Turi, E. Africa’s academic giant
Jul 23, 2008
IN Turi, a little remote village in Western Kenya, sits St. Andrew’s, an international school that offers quality education. <b>Andrew Pike</b> studied there and tells the story.
IN Turi, a little remote village in Western Kenya, sits St. Andrew’s, an international school that offers quality education. Andrew Pike studied there and tells the story.
ST. Andrew’s Turi is a life-changing experience. Originally set up as a school for white farmer children in 1931, Turi is now a mostly African school that leads in academic excellence in East Africa.
Students range from five to 16-year-olds. About 50% of students are Kenyan and 30% Ugandan. The remaining 20% are Tanzanian, Rwandese, Nigerian and British. Turi has a strict Christian ethos and values, but welcomes all religions.
Before the electoral violence in Kenya last Christmas, most Ugandan students travelled back home by bus. Despite the 12 or more hour journey characterised by scorching heat, break-downs and pot-holed roads, the journey was momentus. Even the longest ordeal, when the bus got stuck in a traffic gridlock for around 20 hours after a petrol tanker overturned in Iganga, was bearable as the bus was full of friends.
Tempers stayed surprisingly controlled and I was left with a great story. But journeys to Turi from Uganda were not always by road. Several prominent members in Kampala today are ex-Turi students, and they made the journey by rail. Notable Turi graduates include Dr. Paul Aliker, Anne Aliker and Emma Katto.
There is a train station in the small town of Turi – an unsurprising fact considering that Nakuru, the centre of white settler activity, is only 45 minutes away. The track was used to transport produce from farms to the cities. However, with the current condition of the railway, it is highly unlikely that students will travel by rail for at minimum 10 years.
Paul Aliker describes Turi as “Fantastic. It lets kids be kids… gives them time to play, to grow and set their own parameters. It is the perfect place for my children regardless of cost and distance.†His 1973 – 1977 stay helped him find confidence and stability in the uncertain time of Idi Amin’s rule.
Rhona Nyakairu, the owner the Café Crocodile, felt her children became more self-reliant and their ‘not fantastic grades’ improved. She credits this to the one-to-one touch between staff and pupils. “It was worth the journey we had to take, and I recommend it 100% for any parent,†she says.
A classmate of mine, Conrad Odere, affectionately known as ‘Odesh’, came from Kampala Parents. When asked about the school transition and teaching differences he said: “When I came I found it difficult but when I realised I had friends from Uganda, it was okay. I was a first-time boarder. My time in Turi was good.’
Parents see their children roughly every three weeks on visiting weekends, or during holidays. This and having close friends makes boarding surprisingly enjoyable.
Waking up in Turi is a challenge. Due to the altitude, temperatures can often be unbearably cold. However, these early mornings are beautiful – frozen grass crunches underfoot, and a blanket of mist lies on top of the land. Usually I would not be up before sunrise because the comfort of my warm bed was irresistible. But, if you woke up very late, you risk showering in icy water.
Breakfast starts at 7:10am and the canteen closes at 7:35, although students continue eating until as late as 7:55am. For late risers like me, it is a race between you and the end of breakfast. If you lose that race, the fate of your breakfast is in the on-duty teacher’s hands – depending on how strict they are, you may be allowed to enter and enjoy.
Each morning there is a different activity from 8:05 to 8:30. On Monday, you and others from your boarding house from all the years talk with your tutor about school life and any problems. The common talk is the misbehaviour of the S.1s and the school food.
On Tuesday and Thursday, we had chapel that included plays, music and a presentation with a moral. In the boarding house meeting, we were updated on school news in Tangazo newsletter, and house members gave a ‘Thought for the Day’ on how to live morally and by the Bible. Singing practice on Friday was a way of waking us up after a tiring week, and making sure our hymns were not out of tune for the Sunday service.
After class, there was sports and music. There are four or more practices in a week, with competitive games on the weekend. Of all sports, rugby is taken the most seriously at Turi. In the recent past, the school has dominated the Under 15 level. This season they won the league and seven-a-side tournament was hosted at Turi.
On Saturday mornings we had sports such as football and basketball, a film and revision for the S.3s. All this reduces stress from work.
Sunday chapel is varied due to guest speakers such as prominent church leaders and youth groups from Nairobi churches like the Good Shepherd. The youth group visits are much looked forward to as they are always ready for a game of football or a talk about any issues you may have.
Monday to Friday there are two set hours of study, known as prep. To allow maximum learning, dorm parents and S.3 students try to enforce near-absolute silence, but a significant few enjoy regular disruptions. Watching films, playing video games, texting and phoning are all crimes punishable by confiscation of the offending item and a telling off. But this does not stop anything.
Lights out times vary, depending on the mood of the house parent, year and the football match for that night. Lights out is 9:45pm for S.1s, and an additional 15 minutes each year higher.
Talking with your roommate is a nightly routine, and strengthens your friendship. After-light antics are frequent. In the past, they tended to be malicious and violent, but now they are pranks and friendly battles. When teacher-like steps are heard, after a few seconds of shuffling and whispering, everyone is seemingly asleep.
I went to Turi for two years but it was possibly the most significant experience of my 16-year-long lifetime. Before Christmas of 2006, I was in what my parents call ‘the fog years’ — I lived only for fun with friends and was unaware of the outside world. Schoolwork took a back seat.
In comparison to the international schools here, of which I have been to two, I found Turi a better environment to thrive academically and physically, but less fun. The thriving’s main cause is living on campus, while the less fun is due to the remote location and my being new there – as a two year ‘newbie’, the friends I made could not compare to those I had known for over five years here. If I had gone earlier, the case would surely be different.
Turi has had its fair share of problems in the past, but they are now all gone. In the 90s and early 2000s discipline was loose, and bullying was the terror of younger students. All that remains is a respect for the older years.
ST. Andrew’s Turi is a life-changing experience. Originally set up as a school for white farmer children in 1931, Turi is now a mostly African school that leads in academic excellence in East Africa.
Students range from five to 16-year-olds. About 50% of students are Kenyan and 30% Ugandan. The remaining 20% are Tanzanian, Rwandese, Nigerian and British. Turi has a strict Christian ethos and values, but welcomes all religions.
Before the electoral violence in Kenya last Christmas, most Ugandan students travelled back home by bus. Despite the 12 or more hour journey characterised by scorching heat, break-downs and pot-holed roads, the journey was momentus. Even the longest ordeal, when the bus got stuck in a traffic gridlock for around 20 hours after a petrol tanker overturned in Iganga, was bearable as the bus was full of friends.
Tempers stayed surprisingly controlled and I was left with a great story. But journeys to Turi from Uganda were not always by road. Several prominent members in Kampala today are ex-Turi students, and they made the journey by rail. Notable Turi graduates include Dr. Paul Aliker, Anne Aliker and Emma Katto.
There is a train station in the small town of Turi – an unsurprising fact considering that Nakuru, the centre of white settler activity, is only 45 minutes away. The track was used to transport produce from farms to the cities. However, with the current condition of the railway, it is highly unlikely that students will travel by rail for at minimum 10 years.
Paul Aliker describes Turi as “Fantastic. It lets kids be kids… gives them time to play, to grow and set their own parameters. It is the perfect place for my children regardless of cost and distance.†His 1973 – 1977 stay helped him find confidence and stability in the uncertain time of Idi Amin’s rule.
Rhona Nyakairu, the owner the Café Crocodile, felt her children became more self-reliant and their ‘not fantastic grades’ improved. She credits this to the one-to-one touch between staff and pupils. “It was worth the journey we had to take, and I recommend it 100% for any parent,†she says.
A classmate of mine, Conrad Odere, affectionately known as ‘Odesh’, came from Kampala Parents. When asked about the school transition and teaching differences he said: “When I came I found it difficult but when I realised I had friends from Uganda, it was okay. I was a first-time boarder. My time in Turi was good.’
Parents see their children roughly every three weeks on visiting weekends, or during holidays. This and having close friends makes boarding surprisingly enjoyable.
Waking up in Turi is a challenge. Due to the altitude, temperatures can often be unbearably cold. However, these early mornings are beautiful – frozen grass crunches underfoot, and a blanket of mist lies on top of the land. Usually I would not be up before sunrise because the comfort of my warm bed was irresistible. But, if you woke up very late, you risk showering in icy water.
Breakfast starts at 7:10am and the canteen closes at 7:35, although students continue eating until as late as 7:55am. For late risers like me, it is a race between you and the end of breakfast. If you lose that race, the fate of your breakfast is in the on-duty teacher’s hands – depending on how strict they are, you may be allowed to enter and enjoy.
Each morning there is a different activity from 8:05 to 8:30. On Monday, you and others from your boarding house from all the years talk with your tutor about school life and any problems. The common talk is the misbehaviour of the S.1s and the school food.
On Tuesday and Thursday, we had chapel that included plays, music and a presentation with a moral. In the boarding house meeting, we were updated on school news in Tangazo newsletter, and house members gave a ‘Thought for the Day’ on how to live morally and by the Bible. Singing practice on Friday was a way of waking us up after a tiring week, and making sure our hymns were not out of tune for the Sunday service.
After class, there was sports and music. There are four or more practices in a week, with competitive games on the weekend. Of all sports, rugby is taken the most seriously at Turi. In the recent past, the school has dominated the Under 15 level. This season they won the league and seven-a-side tournament was hosted at Turi.
On Saturday mornings we had sports such as football and basketball, a film and revision for the S.3s. All this reduces stress from work.
Sunday chapel is varied due to guest speakers such as prominent church leaders and youth groups from Nairobi churches like the Good Shepherd. The youth group visits are much looked forward to as they are always ready for a game of football or a talk about any issues you may have.
Monday to Friday there are two set hours of study, known as prep. To allow maximum learning, dorm parents and S.3 students try to enforce near-absolute silence, but a significant few enjoy regular disruptions. Watching films, playing video games, texting and phoning are all crimes punishable by confiscation of the offending item and a telling off. But this does not stop anything.
Lights out times vary, depending on the mood of the house parent, year and the football match for that night. Lights out is 9:45pm for S.1s, and an additional 15 minutes each year higher.
Talking with your roommate is a nightly routine, and strengthens your friendship. After-light antics are frequent. In the past, they tended to be malicious and violent, but now they are pranks and friendly battles. When teacher-like steps are heard, after a few seconds of shuffling and whispering, everyone is seemingly asleep.
I went to Turi for two years but it was possibly the most significant experience of my 16-year-long lifetime. Before Christmas of 2006, I was in what my parents call ‘the fog years’ — I lived only for fun with friends and was unaware of the outside world. Schoolwork took a back seat.
In comparison to the international schools here, of which I have been to two, I found Turi a better environment to thrive academically and physically, but less fun. The thriving’s main cause is living on campus, while the less fun is due to the remote location and my being new there – as a two year ‘newbie’, the friends I made could not compare to those I had known for over five years here. If I had gone earlier, the case would surely be different.
Turi has had its fair share of problems in the past, but they are now all gone. In the 90s and early 2000s discipline was loose, and bullying was the terror of younger students. All that remains is a respect for the older years.