St Mary Academy Kombewa

St Mary Academy Kombewa is a low cost private primary school in Kenya. For 15 years, has tackled access, quality, and relevance challenges in education affecting 30 million out of school children in Sub Saharan Africa. The poorest girl complete basic education 20 years after the poorest boy.Worldwide, 40% of children do not reach grade 4 or,if they do, fail to attain minimum learning outcomes.Two thirds of SSA youth are under educated for the work. COVID 19 adds uncertainties.

Even with four years in school, 1 out of 4 children in low and lower middle countries cannot read. We charge a low fee of US $ 120 per year for tuition, feeding, and transport with noted 100% transition at national examinations.We are partnering with iMlango Project technology infused classes.

My team and l are excited to in nurturing the 21st Century Learner on competencies not content as earlier in education.

According to the United Nation( 2015), Sub Saharan Africa, with the fastest growing population worldwide, from about 1 billion to two billion by 2050, with 30 million out of school children, faces access, quality, and relevance problems. Many are marginalized by socioeconomic status and the now advent of COVID 19.The poorest girl in SSA completes universal primary education 20 years after the poorest poor. Kenya has witnessed overcrowed classes. Therefore, in three decades time, 1 billion children will need an education.

UNICEF ( 2015), suggests up to 40% SSA children are failing to meet basic literacy and numeracy outcomes. Even after four years in school, 1 out of 4 young children in low and lower middle countries cannot read a sentence.

The ILO ( 2015), finds nearly two thirds of SSA youth are under educated for the work. This mismatch risks creating what the World Bank ( IMF, 2015) has called " a demographic disaster."

WE charge a low fee of US $ 120 per year per child.

This caters for tuition which includes instructional materials, teachers and support staff salaries, co curriculum activities such as sports.

There is a school feeding program which costs US $ 1 per day per learner outside  the school compound, however, we provide it at a quarter that amount to sustain the learners through the day.

The school van, introduced in 2019, has reduced transport to school in terms of time and costs, from US $ 1 to well below half per day for each  learner.

We also provide counseling services to our learners, such as sanitary towels to our girls.

The teachers also receive professional development in collaboration with stakeholders.

St Mary Academy Kombewa is a Low Cost Private Primary School in Kenya, targeting children from low and lower middle families aiming to nurture children's talents for sustainable livelihoods.

Many are marginalized due to rurality, gender, special needs, socioeconomic status and currently COVID 19.

Our low cost private school provides high quality, with harder working teachers always in class. Homework is assigned regularly and teachers are supported. The strong motivation is the affordable fee of US $120 per year per learner.

The school has attracted  and retained trained teachers, which has seen the school record best results since 2015 to 2019 in national examinations. The learners recorded not only high passes but all transiting to high school of choice. Since 2015, 70 girls and 50 boys have moved on to high school. The mean scores in national examinations have gone from 297.60 to 330.33 out of 500.00 in 2019.

In 2019, the school acquired a school van which has cautioned the school from time wasted on public transport and there high costs.

Currently, the school is holding discussion with a partner, myMlango e-learning Platform to introduce technology in our classes which will improve on collaboration, interaction and grading of assignment.

Access, quality, and relevance in education are a challenge to the girl child. The poorest girl completes universal primary education 20 years after the boy. Besides, 1 out of 4 cannot read a sentence at grade 4. The girl child remains the most vulnerable. UNICEF found that 1 in 10 girls in Africa miss school due to their periods. Others factors include child marriage, child labor, in Kenya only 22% of learners can access e-learning.Hence, St Mary Academy Kombewa will provide competencies to the 21st Century Learner.

Our solution provides quality education efficiently through having enough trained teachers, e-learning, transport with a focus on the vulnerable girl child. We also plan to reach out to partners in essential ares that will scale our services and impact on more beneficiaries.

The core technology that will spur St Mary Academy Kombewa will be the use of e-learning which will make teaching and learning efficient and ultimately functional for the 21st Century Learner.

myMlango e-learning Platform was borne of iMlango over public schools digital learning tool that is currently deployed in 240 schools with over 200,000 active users in Kenya. One can find them at, www.imlango.com

St Mary Academy Kombewa aims to attain student competencies through low cost, student centered approaches, technology infused classes, and community engagement for developmentally appropriate practices by trained teachers. These will ensure access, quality, and relevance problems in education in to the 30 million out of school children Sub Saharan Africa, United Nations ( 2015).

So  St Mary Academy Kombewa Theory of Change focuses on low cost fee. A survey in Nairobi, Kenya , shows on average having one child in a low cost private school costs 12% of the income of the household income, due to  quality and affordability. We charge US $ 120 per year.

Our teaching staff is well trained and working in a cooperative learning environment, hence students benefit a great deal.

There is a at least one meal a day, a key nutrient to improve concentration, producing better attitude for high performance.

We have provided school transport meaning all are in time for activities. The children likewise learn taking responsibility.

In 2020, we propose to partner with myMlango e-learning Platform to introduce digital learning at St Mary Academy Kombewa. Digital solutions enable access to educational tools, develop digital skills, and promote inclusive and quality education for all. In Kenya a report by Usawa, an NGO ( 2020), shows that 22 out of 100 children are accessing online learning whereby a child in a private school is twice as likely to access digital lessons compared to their counter parts in public schools.

The new Competency Based Curriculum emphasis on competencies unlike the earlier one which was on content. The 21st Century Learner is an innovator, self directed, economically literate,a collaborate, critically engaged, globally aware, a problem solver, and a critical thinker. We are excited to nurture this learner with all the above.

Currently the school has 280 pupils

In 2021  - 330 students

2025      - 530 students

 From 330 to 530 students by 5 years

-  Sustained better academic performance

- Increased revenue from increased enrollment

- Introduction of additional facilities like e-learning,

-  Source for funds from well wishers

- Lack of learning materials; such as textbooks, computers, laptops, pens,paper.
- Lack of family income, leads to drop outs.

- Lack of sanitary pads for girls. UNICEF found that 1 in 10 girls miss school due to their periods.

- Child labor. In 2012, there were 168 million children in work.

- Discrimination against pregnant teenage leads to girls drop out from school. During the 2020 COVID 19 pandemic, Kenya has recorded 4000 teenage pregnancies, since March, 2020 when schools were shut down.

-Gender discrimination due to cultural and financial matters leads to drop out from school.

- Truancy ( skipping school). This is a personal barrier whereby the learner does not schooling due to teaching style, social aspects of education.

- Exclusion due to disability largely because resources to screen and diagnose disabilities are lacking.

- Chronic illness. These children miss school. COVID 19 has kept learners out of school in 2020.

- Natural disasters and climate change. This destroy infrastructure, hence disruption of learning.

- Lack of facilities such as classrooms, latrines, computer labs, dining hall, water sources, play equipment and fields.

- Child marriage. In poorer nations, one in three girls are married before the age of 18, hence the girls drop out of school.

- For instructional materials, we would charge slightly more to raise the same from parents.

- Family income could be subsided through receiving out to charities, scholarships.

- Source sanitary pads from well wishers and donors.

- Teenage pregnancy will be addressed by assuring them of their positions once they return from home.

- Advocate for increased labor standards that prevent child labor.

-  On truancy, work with students to make school friendly.

- Child marriage needs strict interventions against all involved.

- For chronic illness, ensure learners get medical care and remedial lessons provided.

- For disability, advocate for their rights.

- For disasters, make contingency plans.

- Organize for fund raising

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12 teachers

6 support staffs

Teachers

All teachers are trained with several years of experience.

Support Staff

They have offered catering services, transport, security successfully

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St Mary Academy Kombewa Business Model

- Key Resources; Teachers, Support staff, Fees, Classrooms, Instructional materials, Transport, Meals.

- Key Activities; Tuition, Co curriculum like sports, Transport, Catering, Security

- Partners and Key stakeholders; Parents, myMlango e-learning Platforms, Suppliers

- Type of Intervention; A school offering tuition services to learners

- Channels;  Word of mouth, SMS, Phone calls, Emails

- Segments; Early Childhood Education, age 3 years old to 5 years old, Primary Education from 6 years old to 13 years old

- Value Proposition; Impact measure-learners transit from one level to the next after achieving the required competencies

- Cost Structure; Salaries, maintenance, suppliers, expansions,

- Surplus; Expanding teaching staff, classrooms, e-learning, electricity, water supply, learning equipment

Revenue; 100% charging fees

We will be charging US $ 120 per year in 2020 as we look to sourcing for donations, grants and loans.

- Lack of instructional materials; Textbooks, pens, papers, computers, laptops, are key to teaching and learning.

- Lack of family income is caused by poverty leading to drop outs.

- Girls lack sanitary towels, this means they miss school which affects their academic achievements

- There is need to advocate for teenage pregnant girls resume their  education after delivery.

- Child labor has continued due to poverty, hence, donors need to come give support.

- Lack of quality education in  school due to inadequate funding

- Child marriage ought to be stopped by raising advocacy and increasing standards that will prevent this practice.

- Gender discrimination ought to be stopped through awareness and equality

- Truancy is reduced by having curricula in schools that are child friendly

- There should be increased screening and diagnosis of disability and provision of necessary equipment

- Chronic  illness is handled by having awareness on public health issues and provision of medical care. Currently, COVID 19 has  disrupted the school academic  year with a lot of uncertainties after  schools  open

- Contingency plans opt to be place to overcome natural disasters and climate change

- Lack of infrastructure such as classrooms, wash rooms, computer labs, dining hall, electricity, water supply.

We need our business model to be fine tuned. We have been in business for 15 years. The only significant measure will can display is the excellence in academics, however, we believe to use the good will of our parents  to scale beyond the present school, thus, more learners will be able to benefit.

We would wish to partner with;

- Business advisers

- Financial advisers

- E-learning  partners

- School partnerships programs

- Crowd funders

- School resource partners

- School exchange programs

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St Mary Academy Kombewa offers education to the  girl child  where in SSA  the poorest girls complete universal primary education 20 years after the poorest boy this among other challenges they face. Through e- learning the girl child will overcome most of these barriers and be empowered for employment in the future.

Due to the enormous problems faced by the girl child like child labor, child marriage, disability, discrimination, provision of e- learning will be a welcome gift towards playing on the same field as the boy child. They learn educational skills, digital skills, career progression thereafter.

St Mary Academy Kombewa is reaching out to partners in e-learning with a goal to enable humanity tuse the acquired digital skills for livelihood in the future as a career.

At St Mary Academy Kombewa, there are learners whose success will impact many more in the near future should it come to pass that they attain there dreams.