|
*Present size: 1128 boys - 191 in the primary
school, 841 in the secondary school and 96 in the technical institute.
Three-quarters of these come from every part of Kenya, are orphaned or otherwise
disadvantaged and receive free care and education. The other quarter, mainly
from Nairobi day scholars, pays fees according to parental means. It is a
principle of Starehe that needy boys should not be brought up in isolation from
other strata of society.
* This is is only a rough
figure to provide guidelines.
 | Within the Centre, primary children live in
dormitories and are taken care of by full-time House-mothers and
Housemasters. Secondary and technical institute students share cubicle
accommodation in 10 boarding houses. The junior students always have the
help an the guidance of the senior students at their disposal.
|
| The teaching staff is mainly provided by the
Kenyan Government. However the institution has a small number of foreign
experts (mainly volunteers) covering areas such as music and computer
science. |
Religion
The Centre accepts boys from any religious belief
and brings them up in the precepts of those beliefs. At the daily assembly
different groups take turns to present a reading, a hymn or a prayer.
For Christians, there is lovely Chapel consecrated
for both Catholics and protestants. Starehe also possesses probably the
most beautiful small mosque in the country for the Muslim fraternity.
 
The School Chapel - Consecrated
The Magnificient Mosque
for both the Catholics & Protestants
Academic Attainment-Excellence
Starehe's secondary division has ranked as best
large school and best boys school in the national academic league for the past
six years. The institutes computer course -started and built up with aid from
the Austrian Association for Development and Co-operation-prepares the students
for a diploma in Computer studies.
Educational Philosophy
Starehe believes in granting a great measure of
trust, responsibility and freedom to its boys. This is exemplified in "Baraza"
the weekly 'parliament', where boys can query, criticize and suggest
improvements to their school. Boy leadership is a key role in the day-to-day
running of Starehe and many of the extra curricular activities are managed and
led by senior boys who have attained adult qualifications.
Equally, however, Starehe believes in firm
discipline which stresses self-control and moderation and which makes no
compromise towards breaches of decency, good manners and the rights of the other
members of the community.
Starehe has enjoyed consistently high standards of
discipline and has become a model which is continually visited by the staffs,
Boards of Governors and Parent Teachers Associations (PTA) of secondary schools
from all over the country and increasingly, from other countries which wish to
study its systems of human management.
Service and Adventure Activities
| Presidents Award Scheme-Equivalent to British
Duke of Edinburgh's Award
| First Aid-Boys give service in the school
clinic and on National public occasions in the city.
| Scouts
| Civil Defense Unit-comprises a Fire squad,
Water rescue squad and a supporting First aid squad. It has assisted Police
and Nairobi Fire Brigade in real life emergencies
| Community Service-More than 500 boys devote a
full holiday(3-4 weeks) to voluntary service anywhere in Kenya. This is
usually in understaffed hospitals, clinics and health centres, and some also
undertake coaching in rural primary schools, serving in libraries, organizing
sports for slum youths helping in public works projects, etc. |
| | | |
Sports
The sporting morale in the school is very positive.
The school has been Provincial Schools Champion for the last 16 successive years
and Provincial Cross-Country Running Champions (Marathon) for 24 successive
years.
Paul Ereng, former Olympic Gold Medallist is an old
boy
Music and Creativity
Starehe's marching band is well known in Kenya.
Starehe produces some of the best musicians in Kenya.
The school maintains a school newspaper organized
and run by the boys themselves and has been in production for 32 years!
 
Member of the School band
Shaw Memorial Music Centre-The New Music
Blowing the Bugle
Complex Named afterPatrick David Shaw (PD)
-one of the former directors
Computer Room
Though small for the community, starehe's computer
room is one of the most frequented by boys in their own free time. The first
formers start to receive computer literacy training here and as they grow older,
many boys take short courses in a wide range of computing packages like cobol
etc.
Altogether the centre maintains 40 activity
groups and societies flourishing within the centre.
International Affiliation
Starehe is a member (the only one in the African
continent) of the
Round Square Conference - an association of leading
schools around the world whose systems are directed at educating the "Whole
Man", in tune with the beliefs of the educational philosopher, Kurt Hahn.
In 1996, the Centre hosted the annual conference under the joint chairmanship of
H. M. King Constantine and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.
| And the school's motto of ''Natulenge
Juu'' is the lifeline of the Centre. Natulenge juu is a swahili phrase
that translates in English as AIM HIGH |
Natulunge Juu
"Aim High"
Long live Starehe and may many more follow the
instincts of their Visions
| 
