Laikipia will soon be home to a top-tier girls’ school thanks to the father of Mary Murimi, who had a vision for girls’ education and his daughter. Professor Mary Murimi and her dear dad who donated land. Photo: Maru Murimi. Source: UGC In an interview with TUKO.co.ke, Murimi shared that she has been away in America for about three decades and is now back in the country where she is set to open the Top of the Hill Junior and Senior School for Girls. “I have been in the US for the last 30 years and while there, I attended graduate school at Iowa State University then started working as a nutritionist or dietitian at Louisiana Tech University. I recently retired from Texas Tech University,” she explained.
Why does Muirimi have a passion for education? According to Murimi, her passion for nutrition education came while she was a student at Kenyatta University pursuing diploma in education. Search option is now available at TUKO! Feel free to search the content on topics/people you enjoy reading about in the top right corner 😉 As part of her course, she was required to do a project, and landed in Ukambani on a mission to identify the factors that affect families with malnourished children. “While I was there, I noticed I had malnourished children despite them having mangoes, sukuma wiki, chicken and eggs; it didn’t make sense,” she said. The next day, the mother packed mangoes, eggs, and vegetables, and off they went to the market, where someone came in a Peugeot and bought everything. The mother then went to the bus station nearby, where she bought soda, white bread, and rice, and we went home. “That is when it occurred to me that my people are dying because of a lack of knowledge. Although this was a poor family, it wasn’t a lack of food that caused malnutrition, but a lack of knowledge,” she said.
“The child would not have been malnourished if she had three eggs a week and some of the sukuma wiki. That made me go to the US to be a community-based dietitian and researcher. I don’t want to treat people in the hospital, I didn’t want to prevent people from going to the hospital,” she said. A corridor inside the The Top of the Hill School. How did Murimi’s dad show passion for education? Murimi grew up in a humble family in Laikipia, and her father worked as a driver for a rancher. Although he only managed to study up to Class Four, he really loved education and wanted education for all his boys and girls. “He was unlike other fathers at that time, who would not take the girls to school. For quite some time, I was the only girl who started in elementary school and completed in Class Seven. Girls would come and drop out, leaving me with only boys,” said the professor. “My father was disturbed that many girls were uneducated and would ask other kids to join our family and pay fees for them. He stayed for years without salary to pay for my education.
While at KU, I used my money to educate the other siblings, and although we were poor, we all got educated and did something with our lives,” she added. Mary Murimi, who fundraised for the school. Photo: Mary Murimi. Source: UGC How was Top of the Hill School conceptualised? Although Murimi’s siblings were all educated, her dad was still disturbed about the others, and while still a young girl, he gifted her a piece of land with instructions to use it for educating girls. “Although my father reached Class Four, he had a vision to enlighten the world. That coupled with my research, where I found that when a woman is educated, her children will also go to school and get access to health, helped me conceptualise the Top of the Hill School,” said Murimi.
Murimi presented very grim facts that revealed only a third of girls are in school. The rest don’t get an education and end up selling themselves for as little as KSh 50 and do things they shouldn’t do because of KSh 10. “An educated woman has a decision-making opportunity; they are entrepreneurs and change everything. They are not just there for themselves but they are advocates for the community. Despite all those advantages, many can’t even read and write; I want to step in, I want to join my father,” she said. Inside classrooms at Top of The Hill School. Photo: Mary Murimi. Source: UGC What stands out about Top of the Hill School? When TUKO.co.ke asked about Top of the Hills school, Murimi’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. She explained that her school was under a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) she started.
“I didn’t act immediately after conceptualising the school. I first got a aboard and for seven years, I was the only one contributing to the school’s inception. A lady on the board said that is what she had in mind and gave us seed money. We held a harambee here in Kenya last year as well. “We want to develop a school where the girls can understand the concepts and apply; This is where the Competency-based Curriculum comes in. We will develop a big farm where the girls will practice agriculture, food processing, and will be selling food to the school,” she said animatedly. Enter practical lessons According to Murimi, they want the girls to understand money practically. We will be having a clinic, and the students who want to study medicine will learn how to take blood pressure, temperature, and signs of a stroke. While on holiday, they will be treating the community. Additionally, the curriculum of the school will lean heavily towards Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as well. “Girls, for a long time have been shying away from science because they they think is hard,” said Murimi with a soft chuckle.
“I am a scientist and I know the benefits of science and science is about evidence. You can be a musician but a scietist as well. Data can help you learn why vernacular songs are selling more than contemporary ones. It can help them be better in their chosen profession” she explained Murimi also said that Top of the Hill school is also an agent to develop integrity in the girls because corruption is such a problem in this country. “We also want them to develop compassion despite being intelligent,” she said. A part for the huge school in Laikipia. Photo: Mary Murimi. Source: UGC Why did Kenyans schools sadden Professor Murimi While benchmarking for her school, Muirmi felt so sorry at the state of some schools. “There were about 70 kids in one classroom and if there was fire in that room no one would escape. My school will have about 40 students and there will be student-focused learning,’ shes said.. At full capacity, there will be 600 girls and the visionary professor has partnered with four companies to ensure that the girls get industrial attachments while still at her school. She is working to get more.
“Admission will be on merit and if they are poor they don’t have to worry about it. I want us to look for scholarships for those who can’t pay. They will all work and that is where some scholarships will come from,’ she said. “Right now we have have nine classes and other facilities. We are opening in January and and there will be a grand opening in May. We hope they will start applying and we can start vetting them. The school is still itemising the fees and will share the information later,” she said. As it stands, the school is interviewing for teachers as well, and the professor is concerned that not many people have applied to teach music, acting, and sports. For inquiries and applications, one can use admissions@topofthehillgss.org.
Alternatively, they can use 0742951200 or 0751813790. Although her dear dad is not there to see his vision come alive, Murimi’s mum will be around for the grand opening. Nyatike school giving hope to needy girls Another story highlighted the Wiser Girls Secondary School, which is a beacon of hope for young girls who come from humble backgrounds. Migori is among the counties in Nyanza where there is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, early teenage pregnancies, and child marriage cases. For the last 14 years, Wiser Girls Secondary School has been offering free secondary education to the girls and supporting them all the way to university. The program was, however, in danger due to financial challenges.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
