Book harvesting I Ebwambwa in Kakamega county
BY WANJALA .B. DANSON
Just as an ordinary crop harvesting experience, where the outcome of the harvest is evidence of the input and effort spent to achieve it, so is the attitude towards achieving a book harvest.
The amount of crops harvested will go hand in hand with the labor and capital spent by the farmer. This was the situation at Ebwambwa secondary school during a recent book harvest where books well-over ksh130, 000 were donated.
First and foremost I must give credit where it’s due and on this case all my praise goes to the principal Mrs. Jessica Sikuku who was the brainchild and the chief architect of this auspicious occasion. One remarkable feat well worth of praise is the large turnout of guests she managed to call out, and ones that actually came to grace this event. There are a number of things that could have gone wrong and thwart the event but due do her preparedness and special acquaintances everything worked out.
the road to Ebwambwa is very treacherous, one unwritten rule of going to new places is to keep thinking of ways to remember unique features to assist in your journey back. This appeared to be an uphill task considering the number of bends and poor road network leading to the school. The school is placed on top of a small hill and being located in a remote area you can understand why the number of guests who showed up is an achievement.
Another feat pulled by principal Sikuku was how the little known school managed to host an event that caught the eye of an entire society relevant to the cause of the event. The guests ranged from bookshop owners, other principals, oxford publishers, local supermarkets and even a representative from Masinde Muliro University which is the area university. The representation of the university, according to Mrs. Milka Aswa who was acting on behalf of the then acting vice chancellor professor A.J Sigot “this is a thing the university has been doing all over the region in order to empower the youth. If we empower them at an early stage it makes it easier for many of them to join us later on.” reiterated Milka.
The school has only two levels of education (form 1 and 2) with a total population of 80 students, and is one of the milestones achieved by the constituency development funds (CDF), in the region. The project which began in 2009 has helped reduce drastically the distance local residents send their children to seek knowledge. I can remember vividly the optimism the students wore on their young and bright faces when the guests started to trickle in one by one till finally the arrival of the guest of honor Anne Kang’ethe who is the head of quality, assurance and standards Vihiga district. With the arrival of Kang’ethe the event kick started with much gusto and on to entertainment it was. The hall was filled with ululations from the students who had poems prepared and danced to match the gyrating beats of the isukuti drum. The way they moved their energetic bodies could make the late king of pop Michael Jackson turn on his grave green with envy.
Then followed the speeches and what I picked from the guest speaker was the efficiency of unity. Kang’ethe filled the ears of the future generation with wisdom and motivating words, at some point likening their success to that of the traditional three stone stove where each stone plays a part in providing stability for the pot and is dependent on the other to achieve a common goal. According to Kangethe, “everyone has a role to play and the three stones represents the parents, teachers and last but not least the students.”
The pivotal role the parents are to play is to offer financial stability in terms of paying school fees and providing the uniforms for their children to allow them stay in school and minimize the disruptions of having them sent away from school time and again.
“The teachers are supposed to act as role models to the students and guide them through the syllabus armed with adequate knowledge and proper tools at their dispensation.” said Kang’ethe in reference to the part the teachers had to play in building the students academically.
This brings us back to the purpose of the book harvest which principal Sikuku narrowed down to, “gathering of books to be used as learning tools.”
It was evident that the students looked up to their teachers as role models and teachers paint the first images of success from the way they dress and from their personal success stories.
The last stone which plays the major role in the results that will be posted however lies on the students.
“Their part is to read and understand what their teachers teach in class. They should ask questions and do a lot of exercises to enable them retain the knowledge imparted in them, added Kangethe.”
Finally the main harvest was due and the process of book gathering was spearheaded by Stephen Emong’or who is an employee with oxford publishers (one of the sponsors who made the day a success). Among the books collected were atlases, teacher guidebooks, dictionaries, set books and all that the current syllabus approves for, spread in all levels of education – form 1 to form 4 – and approved by the education act in line with the current constitution of Kenya.
Mr. Stephen placed the burden of success to the students saying that they can now compete at the same level with other schools in the region and should compete to place the name of the school on the national map.
The event attracted other donors and friends of the school who donated old books making the school’s library to have a vast range and variety of books to be absorbed by the young minds.
A clear observation of the traditional African values was evident, where such a ceremony was graced by elders and neighbors joined in to celebrate the ever joyous occasion of gathering produce. I am now under the impression that a good harvest calls for prior preparations and thorough organization to pull such a remarkable feat.