This archive report was first published on 5 November 2019.
On November 4, 2019, KNA caught up with Faith Chebet Ngetich, a 26-year-old mother of one, at Kusumek Mixed Secondary School in Bureti Sub-county, Kericho. She was seated in her Form Four class of 55 candidates, optimistic that she would outshine her classmates in the national examination.
It was her second chance at education, after dropping out of school 10 years ago. The last time she sat in class was in 2006, when she was in Form Two at Cheptalai Secondary School. She had to leave school due to financial constraints and the burden of raising five siblings alone.
However, in 2015, Ngetich made the bold decision to go back to school. She had been selling second-hand clothes since 2010, but it was not a lucrative business. She then got married in 2011, but her husband's family did not support her decision to pursue education.
It was not until 2016 that Ngetich found the courage to pursue her dreams. She would read under the cold and rainy nights, and during the day, she would work as a tea picker to save enough money to take her back to school.
Her determination and hard work paid off in 2017, when she was accepted to join Form Two class at Kusumek Mixed Secondary School, despite being 24 years old. She had worked as a tea picker for another family, writing her Form One notes and revising during her free time.
With the support of her husband, Charles Ngetich, who dropped out of school in class seven due to financial constraints, Ngetich has been able to pursue her education. Her husband has been her pillar of strength, attending school meetings and paying for their school fees.
Despite the challenges she has faced, Ngetich is grateful for the opportunity to complete her secondary school education. She hopes to become a teacher and uplift the living standards of her family.
Her class teacher, Dishon Isait 'Papa', described Ngetich as disciplined, focused, and taking academic issues seriously. She has always topped her class, despite being a mother and a wife.
According to Bureti Sub-County Director of Education, Joseph Olepirdai, 4,631 candidates sat for their KCSE in 2018, with 1,269 students scoring C+ and above. This year, 5,179 students have registered to sit for their 2019 KCSE examination from both public and private schools in the area.
