gitau, Area MCA Mwangi Wamwangi among other dignitaries and parents.

Citizen TV news anchor Franklin Wambugu, who is an alumni of the school was the chief MC.

The current 2016 Form Four Class of 203 candidates has set a mean score target of 10.5 this year under their slogan “I Believe 10.5”.