Top Schools Awarded at GTPS Gala Awards
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, private schools, curriculum experts, and teachers were present at Great Places to School (GTPS) gala awards. They all agreed that infrastructure development and a holistic approach in evaluating student success contribute to impactful education.
The GPTS, a partnership between Standard Group PLC and Global Peace Foundation Kenya, is a research-based rating exercise that identifies, rates, and recognizes schools whose innovative learning environment and overall culture contribute to the development of holistic children.
The theme of the forum was ‘Transforming Education for the Future.’ The forum included panel discussions, speeches, and awards given to schools that have excelled in various categories to create all-round learners.
The final effects of acquired knowledge, skills, and understanding are the ability to become change agents. The forum emphasized that the best way to produce students who will become agents of change is through quality education.
During the gala, awards were given to schools that excelled in 11 categories. The categories were moral & innovative school leadership, values, skills & character, school safety, health & sanitation, career guidance & workforce readiness, transformative, technology & digital skills, academic excellence, extra-curricular activities, global competence, climate action, equity & inclusion, and scholarship & corporate social responsibility.
For high school, Nairobi International School won the values, skills & character category, while Kiota School topped the primary level.
Crawford International School won the award for school safety, health & sanitation for high schools, while the Sharp Education Centre won for primary.
Makini School emerged as the best for career guidance & workforce readiness in high schools, while Brookshine Schools won in the primary level. Machogu, the chief guest, presented the awards to both public and private schools.
GTPS awards gala aimed to recognize schools that foster an innovative learning environment and contribute to the development of holistic children. The forum emphasized that quality education results in impactful outcomes that enable citizens to understand the world better and offer solutions to society’s problems.
The awards given to schools that excelled in different categories aim to encourage schools to continue improving their teaching methods and student learning experiences.
The MPESA Foundation Academy has been recognized for its transformative technology and digital skills for high schools, while Merishaw School topped in the primary school level category.
Meanwhile, Maseno School emerged as the top school for academic excellence in high schools, and Acacia Crest Academy was recognized in the primary school level category.
In terms of extra-curricular activities, AIC Cheptonon Secondary won in the high school category, while Chadwick Academy topped the primary school level.
For the global competence category, Nairobi International School won for high schools, and Woodland Star International School topped in the primary school level category.
The Excellence School and Acacia School were recognized under the moral and innovative school leadership category for high school and primary school groups, respectively.
In the category of climate action in high schools, Silibwet Secondary School won, while Young Muslims Academy topped the primary school level.
Greenland Girls for Teenage Mothers won in the equity and inclusion category for high school, while Little Rock IECD Center topped in the primary school level. The M-Pesa Foundation Academy won in the scholarship and corporate social responsibility category for high schools, while Acacia Crest Academy topped in the primary level.
CS Machogu commended the GPTS initiative’s organizers, saying that their collective efforts play a key role in nurturing and encouraging learners to gain confidence.
He noted that the Basic Education Curriculum Framework aims to nurture every learner’s potential, promote morals and values, and enable learners to become competitive and ethical citizens.
Standard Group PLC CEO Orlando Lyomu said that the GPTS initiative was rolled out in partnership with Global Peace Foundation Kenya, and there have been no regrets. Lyomu noted that the initiative provides a platform to discuss how to improve the quality of education, not just focusing on academic achievement.
Global Peace Foundation Kenya Executive Director Daniel Juma said that the GPTS initiative is hinged on seven national goals of education and has encouraged private and public schools to work hard and attract students from Kenya and abroad.
Finally, Precious Wangeci of Al-Khair Foundation emphasized the need to assess and evaluate the progress of learning techniques, taking a holistic approach by looking at teachers’ satisfaction and parents’ views, and benchmarking with other schools and countries to see the positive impact of new teaching techniques.
Top Schools Awarded at GTPS Gala Awards
