Seated at the back of the classroom in the dark of the night, Alex* flips the page of his chemistry text book trying to grasp the Mole Concept.

Wrapped in his Maasai Shuka, in the cold with the sounds of crickets creaking in the distance, he constantly reminds himself that passing his exams is the only way out for him.

As it approaches 3 a.m., he says a prayer, probably begging God to reward the effort he is putting into his studies.

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He then sleeps on his desk while waiting for the sun to rise and start the day all over again.

From the description, one would easily conclude that Alex is a student in a boarding school. But that is not the case. Alex was a student in a day school here in Nakuru.

This was his situation every other day to the months leading to the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.

For Alex, the situation at home was dire. Having to share a one-bedroom house in the slums of Nakuru, with his parents and three siblings was not ideal.

Neither did the constant fights between his parents offer the most conducive environment for someone preparing to sit for his final high school exams.

At the height of desperation, Alex approached the school Principal and explained the situation to him.

A plan was drawn up between Alex and the school’s head to allow the student stay back at school when others went home.

All this was done on the down-low so that other students and teachers would not have an idea of what is happening.

“Sometimes due to lack of having money to buy supper, he would wait until the teachers were done with the evening tea and eat the remaining slices of bread and tea as his dinner,”.

Listening to this story, I was lost for words not even knowing what follow up questions to ask with regards to the story, as I was still trying to process the depths this student went to in his pursuit for a better future.

All the efforts that Alex put in his studies paid off, as he scored an A minus in his KCSE exams.

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The story of Alex is just an example of the many students that stretch themselves to get a better education.

“Whenever we tell students to go home and come with school fees, they often wait until lunch time reaches and they sneak back to school. It got to a point when we just had to let them stay in school, especially the candidates” our source said.

He adds that there are those students who approach the teachers and tell them that even if they go home the situation there is worse than school.

“Some even confess that the school is a sanctuary for them, as it keeps them from joining criminal gangs. This explains why some day schools operate from Monday to Monday. Even during the week some students extend their studies up to around 8p.m. just to avoid having to go home” he said.

Entrance to Afraha high school in Nakuru city.

Photo credit: BRET SANYA/MTAA WANGU

Mtaa Wangu also managed to speak to Mr. Charles Murathe, the Principal of Afraha High School, just to get his insight.

He says most of the students in the school come from humble backgrounds and that this affects their performance in school.

For the students who come from slum areas, the socio-economic factors are a huge determinant as to whether you will have a bright future or not.

sanyabret@gmail.com

Quest 4 Education: He slept in day school for a month before KCSE, scored an A minus

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Bret Sanya