Kenyan School Without Uniform Ranked Top 10 Worldwide
After being named as one of the top 10 greatest schools in the world, the children who attend Freedom School in Nakuru County, which is an unusual but relatively unknown educational institution, have gained attention on a global scale.
The school was ranked by the T4 Education Initiative in the midst of fierce competition from over one thousand entries made all around the world for the Overcoming Adversity category.
The fact that the institution of higher learning decided to give its students the freedom to choose what they would wear was one of the reasons that led the organisers to give the institution a good ranking. The majority of schools in Kenya are directed by the Ministry of Education, which instructs the schools to settle on a single uniform so that students may easily identify their school.
Because there was no required school uniform, many of the pupils at the school showed their cultural pride by wearing traditional African clothing and ‘lesos’ to class.
In addition, the school was notable by its comprehensive curriculum, which included teaching students about their ancestry and heritage in a variety of contexts, such as the history of their clans and the clothing they wore in the past.
In addition, teachers at the school embraced coding, so providing pupils with early exposure to technical concepts at a young age.
Students in Kindergarten were actively engaged in the study of a variety of African languages and dialects in order to promote their ability to speak multiple languages.
“In addition to learning how to speak in public, students also gain experience in critical thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurship. As a consequence of this, the students are literate and fluent in multiple languages by the age of three, as highlighted by T4 education.
According to the agency, the school was also recognised for illustrating that African students can grow and prosper when the curriculum is altered to boost to address specific requirements. This was one of the reasons why the school was recognised.
“A profound sense of pride, self-efficacy, and identity has been established among the pupils as a direct result of these approaches.
“It inspired children to celebrate their natural skin tone, the colour of their hair, and their unique brilliance. The foundation also noted that the school had begun to wear clothing and patterns inspired by Africa, as well as had begun to promote the significant African virtue of ubuntu.
Initially, the institution began participating in a system that distributed scholarships to economically disadvantaged students living in the surrounding area. Children in Freedom School had more than 500 kids ranging in age from five to 14 years old by the time June 2023 rolled around.
In order for the school to accomplish its objectives, the faculty members were retrained and given the tools necessary to include an Afrocentric perspective into their lessons.
Other schools that made the list of the top 10 were Cadoxton Primary School in Wales, United Kingdom; Colegio Impacto de MAIA in Guatemala; Escuela Litoral Austral in Chile; Feversham Primary Academy in England, United Kingdom; and Colegio Campestre ICAL in Cha, Colombia..
In addition, the Government Girls Day Secondary School, Runjin Sambo (Sokoto, Nigeria), Physics and Mathematics Specialised School named after Artashes Shahinyan under the Yerevan State University (Armenia), Snehalaya English Medium School (India), and The Max Rayne Hand in Hand School (Jerusalem, Israel) all made it into the top ten schools in this category.
Kenyan School Without Uniform Ranked Top 10 Worldwide
