This archive report was first published on 21 November 2019.
Kenya's Hidden Gems in Education ¶
Despite the high cost of education in Kenya, the country has produced several top-performing secondary schools that have made it to the top 100 in Africa. In this article, we will explore some of these schools and what makes them stand out.
According to the latest rankings, the Rift Valley Academy (RVA) is ranked second in Africa, just behind South Africa's Grey College. RVA is a Christian boarding school located in Kijabe and was founded by Charles Hurlburt in 1906. The school serves about 500 missionary children from 30 nationalities and 80 mission organizations and churches.
"We also accommodate a small number of Kenyan national students and expatriate, non-mission students," a statement from the institution says. "Our role is dyadic: supporting current mission work while investing in the next generation of missionaries and gospel-bearers. As a branch of Africa Inland Mission, we exist to see Christ-centered churches established and thriving among all of Africa's peoples."
In addition to RVA, the International School of Kenya (ISK) is ranked 7th of the top 100 best high schools in Africa. School fees here are said to be Ksh 2,070,204 per year. ISK offers the North American curriculum and the International Baccalaureate Diploma. It is also the largest international school in Kenya.
Other notable schools include Alliance High School, which is a public national school and was the first school in Kenya to offer secondary school education to Africans. It was founded on 1 March 1926 by the Alliance of Protestant Churches – The Church of Scotland Mission (later known as the Presbyterian Church of East Africa or PCEA), Church of the Province of Kenya (CPK), African Inland Church (AIC), and the Methodist Church.
Starehe Boys' Centre, which was co-founded in 1959 by the late Dr Geoffrey Griffin, the late Geoffrey Geturo and the late Joseph Gikubu, is ranked 50 in Africa. The school has been a charitable institution providing care and education for boys in need until it started admitting self-sponsored students in the last few years.
Lenana School, which was formed by colonial governor Philip Euen Mitchell in 1949, is ranked 56th. It was known as the Duke of York School at its founding and admitted the first few black and Asian students in the mid-60s after Kenya's independence in 1963.
Nyeri High School, which was established by the Consolata Missionaries in 1924, is ranked 83rd. It started as a primary boys' boarding school and became a Junior Secondary School in 1947. The school has produced very prominent personalities in the country, some of which have risen to high national offices of leadership.
Lastly, Hillcrest Secondary School, which was established in 1975, is ranked 94th. School fees are an upwards of Ksh600,000 and pass the Sh1 million mark for some school years.
