"Not Bad" and Not Good

“Not bad.” This was Leonard’s answer when asked about his recently released KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) score. Seeking a more enlightening answer, without possible embarrassment, I replied, “Will you be able to fulfil your dream?” His smile appeared. “I’m going to Strathmore University.” Leonard’s parents are likely not saying his scores were “Not bad.” Strathmore has high admission standards and their degrees are ranked the best in East Africa!

Thank you for praying in recent months for Standard Eight (Primary) and Form Four (High School) students as they took national exams at the end of last year and as they waited weeks for their results. Standard Eight students learned their scores in January – those who did well and had finances have begun their high school studies. Last year’s KCSE (High School) scores were released two weeks ago and unfortunately few kids received not bad scores. “Of the 305,000 candidates who sat the papers (exams), only 72,649 or 24 per cent scored C+, which is the minimum for university entry” (“Top Marks for Alliance” – Daily Nation, 3/4/09, pp,1,2,16). The scores were much lower than past years – not unexpected as last year’s post-election chaos led to many schools missing one-third of the school year, as well as disruptions when school strikes erupted during second term (May-July). To add to the discouragement, it was announced that of those who did qualify, “60,000 to miss varsity slots” (Daily Nation, 3/4/09, p.9) as “there are limited placed in the public universities” and they can only accept “about 10,000 each year … Of those who will not find a place in public universities, some 10,000 are expected to join private universities while another 10,000 will join foreign ones.”

What will happen to the 40,000 kids with a C+ or above score who will not be offered positions in universities/colleges, the 230,000 others who scored lower, and those who skipped the tests? Some will attend other types of professional training and many will have no further opportunities for traditional education. With all this bad news in need of prayer, there is one praise item. Most college/university/training programmes will not begin until next September or January ’10, so as students await further studies or make “What next?” plans, many churches offer special training for high school leavers (graduates).

One such programme, INDA, is sponsored by Parklands Baptist Church. This year, 65 young men and women, are participating in this January-August intense Christian leadership/discipleship training which includes: Involvement in missions; Nurturing to maturity; Development of God’s given potential; and Acquisition of knowledge and experience. This week, Leonard and 59 other INDA participants are on a mission trip to the Ilchamus, an unreached people group in the Rift Valley. Pray for these kids as they share their faith, work with needy schools, and help with relief efforts. As you also pray for the thousands of high school kids facing uncertain futures, praise God for churches that offer intense spiritual training to their kids who desire to grow in their faith. Bert Yates