Why Fesbeth Academy is a towering academic giant in Western Kenya

By Collins Matubwi

Kakamega

From its humble beginnings as an Early Childhood Development Centre (ECDE) in 2002, Fesbeth Academy has stood the test of time to become an academic giant not only in Kakamega County but also in Western region.

Fesbeth Academy, which was built in the memory of Festo and Beth, has been posting exemplary results over the years in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).

Fesbeth Academy, which was built in the memory of Festo and Beth, has been posting exemplary results over the years in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).

Last month, Fesbeth Academy that is domiciled in Kakamega County for the third time in a row emerged as the top primary school in Western region in 2020 KCPE exams after posting a mean score of 397.12.

In 2019, the private primary school had a mean score of 397.21 while in 2018; they had a mean score of 400.65.

“Throughout the years, I have learnt that the more people tell you that it is not possible, the more you should become more determined to prove them wrong by treating the word impossible as nothing more than motivation,” ~ Ruth Minish-Director Fesbeth Academy

“Fifty five pupils of the 107 candidates who sat for the 2020 KCPE exams 400 marks and above and over 100 pupils will be joining national schools,” said Ruth Minish, the director of Fesbeth Academy.

She added: “Throughout the years, I have learnt that the more people tell you that it is not possible, the more you should become more determined to prove them wrong by treating the word impossible as nothing more than motivation.”

Mudasa Academy from Vihiga had a mean score of 396.02 followed by St Peters Boys Mumias that had a mean of 391.

“In everything we do at Fesbeth Academy, we put God first. He has been faithful to us over the years and that is why we have been posting an exemplary performance by beating renowned academic giants in the region,” ~ Ruth Minish.

But what is the secret behind the sterling performance?

“In everything we do at Fesbeth Academy, we put God first. He has been faithful to us over the years and that is why we have been posting an exemplary performance by beating renowned academic giants in the region,” said Ms. Minish.

She said that the good working relationship between the teachers and pupils has also contributed to the good results, saying by 5.30am, all pupils are in class ready to learn.

Even when the Covid19 pandemic hit hard and private schools unable to meet operational costs since pupils were not in school with teachers not being paid, teachers from Fesbeth Academy did not give up but prepared the candidates for the KCPE exams.

The school was not conducting online classes but sending assignments to their pupils through WhatsApp and submit for marking as a way of keeping them busy.

The parents would supervise the candidates to ensure they complete the assignments and then bring it to the school for marking.

“I am proud of my teachers because they worked tirelessly in preparing the candidates for the national exams despite not getting their salaries. Private schools depend on school fees to survive and when schools closed, it was very hard for us to sustain salary payments for our teachers,” said Ms. Minish.

Ryan Prince (421 marks), Jerry Kimemia (419 marks) and Grace Tenge (419 marks) were among the top candidates at Fesbeth Academy in 2020 KCPE.

Ends