| I never attended High School graduation ceremony. | | | | Kenya Advanced Certificate of Education (KACE) |
| Most of the High Schools or Secondary Schools as it | | | | was a great accomplishment and it was almost |
| is known in Kenya are boarding schools. Many | | | | between life and death. |
| students are happy to finish their final exams and will | | | | Kenyan system of education also had two years of |
| have to wait for two to three months before they | | | | post secondary school before going to University. |
| know the results. This is different from the American | | | | During my school times, there were only four public |
| High Schools graduation. Yesterday I dropped one of | | | | universities. Out of 10,000 high school graduates, only |
| my foster kids for her graduation night. All the | | | | 3,000 were eligible to join the public universities. The |
| students were going Del Mar in Los Angeles for boat | | | | passing grade for university intake was B+ and |
| excursion. She was dressed in jeans and her class | | | | above. Many Kenyan students who did not have an |
| t-shirt. On arrival at the school, all girls were dressed | | | | opportunity to attend public universities had the |
| elegantly. She got a rude shock and wanted to go | | | | options of starting their own businesses (jua kali) |
| back home. I pointed to her that she has worked so | | | | which was a government sponsored program to |
| hard in the last four years that other peoples' | | | | make energy saving equipments. Others who could |
| dressing would not deter her from having a good | | | | afford went to study abroad. |
| time. She finally agreed to go and really had a blast. | | | | The two years of high school was eliminated about |
| She did not return until 3:00 am this morning. | | | | fifteen years ago. Comparing high school in America, |
| A high school diploma can be a gateway to post | | | | successful high school academic careers require |
| secondary, better employment and a successful | | | | students to push themselves, especially during senior |
| college career. Most of jobs require some type of | | | | year. Students are encouraged to take advance |
| training or education beyond high school and most | | | | courses and begin considering what colleges may fit |
| institutions of higher education want applicants to be | | | | them best. This may not be so for other foreign |
| high school graduates. A high school graduates earn | | | | countries where the government determines the cut |
| higher salaries than none graduates. They are less | | | | off pass mark and who will or will not attend the |
| likely to depend on public or government assistance, | | | | university. |
| health care, or to engage in criminal activity. A higher | | | | Education is a great challenge for many students, but, |
| level of education typically means better employment | | | | for children who have been abused and neglected, |
| prospects and increased personal satisfaction and self | | | | education is even greater challenge. Many of the |
| discovery. | | | | system children (children who are award of the |
| A high school diploma can be a ticket to moving into | | | | court) are not able to have the competitiveness with |
| higher education. Colleges and universities require | | | | other students and their frequent change of group |
| students to have a diploma in order to enroll. Some | | | | homes and foster homes makes this determination |
| colleges also accept applicants who have a General | | | | less productive. Many of the teenagers I have |
| Education Diploma (GED), but will prefer the traditional | | | | worked with are terrified upon reaching age 16 and |
| diploma. Today, college may be more important than | | | | have only 35 credits before graduating. A total of |
| ever before. Not only is it beneficial for students who | | | | 221-250 credits are required for graduation. Some of |
| want successful careers later in life, but it also | | | | these teenagers give up, but few are able to |
| provides an experience that students will remember | | | | continue with adult schools school or independent |
| forever. | | | | studies with support from caring foster parents or |
| The Kenyan system of education requires students | | | | group home staff. |
| to study for three years and on their last year, they | | | | Many of us will agree that, days spent in secondary |
| will be tested on all subjects studied for the past | | | | and high schools were the best days of our lives. It |
| four years. This can be very stressful for a student | | | | was in school that we made our first friends, learned |
| to remember all courses studies during the past four | | | | to compete and excel, hoped for places in the sport |
| years. Kenyan system of education is borrowed from | | | | teams, and learned the basics of life. The high school |
| the British system of education. There are no multiple | | | | graduation may be celebrated this week for many |
| choices-students have to remember everything. I | | | | students, but education still continues as long as we |
| remember during my final exam in November of a | | | | allow ourselves to learn. |
| few years back, the stress I faced. Passing the | | | | |