We Answered all the questions submitted to us last week via our Social Media platforms.

 Most of the questions were similar so we combined them as is below; 

 

 How Much is Your Form 1 School Fees?

Our 2022 Fee Structure is as follows;

Eldoret campuses; here 

Tatu City Campuses; here

You can also find school fees structures of all our campuses on our website

 

We Live in Roysambu which branch can my Son attend for PP1?

We have 2 primary schools; Nova Pioneer Primary- Tatu City and Nova Pioneer Primary -Athi River.

In this case, the Tatu City campus is the closest to Roysambu.

You can also see here the transport schedule

Click here to find more information on our admission process

 

When are Form 1’s Joining?

At Nova Pioneer we follow the Kenyan Academic dates as provided by the Ministry of Education. 

The tentative date provided is 25th April,2022.

 

What is your High School class capacity

We have 34 students per class . In our Tatu City Campuses we have  4 streams per Form. Our Eldoret Campus is still growing and we currently have 2 streams per Form.

 

How Many of your students qualified for University in 2020?

We continue to celebrate our class of 2020 for their exemplary performance.

80% of our students managed to get C+ and above which is the Minimum University requirement.

Here’s a summary of the 2020 KCSE results.

 

When is the Next Open Day?

We host Primary School Open Days every other Saturday at both our Campuses in Athi River and Tatu City. Join us this Saturday, 5th Feb for a campus experience.

Our High School Open days are hosted virtually. You can sign up for our next virtual session here

For more information, contact our admissions team via email on; admissions.ke@novapioneer.com

 

 How are your Alumni doing, Do you follow up with them?

Yes we do.

We are extremely proud of what our alumni do post Form 4. You can find some of the Alumni work here

 

Teaching Vacancies

Teachers are at the heart of what we do. They inspire our students with a passion for learning.

All our Opportunities/ vacancies are posted on the website.  Constantly check on our website to see open jobs as well as understand the hiring process.

 

How did Nova Pioneer come up

Nova Pioneer is a network of schools developing a generation of leaders and innovators.  We launched our first school in South Africa in 2014. We have since expanded within South Africa and to Kenya. Our First Kenya Schools Launched in 2015.

 

Thankyou for engaging us!

 

 

 

 

 

Every Year parents make a decision for their children to either join Public schools or a private school.Here are the  benefits of private school education.

Enhanced Opportunities

One key benefit of private schools is the enriched educational experience that pupils obtain.This is thanks to numerous additional initiatives offered at Private Schools including; extra-curricular activities and a variety of  programs for gifted students.

At Nova Pioneer,in particular, our students are strongly encouraged to participate in at least one of our co-curricular activities. These Includes; Debate & Model UN, Journalism,Blogging & Photography, Drama/music club,Computer club, Entrepreneurship Club, Music Creation Club, Dance Club,Scouting, First Aid & Presidential Award club, Robotics & Maker club,Chess & Indoor games.

We also offer coaching for a variety of outdoor games including; Rugby, Basketball, Hockey, Football and Swimming.

Private schools can create their own teaching methods. At Nova Pioneer, We have a learning design team composed of subject matter experts. They are responsible for crafting all lessons around the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development objectives.

Lessons at Nova Pioneer are delivered using the 5-E lesson plan. This is whereby students discover content for themselves about the lesson( They Get to explore their leadership potential), They are encouraged to be innovative and make connections of their findings with the real world.They then share their findings with the teacher in class who then gives clarification and finalizes the topic.

By the end of every topic, Our learners have done their research, engaged with each other and this enhances their understanding and mastery of topics.

Reduced class Sizes.

 Studies  have  shown that the smaller the class size the higher an average grade a student attains.

At nova pioneer, Our primary class size for Pre-Primary Class is 24 students per class where each class has 2 teachers, For the Upper classes, our class capacity is 32 with 2 teachers per class as well.

This has proven to be a very helpful teacher student ratio whereby each Student gets attention from the teacher depending on their strengths and or weaknesses.

Expectation of Success

The high  quality of education offered at private schools results in very good academic results. The mission of private schools attracted students with similar interests, passions and talents.

At Nova Pioneer, we have seen a steady improvement in our K.C.S.E grades. 80% of our candidates qualify to join Universities as the others join tertiary institutions.

Networking Opportunities

At Nova Pioneer, We have a Post School Success Team. The Team Organizes exchange programs for our students between Kenya and South Africa. The team also offer student job shadowing and internship opportunities in a variety of professional fields depending on each students’ interests.

Our students have earned  international scholarship opportunities to pursue their dream careers.

The Nova Pioneer community is also a source of networks.

Community Feel

Many Private schools make an effort to create a community environment. When school feels more like a community, students can feel safer, more comfortable and more passionate about learning.

At Nova Pioneer our culture principles create such a great bond between students and staff. We call ourselves Novaneers.

The strong feeling of community at Nova Pioneer nourishes the student’s social skills and encourages good behavior.

Excellent Resources

Most private schools have excellent resources and facilities to support learning. From well equipped classrooms to multiple sports facilities. 

At Nova Pioneer, We have world facilities that offer a great learning environment for our students.

Get in Touch With Us

If you’d like to enroll your child for the 2022 academic year, Then please get in touch with us. Visit our website to learn more about Nova Pioneer.

There are several tips that will help a student excel in exams. Examination period can bring a lot of pressure and anxiety hence the need for students to prepare adequately. Studying effectively is very key in Exam Preparation.

Start Your Preparation Early

Starting early with your exam preparation will give you ample time to review everything you have already studied. So do not leave anything for the last moment and make sure you understand your subject thoroughly. This will make revision much easier.

Setting up a timetable early enough will also assist in proper time management. First note down the exams you have and schedule appropriately.

Organize Your Space for Study

Before sitting down to study,ensure your space is well organised and that you have enough space to place your study materials.Ensure the room is also well lit and there’s nothing around that might distract you.Keeping everything in order helps you remain focused throughout the study session.

Review and Practice old exam papers

This will help you familiarize yourself with the format and structure of the exam paper.

Set your Study Goal.

Goal setting is the best way in attaining any sort of targets.Utilize your study time to achieve your goals.

Get together with friends for a study session

Organizing study sessions with your friends is one of the most crucial exam study tips for university students as it helps you get answers to all your questions and vice versa. However, you need to make sure that you do not waste time and stay focused on learning the importance of preparing for exams.

Studying with your friends or your fellow students is also a great way to challenge yourself and keep moving forward towards your goal

Study to Suit your Learning Style 

Your learning style will help you to know what are the best ways to prepare for an examination. For instance, if you are an auditory learner, you may benefit from recording your notes and then listening to them later, or you can even listen to class recordings.

On the other hand, if you are a visual learner, pictures and diagrams can help you remember. So explore what your learning style is so that you can memorize significant facts and understand key concepts.

Read More about learning styles here

Ask for Help 

In case you face trouble understanding a specific concept or subject, then do not hesitate to ask for help. Talk to your teacher, tutor, or your friend to understand the concept better before it’s too late. Rather than trying to memorize or cram, taking guidance from someone can help you remember the concept for a longer time.

 Plan your Exam Day and Sleep Well

Make sure you have everything ready before the day of your exam and do not leave anything for the last day. Check all the requirements and make all the other necessary arrangements.

 Besides, do not forget to take at least a minimum of seven hours of sleep before the exam. Remember, exams are designed to test your thinking ability. So if you are sleep deprived, you might not be able to complete your exam in time or justify your answers correctly.

Do Not Evaluate Post Examination

After finishing your exam, if you realize that you have given an incorrect answer to one of the questions, it may cause anxiety.

So avoid evaluating your question paper because, at that point, you will be able to do nothing to change your answer or your score. Instead, stay focused on your studies and prepare for the next exam to ensure that you do not repeat the same mistake again.

Drink Lots of Water

As one of the most vital tips for exam day, always remember that keeping yourself hydrated will add to your overall positive mood and will make your brain work at its best.

So make sure to drink plenty of water while preparing for exams and even during the exam.

Read more on exam preparation tips

The True Talents of Africa Football Academy, is set to launch Kenya’s first fully residential International football academy in partnership with Nova Pioneer Boys Secondary School based in Tatu City, Nairobi.

 

The program is designed to develop young ‘ student-athletes ‘ from all over the continent ages of 13 – 19 in a professional football academy environment whilst schooling at Nova Pioneer Secondary school. Essentially, students will live and train on one campus with the goal of pursuing a career in football. 

Since 2018, TTA’s partners have sent over 7 students on soccer scholarships to places around the world and these are the opportunities that the TTA Academy prepares Nova Students for.

“Having played professional football myself, I would say this is an opportunity which I would have loved to have growing up…” – Karuga, Nova Head Coach 

“This is a big opportunity for aspiring footballers, not just in East Africa, but all over the continent. In my career, football opened doors for me that academics could not. We are simply giving the same opportunity to the students of today. At Nova, we have created the right environment to develop and mentor students as they pursue football at the highest level.” – Kimathi Kaumbutho, TTA Director and former player and USA NAIA National Champion.

The intensive format of the program will see students train 4 times per week on campus in tandem with their studies. The program also includes weights, resistance training, and  ‘mental conditioning’, and character-building sessions. 

“Mental conditioning is where we mentor our student-athletes off the pitch in a classroom setting. We discuss matters regarding their mental health and character. It’s important to realize that football is simply a tool we use to educate the students and equip them to succeed in life—that’s the real goal of the academy.”

The True Talents of Africa Football program starts this coming July Term 2021 @Nova Pioneer.

 

 

 

Academic Excellence is important because it is strongly linked to the positive outcomes we value at Nova Pioneer.During the Alumni Virtual connect event here ,Nduta Gicheru from the Alumni class of 2020, shared her top  5 tips which she used while in school for academic excellence

Nduta Gicheru scored an A of 83 points. In addition to her exemplary performance in the KCSE Class of 2020,  Nduta was the Team Captain of the swimming club, The inaugural school president, and was also part of the music club where she played Piano.

She was very keen on mentioning the importance of being an all rounded student, which she indeed led by example.

Here are her top 5 tips;

 Start the race as soon as they say go.

This journey is not going to be about who the fastest runner is or who has the most talent. It’s about who is the most adaptable and keeps a steady pace. Like a race, as soon as you get on campus keep a moderate but constant exertion in your academics and outside classroom activities. As long as you start now, you will be closer to your goals than you were yesterday. Adopt self mastery sooner rather than later. 

Build a community.

 Find friends who are a few steps ahead of you and will keep you going forward daily. Healthy competition makes all the difference. It creates accountability as well as support during the trying times. 

Set out to fail. 

The greatest lessons come from the biggest mistakes. The ones that stick with us forever. Put your arm up each and every time to answer a question, what’s the worst that can happen if you get it wrong? So what if they judge you? They certainly will not be laughing when you learn something new and eventually achieve your goals. Remember winning and losing are just trajectories in the journey which are dependent on only you. 

Go, go, go the extra mile. 

They wake up at 5:30, you wake up at 5:00. It’s half an hour more in one day but three and a half hours in a week. And so much more in a year. Make the sacrifices early. The journey will become easier. In the end it will be a cruise. Additionally, go the extra mile in applying for all the opportunities that you are interested in. They will come and go, don’t agree to let them pass you by. Aim to be a holistic individual. 

 Lastly, serve in whatever capacity you can. Find a place to be of service to others. It will help you build relationships, learn to work with people and to respect the people around you. From big positions like School President to smaller positions like Class Environment lead. Lose yourself in service to others. 

Now, if you do not remember any of these things just remember that you have what it takes to be a success. The first thing you must do is believe it. 

To catch the full video on the event, click below;

 

 

The first five years of your child’s life is critical, as this is the period in which early childhood development takes off. Parents can find it difficult to decide on when the best time is to send their child to school. No one wants to send their child to school prematurely, neither do they want to send them to school too late.

One of the things parents need to know about school readiness is that it involves two types of indicators: an eagerness to learn and an enthusiasm for school. School readiness is thus a measure of how prepared your child is to succeed at school. Check out these 5 key indicators of school readiness to look out for in your child:

1.Physical and Motor Development:

If your child is able to crawl or walk, it means that they are getting ready to explore their physical environment. Parents can look out for gross motor development, which includes running, skipping and standing on one leg. Furthermore, parents can look out for fine motor development in their child. When your child is comfortable using a pair of scissors, successfully able to use zips and buttons and they are able to use cutlery, this is an indicator of school readiness. Moreover, visual as well as auditory development and your child’s ability to take care of themselves by being able to go to the toilet alone, is another strong indicator of school readiness.

2.Emotional and Social Development:

A child who is emotionally well-adjusted has a significantly greater chance of early school success. Your child is most likely ready for school when they get along with their peers. They are ready for school when they can interact within a group, they show an interest in other children and they willing help others. Also, if your child can express feelings and needs, can sit still long enough to listen to a story and can concentrate on a task for a reasonable amount of time, they are most likely ready to be placed in a school.

3.Cognitive Development:

Every parent knows that mental ability is essential in the cognitive development of a child. How a child thinks, makes independent decisions and figures things out for themselves is a good indicator of school readiness. It is the ability to take direction and following instructions that helps children navigate the world around them and that also encourages an interest to learning.

4.Language Development:

A child is ready for school when they can express themselves through speaking and vocabulary as well as literacy and listening. Furthermore, they should be able to communicate effectively in their home language, be able to sequence or recite a story or a set of events comprehensibly, and identify similarities and differences between objects.

5.Emotional Development:

Last but not least, your child is most likely ready for school when they show emotional maturity. When your child can reasonably control their emotions and handle separation well, that means they can handle being in a school setting with other children. Other emotional development indicators include confidence, independence and displays of being responsible.

Sources:

https://helpmegrowmn.org/HMG/HelpfulRes/Articles/WhatMotorPhysicalDev/index.html#:~:text=Motor%20development%20means%20the%20physical,and%20touch%20his%2Fher%20surroundings.&text=Motor%20development%20is%20important%20throughout,tied%20to%20other%20development%20areas

June 16th is a day set aside to remember and celebrate the African Child. Every year on this date, the African Union and its Member States observe the Day of the African Child (DAC) as a commemoration of the 16th June 1976 student uprising in Soweto, South Africa, where students who marched in protest against apartheid-inspired education, were brutally murdered. 

People worldwide celebrate this day by highlighting awareness about the education system in Africa by sharing their views via social media using some hashtags for example #educationforAfrica, #InternationalDayOfTheAfricanChild. Contributions are also made to organizations that work towards improving education for the African child. 

This year, a deep emphasis was put to raise awareness on having Access to a child-friendly Justice and education System in Africa. This augers very well with the Nova Pioneer Mission of developing generations of innovators and leaders who will shape the African Century. It was therefore our pleasure to have our students join the rest of the world to celebrate this day. 

HOW WE MARKED THE DAY AT OUR ATHI RIVER CAMPUS

Reading is an important skill in every child’s life. Book reading can spark a child’s imagination and stimulate curiosity, help develop the child’s brain, ability to focus, concentration, social skills and communication skills it also helps a child learn the difference between ‘real’ and ‘make-believe.

To underscore the importance of the reading skill among our students and parents at NPAP, what better way was there to celebrate The day of the African Child than to participate in STORY MOJA PUBLISHERS READ ALOUD PROGRAMME. In this, our students joined children from all over Kenya to break the world record in reading.

The aim was to have every child in Kenya read the same text at the same time from their own school. To make this more interesting, our P.T.A class representatives read with the students instead of having the teachers do it. The parents representatives then led the students in asking and answering some questions from the text read. The data was then forwarded to the publisher awaiting tallying to see whether the world reading record is coming to Kenya, we are anxiously awaiting the results! 

Our day in school at NPAP rarely ends without a “Joy of Learning Moment ” and this day was not going to be any different. Our students engaged in  various activities depicting African art work – Face painting, making head crowns decorated with feathers, some bead work and making of African dancing costumes. 

 

 

 

Our Nova Pioneer Schools in Kenya recently celebrated the Class of 2020 for the exemplary results achieved on their KCSE exams and we do not doubt that the students are ready to take over the world. 

 

From Surviving to Thriving

In 2020, education across the world was abruptly derailed by COVID-19 at every level. In many countries, schools struggled to address the safety of children while also helping them continue to learn and grow. Without a doubt, Nova Pioneer secondary students, in particular,  demonstrated a high level of commitment during the last year, despite the unprecedented disruption and uncertainty presented by the challenges brought about by the pandemic.

The Nova Pioneer Class of 2020 overcame many challenges to post good results and rose above the challenges that came their way. We are encouraged by their performance.

We are extremely grateful to the teaching and support teams who have drawn on their extensive teaching and coaching experience to support all students through this immensely difficult time. The resilience shown by our Nova Pioneer Tatu Boys and Girls Secondary teachers and students is a true demonstration of how we live out our culture principles of High Expectations and Always Growing.

 

Meeting and Exceeding High Expectations

The Nova Pioneer graduates of both the Boys and Girls schools achieved remarkable success.  Our 231 graduates achieved a mean grade of 8.02 (a B-), with both schools achieving that B- average.  77% of the Class of 2020 earned a C+ or higher.  In addition, the Class of 2020 included our first two ‘A plain’ average achievers (one per school), a feat accomplished by less than 0.2% of candidates nationally. 

A particular shout out goes to the women of Tatu Girls Secondary Class of 2020 for setting a strong standard as the school’s founding and graduating class.

 

 

Where to from here?

Our Post School Success team will continue to engage with the Class of 2020 to ensure that every Nova Pioneer student will be ready to pursue their passion through the best post school fit and are ready to take over in their industry of choice.  Already, across the Tatu Boys and Tatu Girls graduating classes of 2020, 

• 7 students  have applied to the African Leadership University, and all have been offered a preliminary admission, pending submission of their KCSE results. 
• 97 students have been admitted to Strathmore University. 
• 2 students have been admitted to York University in Toronto, Canada one of them receiving a CAD 40,000 in scholarship from the faculty of liberal arts.
• One student has been admitted to 3 colleges in the US, with scholarships, and will join Clark University where she received an annual $16,000 scholarship.
• Two students have  applied to UWC (United World Colleges) and been admitted with scholarships.
• One student has  applied to the African Leadership Academy and has been accepted with a $5,000 scholarship. 
• 13 students have participated in the Concourse Global clearing process. 10 students have collectively received a total of 46 admission offers with $272,650 in scholarships.

 

This Is Not the End Of The Journey

Too many schools see their job as developing “smart kids” and focus narrowly on building a student’s knowledge base and academic skills. While that is critically important, Nova Pioneer holds itself accountable to a more holistic “Vision of a Novaneer”: we want to deeply develop our students’ character, capabilities and connection.  We define our success based on a larger set of longer-term goals; we expect our students to excel in exams and attend great universities, build innovations and art, launch new companies, and impact their communities. Ultimately, we want our students to become shapers of a world they envision rather than takers of the world they inherit. 

 

The Future Is In Good Hands

Today, we are again reminded that the mission and vision set out together to achieve as Novaneers, will be felt throughout Africa, and indeed the world, through the impact that our alumni will have as they shape their future around their vision and get ready to take over the world.  We are very proud of all our students and wish them well as they transition into the next stage of their lives.

My name is Sara Teri and I am a parent of a Nova Pioneer student at the Boys’ High School in Tatu City. The journey of searching for a school for my son was very purposeful and I would like to share why I chose Nova Pioneer.

 

How it all began

 

The search for a High School started lightly when Baraka was in class six. Our plan B was the school he was at as it had a secondary school but our plan A was to get an amazing institution that would nurture our son to be a leader, to be curious about the world, to seize the opportunity, to change the world, to be a confident man and still remain grounded in his faith. We solicited advice from friends and family and our final list consisted of schools in various countries across the continent. 

When it came to narrowing down the options, we looked against the elements mentioned above but also against the cost of accessing this education and the experience our son would gain. Our family is adventurous and a bit non-traditional in the way we choose to live, so Baraka studying in boarding school or another country (outside of Tanzania) was not a hindering factor – in fact, it added credit in that he would build personal resilience and character, meet other people and appreciate another culture. However, there was the feedback we received about the newness of Nova Pioneer – Tatu City Campus and whether we wanted to take the risk of taking our son to a school that hadn’t proven itself. 

 

Landing on Nova Pioneer

 

Like mentioned before we were looking for an institution that aligned with our plan A – a place that would nurture our son to be a leader, to be curious about the world, to seize the opportunity, to change the world, to be a confident man and still remain grounded in his faith. With Nova Pioneer, this was already seen in the promotional/communication material on their website and social media.

What was left was to witness that this was aligned to what was actually happening on the ground. And our reassurance came in the student/parent orientation. 

When we settled on Kenya, there was a list of six or so schools we had to look into – those offering the Cambridge curriculum and the National curriculum. Due to distance and not wanting the search process to cost us a lot we were able to secure interviews for 4 of these schools in one go, Nova Pioneer included.

Baraka and I came to Kenya for this exercise as his dad was tied up at work. We were lucky on the visit to have a great taxi guy who was with us the whole week. In this marathon visit, which turned out to be more time-consuming and exhausting than anticipated, Nova Pioneer happened to be the last school to visit.

At this point a friend of mine (an Aunt to Baraka), the Taxi guy (Peter), Baraka and myself attended the Nova Pioneer student/parent orientation session. Beyond the fact that it was a student-led orientation from the gate, what had already enticed us as parents from the get-go from the brochures we had seen was Nova’s motto – developing innovators & leaders who will shape the future. This was embodied by students and teachers alike on the orientation day in everything that was done. Once the four of us (Baraka’s Aunt, Baraka, Peter and I) were in the car heading home, there was a shared silent understanding that we had landed on the school, and no more searching was needed. In the car on the way back, we spoke about our excitement over the school and I must say it was a village decision to settle on Nova Pioneer. 

 

Another factor that sold us from the onset and continues to now is Nova’s connectedness and embrace of technology. It’s been a desire for us that our son catches up with technology-enhanced learning because that is the way of the world now for the younger generation and Baraka did not have this option in his previous school. It’s also proven convenient for us as parents as we are full time working parents and we are based in two different cities but we intensively use our computers and phones for work. When communication comes whether on Class Dojo or WhatsApps or email from Nova, we are assured both of us will get this information. During the closedown period, it’s made it easier for Baraka’s dad to be the primary support for his education even remotely. 

 

Adapting to Change

 

Well, my husband and I both work and we had to work through the COVID-19 period. Also, Baraka has two younger brothers who also had to be at home at this time. The fact that Nova was able to swiftly switch into online learning (I believe it was under a week) helped us a lot in structuring our family life in this time and we are grateful to be part of those who could afford the facilities to support this style of learning for our son. In Tanzania, life went back to normal in June and for the continued online classes at Nova this has meant again keeping our son engaged while his brothers went back to school and us parents resumed full schedules.  

 

Meeting Our Expectations

 

Baraka only joined Nova in January 2020 and had less than four months there before he had to come back home. However, in that time we’ve found that Baraka has become more expressive – he is a very quiet young man naturally (one-liner answers are his thing). But at least now you are able to hear him go beyond this one-line response. He is also beginning to define what he wants and doesn’t want to engage in and this is great for any parent to witness. 

As parents, we are reassured in our choice of school. We’ve always given as much importance to non-academic learning as to academic learning as we believe one needs a holistic approach to their growth journey. 

One of the things that had previously frustrated Baraka’s father and I with schools is the lack of parent engagement and lack of communication. Nova does not suffer in these areas. Although for the physical engagements (e.g. Parent Mixers) it’s difficult for us to partake in we see and appreciate the efforts. However, we receive communication constantly – whether it’s our son’s progress via Class Dojo or administrative happenings via email etc it helps us feel confident that our son is the school’s priority as well as we have access and ability to shape and be part of the Nova culture.

One thing we are grateful for the holistic experience a child is bound to get when attending Nova. Under normal circumstances these experiences – a move from traditional learning (teacher knows best, the core subjects/traditional subjects are your ticket out, the learning happens in class only etc) – are found in certain schools and access to these schools mines a hole in your pocket, however, with Nova even the dream to dare pioneer/venture into the nontraditional is already winning enough. 

 

 

What I can say is any parent has to come to Nova with their child and experience it and the story will be over. Period. And we would also add that as parents we really have to interrogate what values we align to and whether the schools we send out children to align to those values. For us, Nova’s ethos aligned with our views of what education should be and family values so it did not take much convincing.  

Additionally, we were comforted by the fact that we found Nova Pioneer had a modest international student body. We were immediately introduced to two students from Tanzania and Baraka has formed a close relationship with one of them and as parents we were also introduced to a family that lives close to us and this support system helped us navigate the visiting days and holidays etc.  Nova Pioneer is still shaping their international student body but in the meantime have been accommodative to meet us where we are at with any hindrances brought by educations system change or physical distance. 

My journey and decision to enroll my son Yasin at Nova Pioneer was not an easy one, for lack of better words, I would say it all started in earnest. Assessing some of the traditional factors a lot of families I know consider as metrics in selecting High Schools it was clear that this choice was very unconventional. 

Yasin emerged among the top candidates in the 2019 K.C.P.E exams in Bungoma County. He scored 426 marks and was offered a much coveted spot at The Alliance High School. My friends, colleagues and family members thought I had lost my mind to forego that chance for Nova Pioneer. Most of them had never heard about the school and kept wondering how I would afford it. 

In light of the societal pressure that came with my son joining Nova Pioneer, I have spent the first half of this year reflecting on his experience so far and what he has been able to achieve, and my heart is filled with immutable joy and pride. As much as the Ministry of Education has declared this academic year null, the virtual learning experience he has gained in the past five months will never be taken away from him. He is better prepared for the information age. 

 

Yasin’s Nascent Interests and How We Got Here

 

Since childhood, Yasin has always been very inquisitive and curious about machines. I remember how he would make makeshift airplanes from carton boxes. Yasin’s favourite tv channel has always been the discovery family ‘Ultimate car build off’ Henceforth, I discovered that Yasin had a  passion for engineering. He had the ability to focus and concentrate on his projects for long. 

As a child, he turned our study room into his mini workshop where he would stay all day and late into the night working on his inventions whenever he was not attending school. Having paid close attention to his consistency and resolve, I was always left with many questions: what do I want for my son? Why do I want it? How do I make it happen? It was clear to me that a more unique educational approach would give him better exposure and develop his passion. 

When Yasin was 11 years old his passion for engineering had developed so much that he insisted on going for the National Science and Engineering fair which was held at Kibabii High School in Bungoma. Whenever I would go with him to the school where I currently teach, he was always drawn to the physics laboratory where he would check out the school projects and apparatus.

With the discovery of his interests, it was crucial to find a school that would hold space for his love for building and discovering and further guiding and shaping his curiosity. As an educator, I had been following Christopher Khaemba’s unique education approach from Friends School Kamusinga to Alliance High School and then to The African Leadership Academy in South Africa. With Mr. Khaemba at the helm of Nova Pioneer’s leadership team,  I was confident that Nova Pioneer’s focus on Project Based Learning, innovation and leadership, will add an insurmountable amount of value to Yasin’s life.

 

Making It Work: Overcoming The Hurdles

 

As a family, we were already head over heels in love with the school after bringing Yasin for his interview at the Tatu City campus. It was clear to us after he got his offer that it would be an uphill task to tell Yasin that the cost of attendance at Nova Pioneer would be prohibitive. From the look of things, our modest earnings as teachers would not allow us to foot the cost of Yasin attending Nova Pioneer.

As normal parents would do, we had to pull our resources together and figure out a way to make it work. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Armed with determination and supplemental income from dairy farming and poultry keeping, I joined a merry go round, table banking group of six ladies called Blessed Sisters where we contribute thirty thousand shillings per month. Through the help of this group, I managed to complete the full year fees for Yasin by July.  This has given me much flexibility to plan ahead and ensure that I’m consistently ahead on payments. “No Human is Limited” – Eliud Kipchoge.

 

Learning During A Pandemic.

 

When the government closed all learning institutions in March, learning at Nova never stopped. They simply transitioned to virtual learning. As a teacher in an inadequately resourced school, I was unable to facilitate virtual classes for my students and therefore took this time to attend my son’s online classes. This experience has been nothing short of amazing and eye-opening. The things Yasin is able to do on the laptop make me very happy given he didn’t learn any computer in primary school. 

My personal favorite sessions have been the morning barazas. I vividly recall Dr. Benson Kairu(The school Principal) on one of the barazas talking to the young men about the Marshmallow experiment. It was very gripping to see how his points on exercising patience, self-control, and putting off instant gratification, were delivered in such a simple and relatable yet very practical manner.

I have also learned a lot just by observing the teachers. They have been extraordinarily consistent in their commitment to serve the learners at times, even late into the night. I remember a time when Yasin was doing revision for his midterm exam and encountered some difficulties in his calculations, he immediately sought help from his teacher of Mathematics (Mr. Carlos Ominde) who gave him feedback through email at around 11 pm. He often called Mr.Katumo his teacher of English late in the night for consultation and always got sorted. 

The delivery of lessons has been world-class. Their lessons are always interactive and the teachers always go above and beyond in ensuring the classes, albeit virtual, are conducive for learning. It was very endearing to see how even in the virtual classes, the collaborative approach to learning is adhered to. The break out rooms, class presentations and projects enhance the Joy of learning. My snaps and shout outs go to all F1S1 teachers: Mr.Abucheri, Mr.Hisabu, Mr.Kerabu, Ms.Wafula, Ms.Shanyisa, Mr.Nyamu, Mr.Ngahu, Ms.Kimetto and all the others.

Furthermore, the young men carry out projects either individually or in groups assigned to them by the teachers. The projects have helped Yasin develop research skills and he’s now more capable of doing such things on his own without supervision. The projects that are done as a group have enabled Yasin to embrace the culture principle; greater together. In fact, together with his classmates like Kizito, Okoth and Muhando, they have gone as far as creating their own zoom meetings to discuss and prepare for exams in the evenings. They are now working on the Post School Success Project with Mr.Hisabu as their faculty member.

Through the virtual learning that the school has implemented, I can stand as a proud parent to say that Yasin has developed a high form of discipline and self-startership. He always shows up for all the classes in time and has never missed to put on his uniform even for a single day. To add on to that, the school through the end of term report card has shown that everything that takes place in the classroom counts. This is seen when the report card entails the opener exam, quick quizzes, quizzes, midterm exam and projects. Through this, the young men are able to understand that they need to take everything seriously since they sum up to the final result.

The Nova Pioneer curriculum designers have gone out of their way to support teachers with truly engaging lesson plans. There’s the incorporation of audio-visual resources such as eye-catching videos and pictures. The reading of novels that are not KCSE set texts is worth mentioning. This term for example the Form Ones studied Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. I remember recently when I wanted to buy a cooker Yasin engaged me on the possibility of buying it online. I showed much valid apprehension to his idea as I wanted to see it first before I made the purchase. Yasin was able to draw a relatable comparison with a character from Chinua Achebe’s book that left me tongue-tied. He insisted I should not be like Okonkwo and that I should consider changing with the times! As a teacher of English and Literature myself, this comparison made me proud. It speaks to the level of relatability and relevance the content they are being exposed to really is.

This is indeed a great journey of hope and faith. I am certain that by the time Yasin gets to Form Four, he will have developed tremendously. My prayer is that he later joins an Ivy League University to pursue Engineering. I have faith that through Nova Pioneer’s robust international exposure modules courtesy of the Post School Success Team, he will be able to make it.

I highly recommend Nova Pioneer for any parent out there who has big dreams for their child. Champions are truly made from a desire, a dream and a vision!