Dear reader, I have had the privilege and pleasure of visiting two top schools in Samburu County, which are sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Maralal. I have been visiting the schools to roll out talks and training services; hosted by Father Peter Musau – a perspicacious priest. The clever cleric doubles up as the Rector of the Good Shepherd Minor Seminary and Director the Irene School.
The second institution for the girl child is named after Sister Irene Stefani Nyaatha (Mother of Mercy). The two fountains of knowledge my pen has pointed out, act as the oasis in the desert in that arid and semi-arid land (ASAL). They provide hope and help. They provide education and exposure. They prop up sons and daughters of Maa.
Actually, you can visit this great county, Samburu, using two alternative routes. One, is through Nyahururu-Rumuruti-Maralal. You can also access Maralal through Isiolo-Archer’s Post-Wamba. Maralal is a special tiny town because it hosts a historic house perched on the epic peak of a small hill. Being part of culture and tradition, the house hums with fond memories.
It is called “Kenyatta House” because it is where Jomo Kenyatta, our founding father was holed up at the sunrise of 1960s. The house is now a state-owned property classified under the Kenya National Museum. As a peripatetic speaker, I once had a jaunt to that gentry joint. No wonder, you can now pore over this traveling tale.
That put aside, my sporadic visits to the two aforesaid schools, made me think a lot about the making of great schools. In my vast experience with several schools across the country, fascinating factors ruled my mortal mind.
Above all, this one sticks out: “Great schools anchor on firm foundations of culture and tradition.” Culture, as our proponents of history put it, is the way of life. Tradition on the other hand focuses on transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation. In a heroic book titled Good to Great, Jim Collins discusses why some companies make the leap, and others don’t.
The putative author contends, great companies, as well as organisations and institutions anchor on heroic culture. It is the culture of discipline, cascading down to: Disciplined people, disciplined thought and disciplined action.
Then, culture and tradition is what the legendary Headmaster – the late Edward Carrey Francis focused on at Maseno School – and later at Alliance High School; started in 1906 and 1926 respectively.
That, of course, makes the two boys’ schools to stand out as greatest of all time (GOAT). Alumni of Alliance such as the writer the late Philip Ochieng, son of Otani; had sweet and pleasant tales about their alma mater. Edward Carrey Francis instilled diligence and discipline in his disciples.
Ideally, he was keen to leave indelible marks on their impressionable minds. Edward Carrey Francis had confidence in his learners; he hardly allowed them to drop out of school. For instance, while in Form 3, the late Philip Ochieng became a delinquent adolescent.
He sneaked out of school, boarded a train in Kikuyu Town, and travelled back to Nyanza. In the biography titled The 5th Columnist: A Legendary Journalist, Liz Gitonga-Wanjohi writes that Edward Carrey Francis drove all the way to Awendo in Migori to scout for his student.
We are also told, every Friday, Edward Carrey Francis delivered pep talks to infuse lives of learners with hope and help. Topics for such incisive sessions were wide and broad – touching on morality, Christianity and acceptable code of conduct.
By the same token, it is the same thing Dr. Geoffrey William Griffins focused on at Starehe Boys Centre, a premier school for the boy child started in 1959. The late Prof George Albert Omore Magoha, an alumnus of Starehe Boys Centre, writes in his autobiography titled Tower of Transformational Leadership, in his heydays,
Dr. Griffins was keen to inculcate in boys a culture of hard work and exemplary service. No wonder, the alumni of this school stand out in the market place, as well as in the dynamic world of work. Before Dr. Geoffrey William Griffin went to meet his Maker, he is remembered to have uttered these wise words, “My dear sons, I have had a fruitful and happy life, and I have learnt one great lesson that I would like to share with you. I hope that Starehe will always teach this lesson – for as long as it does so, it will remain a great school.
This world is full of people who do their duty half-heartedly, grudgingly and poorly. Don’t be like them. Whatever is your duty, do it as fully and perfectly as you can. And when you have finished your duty, go on to spare some time and talent in service for less fortunate people, not for any reward at all, but because it is the right thing to do. Follow my advice in this and I promise you that your lives will be happy and successful. May God bless you all.”
Therefore, serious Heads of Institutions (HoIs) think deeply; and settle on wonderful ways of preserving unique aspects of culture and tradition set by the founders of schools.
In case that is not done, then the school easily becomes an ashen shadow of its former self. Things begin going south due to leadership lapse, culture of corruption and lure of lucre. Or mediocrity – acceptance to be on top of the bottom, at the bottom of the top, being first among the last and being the best among the worst.
Without citing classic cases, we have seen some head honchos running down great schools that were once anchored on heroic culture and tradition. It is an open secret. We all know the causes of cultural erosion.
Conversely, for Father Peter Musau of Maralal, the case is totally different. He is a priest who is keen to build an admirable culture and tradition for the two schools he is steering towards the shores of success.
I ascertained that he strives to establish a unique culture for the schools by focusing on riveting rites, rituals and routines. Being Christian schools, a lot of premium is put on spiritual practices like prayer; the best expression of piety. Then, on regular basis, he is keen to explain the meaning of school core-values to both staff and students.
In great schools such as Nova Pioneer, core-values are known as culture principles. They have six of them. Just as Jim Collins advises us to do in his heroic book titled Built to Last, a knowledge hub whose nub is: successful habits of visionary companies.
Again, when you read the special administrative documents of the two schools like the school Strategic Plans, you will meet what he calls: The Pillars of Human Formation: Intellectual formation, human formation, physical formation and psycho-spiritual formation.
This is in tandem with what proponents of Sociology of Education call “Education – A Multi-Dimensional Concept.” Great education does not just focus on formal, informal and formal forms, but also delves deeper into different domains of learning such as the affective, normative, cognitive, dialogical and sociological in their entirety and totality.
This is in order, because students should be informed, formed and transformed. The acquisition of insightful information leads to formation, which triggers transformation – formation while in transit.
As they climb class ladders, there should be some sort of useful change injected in them, which can only be realised if schools become true centres of learning, which is change of behaviour and attitude. Every corner of this country, should have great schools that anchor on firm foundations of culture and tradition. With such trends, we shall convince the conscience of learners that indeed, places do not make people, but people make places.
Travelogue: Chronicles of a peripatetic speaker. vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232