School Name: Lamu Girls Secondary School
School Location: Lamu Island, Kenya
Principal: Jamillah Mohammed
Enrollment: 450 students (all female)
After meeting with the Princpal of the school, Mrs. Mohammed, I had the pleasure of talking to, and taking a tour with Mr. Joham Wangila, the head teacher of the school.
Goal of the School: For the students to continue their education in college and further educational courses. In the current year, 40 students out of 110 qualified for higher education courses.
Chief Issues at the School: There is an alarming deficit of teachers. They currently need four more teachers to meet the requirements of the students. Only three of the currrent teachers are paid by the government, and the remaining are paid by the local board of education. The biggest area of deficit is in language arts. This is the key challenge faced by the school at this point.
Funding Sources: Most of the school funding comes directly from the parents of the students. However, many of the girls are orphans, so raising these fees is often a problem. There are community groups that will help to cover some of these costs, but not all. In the past, the school recieved funding from the U.S. Government for a computer project which is still in use.
Resources Needed: The most critical need, according to the administration, is housing for teachers. Most of the teachers come from outside the community and are forced to rent their housing, which creates financial hardship for the teachers, whose salaries can barely cover the essentials.
Sources of Pride: The students are the greatest source of pride. According to Mr. Wangila, "They are eager to learn and want to learn technology and medicine. However, it is hard to support these dreams with the current level of resources."
Inspirations: Mr. Wangila's inspiration to become an educator was his Physics Teacher in high school, Mr. Rafael Khaemba, who inspired through his hard work and guidance. Khaemba currently heads an international school in South Africa.
Successes: The school is very proud of the fact that they placed #2 for the Kenyan National Exams for the Lamu District, which shows that the students in the school are performing very well compared with the rest of the nation. They are also very proud of their volleyball program. I was able to note a strong vocational presence on my tour of the school, as there were girls being trained on such things sewing and fish farming. I noted a strong sense of presence in the school, and it seemed to be extremely orderly and well-managed.
