School helping needy students achieve excellence

In a modest home in Kware, Nairobi county, lives Chrispo Osieko, a 17-year-old whose dreams have always been bigger than his circumstances. Osieko has made his mark in the academic world after achieving an A minus with 80 points in the 2024 KCSE. He was a candidate at Alliance Boys High School.

But the journey to this academic success was anything but easy. His mother, Gladys Atei, works as a grocery vendor to support the family while his father, George Morara, is a casual laborer.

Their meagre earnings made it difficult to educate him.

Osieko was, however, in luck, as he was identified by Bridge International Academies, which sponsored him through his primary education. He was first enrolled at the school’s Tassia branch before moving to Mukuru Kwa Njenga after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The education model and standards set by Bridge provided Osieko with the tools he needed to thrive, despite the financial challenges. The for-profit education company that operates in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda has developed an approach that leverages technology to train and support underserved communities.

Osieko remained unwavering and, through hard work and staying af- ter school hours for additional help from teachers, he achieved success. As the Global Education Day was celebrated last Friday under the theme ‘AI and Education’, Osieko said he never would have dreamed of joining a renowned school such as Alliance. Education had transformed his life, he added, as he shared what he hopes for next. “If I can find a way of clearing the fees arrears I had at Alliance High School and hopefully secure a scholarship, I’ll be able to pursue a degree in engineering either at the University of Nairobi or abroad and change the fortunes of my family,” he said.

The Bridge model ensures quality through a comprehensive teacher support system and rigorous monitoring and evaluation. It operates about 450 private schools in marginalised communities in the three countries and employs a unique teaching method that makes learning engaging, personalised and impactful. Tutors are provided with a tablet on which daily teachers’ guides, designed by a central academic team, are uploaded.

Classes are measured quantitatively by tracking teachers’ daily progress by syncing their tablets with the school leader’s smartphone and qualitatively using roving academic support teams. Vincent Omondi, a teacher at the Ugunja branch, said the model motivates both the learners and teachers to work harder.

“When a teacher misses school, an alert is sent to the headquarters to mobilise for alternative teachers to be provided. This makes sure that learning is not disrupted.”

Omondi’s first group of learners graduated in 2013, and many are achieving success in their education and life, which makes him proud. “The school has a forward-thinking- ing teaching model, especially with the use of tablets that make our work easier and efficient as teachers. The daily lessons are well planned, allowing me to focus more on the learners.”