Christmas Holidays
December 23, 2021
Schools took off for the Christmas holidays this week. While some schools closed on the 17th of December, others stayed open until the 23rd. There were examinations in all the schools. It has been a tense week as teachers tried their best to meet the curriculum requirements despite the tension going on. It is common knowledge that the burning of schools is related to the examinations carried out at the end of the year.
Those students who are not ready to sit their examinations sabotage the whole exercise by burning schools. They know that once the classrooms and the dormitories burn down, everyone will have to be sent home. Rebuilding the structures is costly and that means most of these students will be home for a long time as they wait for the school to be restored.
The last two weeks have been a very busy period for us all as we tried to assist the schools manage the examinations without causing student unrest. Students look for every reason to riot; managing the situation before it gets out of hand, is key. When students burn schools, they are burning their future. The schools can be rebuilt, but their education is cut short.
Despite all that has been going on, the examinations finished well. All schools will sit for their major examinations in March next year. The Form 4 students will move on into University while the Standard 8 students will join Secondary school. The destruction of schools and missing out on examinations means that the school curriculum will be interrupted, and the students will be required to stay longer at school. This is very unfortunate for those students keen on doing their best in school and graduating to the next level of their lives.
At the Choice Club mentorship club, we have done our best to support the school fraternity. We give general support to all the students and specialized support to those requiring it. Our aim is to see a system that works for both the teachers and the students by creating harmony between the two. We also encourage and guide the students on expected behavior while home for the holidays. We do this by setting clear expectations on what is required from the students. We urge the students to model positive behavior. We remind the students to be consistent in doing positive acts of service.
We also request the teachers to point out those students who need more support to learn how to display expected behavior. This helps in shaping the students while at home by reducing stress as the students are made aware of what is expected of them.
The Christmas holiday is short; the students are only breaking for two weeks. Most students will resume school on the 4th of January. We hope that the break will help them relax and unwind. Being with the immediate family and other extended family members during the Christmas season brings a lot of cheer. It is our hope that all the students will have a good time at home and behave responsibly.
The Choice Club has officially closed its activities for the year. We look forward to the new year, 2022, as students return to school. Happy holidays from us all!
–Summary of the year 2021- Kenya ProgramThe Choice Club carried out activities at 4 secondary schools and mentored over 1,000 girls.
–Valvisions:
- Appreciated teachers of AIC Girls and gave them gifts to show appreciation for all the support offered to the students.
- Supported students with face masks, sanitizers and brought in external support from experts to help the students cope with the fear caused by the Covid pandemic.
- Started an initiative where young vulnerable girls received a constant supply of sanitary towels and sanitary hygiene bags thought out the year.
- Bridged the gaps between teachers and students to bring harmony to the schools. We offered mentorship during the student unrest witnessed at schools.
- We are happy to report that none of the schools where we offer mentorship was burnt down during the school unrests witnessed across the country. Over 200 schools were burnt down by students in other schools. We were called upon to calm the students down during the unrest.
- Valvisions followed up with students who sat their final examinations and are waiting to join college. We encouraged them to offer their service in their communities as a way of staying busy and out of trouble.
- We supported parents who had a hard time disciplining their students by offering counselling and guidance and reporting back to the parents on changed behavior.
- Visited and supported a home for the physically handicapped as part of our community service.
- We put three siblings through school courtesy of the Helen Valverde Scholarship Program. The students were needy and had no tuition fees. They are excelling at their new schools and getting counselling as they have been greatly traumatized in the past.