KCSE Results Are Available

 

Results for the KCSE (Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education) Exam taken in November by our 2013 Form 4 students have been released!  Sponsors can find results under the “Files” section in the private Yahoo Group (click on “KCSE Results”).

The KCSE Exam determines eligibility for admission to university, technical, and vocational schools.  Obtaining the KCSE is also important for students who are unable to continue their education, as it is required for most of the better-paying jobs in Kenya, including those in offices and the tourism industry. 

We are very proud of the Class of 2013, which performed quite well on the KCSE Exam.  Approximately half of the WHS students taking the KCSE Exam obtained a score of C+, which is the minimum grade required for entry to universities in Kenya.  In comparison, across Kenya only 27.46% of candidates achieved this score.  In addition, we are pleased to see that a number of WHS students earned scores high enough to qualify for university tuition subsidies.  For most of our students, qualifying for subsidized tuition is the only way that they can afford to attend university.

Thank you to all of our sponsors and supporters who donated to our KCSE Exam Fee drive to make taking this exam possible for our Form 4 students!

~Submitted by Brooke

Support a Dreamer - Give to the KCSE Fund

Please support our Waddington High School students and their dreams to receive a high school education.  Share this video with everyone you know!

You are always welcome to donate to the exam fund -- we collect funds year-round -- but this is our last week to receive donations in order to send them to the school in time to help this year's Form 4 students.  The fees must be paid in February, even though the students won't sit for the exams until November.  Simply click on the Donate button on the right to make a donation of any amount to the KCSE Fund.

Thank you for helping our students!

Note:  Double-click on the video to see it in full screen mode.  Hit escape key to return to blog.

KCPE/KCSE Fees Needed!

Kenya requires students to take cumulative examinations in order to receive certificates of completion for both primary and secondary school at the end of 8th grade and at the end of high school.  Obtaining these certifications is critical to the future success of our GPS and WHS students.  Achieving a certain KCPE (Kenyan Certificate of Primary Education) exam score is required for Standard 8 students to gain admission to secondary school while scores on the KCSE (Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education) exam determine university admissions for Form 4 students.  For those Form 4 students unable to continue on to university, obtaining the KCSE can mean the difference between a decent job or admission to trade school and struggling to make ends meet in the slums. 

Despite the importance of the KCPE and KCSE, the fees for these exams are extremely high compared to typical incomes.  The 2014 KCSE exam fee is $85 per student, while the KCPE is $9.25 per student.  While GPS and WHS parents are expected to contribute as much as they are able, these fees are simply out of reach for most of our families.  Therefore, each year we have a drive to raise as much as possible toward these exam fees.

Fanuel reports that we have 90 Form 4 candidates for the 2014 KCSE exam and 100 Standard 8 candidates for the KCPE exam.  We have $2191 set aside toward the KCSE exam through our WHS sponsorship program ($3 is set aside per WHS sponsorship per month toward the fee).  We have also had a little over $400.00 donated by sponsors, for a total of $2593.50. This amount will cover fees for 30 of the 90 graduating seniors. We do not have funds set aside for the KCPE exam fees, but have collected $58.50 toward those fees.

We need your help in ensuring more students are able to take these important exams.  Please consider donating to our exam funds to help our Standard 8 and Form 4 students achieve their dreams!  You can donate to either fund by clicking the “Donate” button to the right of this post and specifying “KCSE or KCPE fund” in the box marked “purpose.”  Any amount is welcome.

For more information please contact info@plantabook.org.

~submitted by Brooke

It's Almost Exam Time!

Fall is almost upon us! For our Form 4 students at Waddington High School, that means studying for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams, which they will be taking in the next couple of months.

As you know, here at Plant-a-Book International, we're passionate about making education available to children who have been raised in extreme poverty. Our hope is that gaining an education will help these young people break the cycle of poverty. Some of our high school students have ambitions to go to university and become accountants and doctors. Others want proof that they have a secondary education to find jobs after graduation. We want to make these goals achievable for them.

Before they can go on to college, students in Kenya must pass the KCSE exam. It covers three compulsory subjects -- English, Swahili and mathematics -- plus 2 science subjects, one humanities subject and one technical or practical subject, such as business studies, computers or agriculture. It costs $85.

Unfortunately, for most of our students, this exam is far too expensive. Many don't have money for food or books. The only meals many of our students eat are the ones provided at school, which are generously funded by our sponsors and donors and any contributions that parents are able to make.

Last year, we were thrilled to be able to to cover approximately one third of our Form 4 students in sitting for the exams, all based on funds from of our wonderful sponsors and donors! Now, it's time to raise money for next year's students.

The deadline to pay the KCSE fees is February 1, 2013. We have 92 Form 3 students who will be sitting the KCSE exams in 2013. Based on current sponsorships, we anticipate having enough funds set aside to cover 21 exams. That gives us less than 5 months to raise funds to assist the other 71 students who want to sit for these exams.

We appreciate every donation, whether it covers several students' fees or just a portion of one student's. Every little bit adds up to invest in these young people's futures. Because really, that's what Plant-a-Book is all about!

 

 

 

Submitted by Ashley Hagood, Staff Writer

Shop and Help Our Students!

Announcing Our Annual eBay Auction Fundraiser

November 12 – 20, 2011

Come shop with us!

Waddington High School and Galilee Primary School serve children living in horrible poverty in the slums of Nairobi.  These children often come from homes made of tin walls with no electricity or running water.  Some live in Holly House orphanages on campus.  It is a dream come true for these students to receive a high school education, but at the end of their senior year they face the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) exam.  The exam fees are cost prohibitive to students coming from the level of poverty our students are engulfed in. 

This is where YOU can help!

Please join Plant-a-Book International for our annual eBay Auction Fundraiser to raise money for exam fees for our Waddington High School students in Kenya.  Simply go to www.ebay.com and search for KCSE OR go to our website at www.plantabook.org and click on the eBay button to be taken directly to the items offered to benefit our students.  Plant-a-Book International is a registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.  We are completely volunteer operated.  All auction items have been donated so 100% of the proceeds from the auction (minus PayPal fees) will be used to pay for KCSE fees for our upcoming final year WHS students.  

  

You will find home décor items, jewelry, collectibles, baby items, scrapbook supplies, and much more!  This is a great time to do your holiday shopping and help needy students as well!

For more information about Plant-a-Book International and the work we do visit www.plantabook.org.

Thanks for shopping at our eBay Auction site!