HABARI NEWS: DECEMBER 2019 – MARCH 2020
I wish to start this blog letter with the news that the Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School had in 2019 good success with graduates moving on to high school. 38/39 students passing with very good scores. All moving on to high school. I Congratulate our teaching staff under the leadership of the Headteacher Mr. Chepkwony, his Deputy Mr. Victor Ochieng and all those who work in the school to make this happen. We are also thankful to officers of the Education office Narok and all our school parents for the moral support and encouragement. We cannot forget our many benefactors who have helped the school to be where it is now making it a learning institution mostly the Maasai children who are the majority in the School. As I write this blog letter I was informed by our acting head teacher Sister Agnes that Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School was recognized as the most improved private school in the area, the students and staff celebrated as they received a certificate and a trophy for this feat. Once again, I wish to thank Mr. Johnstone Chepkwony for his leadership that earned the school this recognition.
FATHER SYMON NTAIYIA VISIT: I went to Kenya for my annual break on October 16th. 2019 and I was there until November 28th. Like every year I had very warm welcome by students and staff in the school. The general atmosphere in the school was great and School activities were going on well as the students were getting ready for the end of the year examinations. The country this time was calm, and politically seemed to be going on well all- over but for the usual political battling among the leaders that is ever in the news. Some parts of the country were dry but there were no reports of drought or famine. Early November it was reported that there were rains well distributed in the country and we kept having occasional rains and they are now reporting floods that have claimed lives in some parts of the country.
MEETING THE STUDENTS
In the welcoming gathering I acknowledge and welcome the little ones, 3rd graders and any new student who may have joined Father Ntaiyia School during the year and who I meet for the first time during this visit. We stood outside the classrooms as in an assembly for about half an hour with almost all the students pushing at each other trying to come near me. They asked questions about my (safari) trip and home in the US and what I do, hardly would I finish answering one question before the next one is asked.
The ongoing students started their end of the school year examinations two days after my arrival and I was only able to visit with them during lunch break or after 4 PM. The teachers graded the exams and were ready in time for end of the year report. I was able to have a meeting with the teaching staff before the closing day for the ongoing students and were discussed a number of things relating to the school year, and the students’ progress as they end the year and head home for a long break. There was going to be another meeting before the graduating class takes their public examinations.
It has been my tradition that during my visiting the School we chose one day to celebrate my being there with School community. We do this with an exceptional meal for students and staff and last year we had it on the last Sunday October with all the students in the School.
We started our day with celebration of Mass with the intention of praying for success of our candidates, after Mass there follows entertainment songs and dance and then farewell speeches from two students leaders who share their experience and life in Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School, speeches by teachers, school matron and the proprietor. Songs of farewell brought tears to many.
Thursday Oct. 24 was the closing day for ongoing students, we had a school assembly in our spacious Dining room and class teachers gave their reports to students. We also appraised and give gifts to our students who may have been outstanding on some school services and activities. At the end everyone student gets something and this time I brought many pens and pencils from Students of Wayne Central School in Ontario and some Willy Wonka T-shirt given by Gagliano family
from our parish. At about 4 PM the Headteacher declared the end of the school trimester and announce the opening date for the new year to be January 6th. 2020. Some parents were already in the school and requested to take their children. Some students had to wait for the following day of which by 12 PM all the children had been taken by their parents. I had an opportunity of meeting some parents as they took their children, most of them whom I met for the first time were very appreciative of Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School in many ways.
PUBLIC EXAMINATION: Our candidates for public examinations in 2019 had to be in school for about a week after the others had left. After their examinations they also left Father Ntaiyia School for good. I visited them every day when they had a break from studies in preparation for their examinations.
Teachers kept them busy in what needed to be done and samples of past examinations. When the examination days arrived, they were conducted well by officers appointed by the Ministry of Education and a security officer who came to school before 8 AM after picking the examinations papers from the custody where heads of all schools had to go as early as 4 AM. The last paper was done at about 12 Noon on the last day of Exams. I was in front of the School offices where I waited for them and congratulated them, we took some pictures and let the go to prepare for the next events. School cooks and other staff had prepared a farewell lunch party which we share with lots of joy.
After lunch the students has time return all schoolbooks and other items that were in their hands and those who could, left that afternoon while the others waited for their parents the following day. I also had time to meet some parents of our class if 2019
EXAMINATION RESULTS: Like last year the examination results were out in three weeks, and day they were announced we all got eager to know how our students did. It is very possible now that each candidate can access their results online via cell phone from wherever they may be. This year we had 39 candidates and all, but one made it to High School. We had about 32% improvement of points from last year thanks to our teachers, other staff in the school and all the students for working hard. The one girl who had low points can still go to private high schools if parents want her to. After we received the results of our students, I call the teachers back for a meeting and we discussed the examination results the generally we were happy with the good effort this year.
HEADTEACHER: Mr. Johnstone Chepkwony who has been in Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School for about five years and has headed it for two years was offered a government job and had to leave at the end of December. As I mentioned in the past, we are glad to let our teachers take a job that is better paying and has other benefits that we can not offer. I thank Mr. Johnstone for his leadership in the school and for working diligently with Education Offices in Narok for the good of Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School. I wish him and his family well. I have appointed Sister Agnes who worked closely with him to be the acting Head teacher for now.
MAINTENANCE WORK IN THE SCHOOL: Each year before I leave for Kenya, I ask the School’s maintenance to staff to inspect the buildings and items in the school for repairs and development that may need my attention when I visit. Staff in various department is also consulted. This gives me ideas of what may need to be done during my visit and I make a projected budget that is required buy BOD members of Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School Charity to whom I make request for funding of such projects. We had a meeting before I left for Kenya and I presented to the BOD members an estimated budget of things that needed to be done during visiting the school. Once the BOD has accepted to fund the projects, I usually prefer to I go to Kenya first to see and evaluate the projects and prioritize them before I ask for the funds.
While in Kenya I made a list of things that needed to be done and I gave a projected budget and money was sent to me to start working on. 1. Dormitories floor repairs 2. Storage rooms / workshop 3. Roofing storage rooms /workshop 4. Painting wall of 4 classrooms 5. Extension of a prayer room in the house used by Sisters. 6. A refrigerator for Sisters 7. Year 2020 New textbooks for 4th. graders and additional for the other grades. 8. A heavy-duty copier for the School 9. Three trucks of firewood 10. Repairs and electric wiring.
- DORMITORIES FLOOR REPAIRS
- STORAGE ROOMS / WORKSHOP
- EXTENSION OF A PRAYER ROOM IN THE HOUSE USED BY
- SISTERS.
- A REFRIGERATOR FOR SISTERS
- 2020 NEW TEXTBOOKS FOR 4TH. GRADERS AND ADDITIONAL FOR THE OTHER GRADES.
- A HEAVY-DUTY COPIER FOR THE SCHOOL
- THREE TRUCKS OF FIREWOOD
I was able to get most of the work done and purchased items that needed to be bought but there was still some work left to be done under the supervision of my grandnephew and I was in communication with him after I returned to the US and all the pending work was completed in the first half of January 2020. Donations from Friends through Friends of Father Ntaiyia Jubilee Charity have helped us to maintain and repairs in this School as well as funding new projects such as those listed and pictured in this letter. The donations we receive from you whenever you give during the year and especially around Christmas have always helped our school budget in such a way that we have not increased School fees for the last 7 years and this has made us to keep school fees affordable for parents of our students.
Allow me to thank the BOD of Friends of Father Ntaiyia Charity through which we receive donations. Their commitment to the meetings and moral support of ideas that lead to success of such projects in the school making it better for learner.
Like any other year in the past, 2019 had own challenges to the school budget for the same reason that prices of many staple commodities we use in school continue to rise. Economic difficulties are also faced by families some of whom are not able to meet their school fees in time each trimester. One consequence of incomplete fee payment is that some schools send students home until they make the payments which means the students who go home may miss classes for some days. Sometimes even the students who have completed their fees are not taught in those schools because of the meagre numbers due to those who have gone home. (We avoid frequent sending students’ home for fees in Father Ntaiyia).
HABARI NEWS: In the past I wrote a blog letter practically each month. There were many things to report on then as the school buildings were being constructed and parents visiting day was allowed in School. This gave us a lot of pictures and news. There is not much news now that major constructions are done, parents are no longer having a visiting day instead the students go home for one week half term break. It is very likely therefore, that Habari News will be once a trimester or when the news and pictures to share are available. As in many other countries this letter come to our friends and readers while our students are out of school because of COVI-19.
Friends and readers may have come across information that during my last visit in Kenya that I was interviewed by the National Television team in their studio and that was followed by an article on my 40 years ministry posted in a local media. Below are the links
https://youtu.be/7Z6lyj7bCHg
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2020-01-25-kenyan-us-catholic-priest-looks-back-on-his-40-year-journey-of-serving-god/
With gratitude
Fr. Symon Ntaiyia email: frntaiyia@yahoo.com
School website: https://mhl.hxi.mybluehost.me/website_e30e867a