By Murithi Kinoti
Kajiunduthi High School is not only the best guarded educational institution in Tharaka-Nithi County but also one of the academic giants in the region going by 2016 KCSE exam results.
The school in Muthambi Location of Maara Sub-County whose security is guaranteed 24 hours a day is a mixed boarding secondary school though currently with girls only in Form Four but with plans already in place to phase out the girls section and remain only a boys school by next year.
The heightened security in Kajiunduthi High School is enhanced by a total of 24 CCTV cameras which are installed in various parts of the school compound and connected to two screen monitors.
One of the screen monitors is found at the gate of the school, inside the school guards’ room and the main screen is found in the school Principal’s office.
All the school guards guarding various parts of the school walk around with walkie-talkie radio gadgets to constantly keep in touch with the guardroom at the gate in case of any incident in the part of the school they are guarding.
Mr. Rachi Kirimi, the school Principal says that with CCTV cameras monitoring every corner of school compound, many school related crimes could very easily be nipped in the bud. He says sneaking of students from the school as well as students picking other students’ clothing can be history.
He says he learnt about CCTV cameras and how they can improve school security while they were in a routine Principals’ conference whereby it was explained to them how it works to monitor every activity taking place in any corner of the school compound in which the cameras are fixed.
He embraced the idea and went ahead to implement it and it has really seen the school security boosted immensely and he has advised fellow principals to heighten their schools security by installing CCTV cameras.
The Principal says that CCTV cameras heightened security in any education institution can equally work wonderfully well to stop undesired characters in the communities neighbouring the schools like drug peddlers and illicit brew dealers from engaging the students in their illegal businesses.
“Many schools in our country are neither completely secure as most of them are not well fenced nor guarded 24 hours and are therefore prone to some sort of insecurity and crime from outside as well as inside,” Mr Rachi said.
From inside, students can be involved in petty crimes like picking their schoolmates clothing and sneaking from school through weak points of the school fences while from outside undesirable community characters like drug pushers and those brewing illicit brews can be in contact with the students.
All these problems can be brought to an abrupt end if CCTV cameras are installed within various parts of the school compound to monitor all activities happening there.
“In one case in our school we reversed the camera manning the boys’ hanging lines and we easily apprehended those who’d picked school shirts belonging to their schoolmates,” said the Principal.
Kajiunduthi High School is also one of the schools known nationally for co-curricular activities like rugby and athletics which has seen their students compete at national level year in year out. To stump their authority in co-curricular activities at national level, they won a shield in rugby sevens in 2016.
Academically, the school is one of the best performing in Tharaka-Nithi County going by 2016 KCSE exam results. They had 38 students who attained grade C+ and above and destined for university.
The most unique thing about Kajiunduthi High School is the philanthropic nature of the students. They’ve a programme called ‘Students to Students’ to help needy colleagues pay school fees through contributions they raise among themselves.
The school’s best student in 2016 KCSE who scored B+ had fee arrears amounting close to Sh60, 000 and his classmates prevailed upon the principal not to send him away and they helped him pay the fee balance.
Teachers too have not been left out as currently they are paying school fee for a needy Form Four student. Recently, combined effort between the students and teachers raised Sh50,000 to help a needy Form Two student undergo an eye surgery.
Mr. Rachi is all praises to the students for their philanthropic gesture in their endeavour to see their very needy schoolmates remain in school so that they can learn together as opposed to being sent away for lack of school fee.
He says at times they even forgo lunch so that the cost of the skipped meal can go to help a needy case among them.
“They once requested me not to send away a Form Four who had fee arrears of Sh58,000 and later they helped him to clear the outstanding fee and eventually the student became the best by scoring a B+,” Rachi confirmed.
The principal also lauded the Board of Management led by the Chairman, Gilbert Mutembei, a retired magistrate, for great support they have accorded him together with his teaching staff and the entire school fraternity.
Mr. Rachi said the support has ensured Kajiunduthi High School’s excellence in academic performance, co-curricular activities, modern security and establishing conducive learning environment for the students.
