Explaining 100 Best Secondary Schools in Africa: Lourdes/other questions Good day. To all who did not get the list of the 2013 ranking of the Best Secondary Schools in Africa, it is included at the end of the mail. Every year, the list causes glee or dissent depending on who is in or out. Thanks for the constructive assessments or questions. Note: Mishe Fon is a njakiri boy; I do not think he intends to have any productive exchange. Very soon, he will veer.... on how villages in Cameroon cannot compete with his on bottle- dance in Cameroon, deacons who steal goats in another area, and whether Sierra Leone knows where Libya is. Lol, the while thing will end up having nothing to do with the topic. But Mishe is fun while at it. Okay, I will try to provide some answers in furtherance of meaningful discourse. I did not include the questions or comments because I would have had to compile the responses. Laugh anywhere when I am simply reporting actual alumni events as they happened - to underscore the point to a question. In explaining the ranking of the 100 Best Secondary Schools in Africa, there must be a standardized, terminal exam as a prerequisite. It means the content and performance standards must be comparable regionally or internationally. It cannot be comparable only in the country because the contents are not aligned with international benchmarks. For examples: the London originated GCE or GCSE, which is administered in schools all over the world, provides the basis for valid comparison. West African schools that take the WAEC, with an Annual Awards program for the best individual students in subjects and overall scores, have a basis for comparison. Francophone schools in Africa made the list, which means there is a comparable exam that the students take. Notably, the best schools in Africa are comparable to the best schools anywhere based on standardized results. It is no small wonder that these students excel in US Ivy league campuses. Mukefor made note of the highly acclaimed International Baccalaureate (IB). The IB is a curriculum framework, an educational model, which allows schools to meet their local requirements as well as the IBs. What I mean is that an IB school can still participate in local, regional or international (global) exam. LOL, I know this as a writer of charter school applications. All students, regardless of the curriculum, must take the school districts tests. I am not sure if the content and performance standards of the Cameroon GCE or BAC are still aligned with international / regional benchmarks as they were in through the eighties. If no, it answers Gwens and Uncle SAFs questions. These schools are not considered. This applies to schools in other countries where the terminal exams are not aligned with comparable international standards. If yes, we move to the next stage on how the best schools in Africa are initially identified - based on the results. Absolute performance: These are composite scores that show the actual performances of students in the schools - beyond individual nations. The results are ranked. This is not a national ranking or else it would be best schools in Cameroon; Liberia, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, etc; not Africa. Longitudinal performance: The results of the top performing schools are compared over the years. This provides insight on consistency - history of high performances. It discounts mere circumstances, one time or periodic wonders, mishap, cheating, etc. Comparative performance: When the best performances are consistent over time, the results are then compared among schools. This shows how the schools performed relative to other schools taking the comparable exam. This further comparison provides the basis for ranking the results and getting the best, which would be more than 100. Next, other qualifiers kick in - such as the quality of life in these schools - aka Support for Learning. They include infrastructures such as the library, lab, research amenities, buildings (not in disrepair); food; health, counseling services; extracurricular focus, PTA, relationship with the schools alumni association, opportunities provided, etc. Students and staff can also respond to surveys in order to obtain the qualitative information. Some of the critical improvements are funded by the storied, official alumni associations that naturally derive their legitimacy from, and that maintain close ties with, the school with undeniable positive influence. This answers Roses questions. Lourdes and LESANs cannot be in this major league of alumni movers and shakers due to the fact that split groups can only harm the schools image because no school in the entire world has two factional alumni groups as a normal thing. A survey of staff and students will just kill any chance of further consideration as they would indicate the grief and send the evaluators running very far...lol. I will take two examples of how alumni associations are powerful and constructive, which have helped in maintaining their 100 best schools ranking. 1) Prince Edward, Zimbabwe and the graduates called Old Hararians. These people, with active, contributing presence in their old school, even have roads and sports - cricket clubs. Lol, Mugabe threatened to rename the school with an African name when Britain became his foe. But a name that has built such reputable influence is a vital, intangible asset. The name change became a huge controversy. It was resolved with the names of few dormitories changed from British to African names. Prince Edward has always made the 10 in Africa. 2) There is a story about Adisadel Old Boys (Ghana) Association - the (Santaclausians.) The boys are bad!!!! as in just too good. They fund infrastructures, complete with the blue prints of an engineering firm. I have sent this to Ghanaian forums to share this particular memory. At one of the Adisadel Annual events called Prize Giving Day, the Head of Ghanas National Assembly and the Supreme Court were Santaclausians. So they made the seating head of state, John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, an honorary Santaclausian to sweep all three branches of government - Executive, Legislative and Judiciary. It was hilarious!!!!! St Josephs College, Sasse in Cameroon aka Sasse was mentioned in the responses. This happens to be my dads alma mater, Chief Tom Ikimis of Nigeria, and notable personalities in Cameroon, including a former Prime Minister. Sasse is included among the 50 historic schools in Africa. In its heyday, Sasse defined the finest future and current thermometer of a society in progress. But Sasse may be hindered by infrastructure problems and over-crowding that may have diminished the quality of its gloried days. Sasse Old Boys Association and SOBANs, you can do something. I hope I provided some insights. When my parents had to leave Cameroon for other duties, they consulted the best list for my younger siblings. That is how I began looking forward to the list and following up on the marvelous stories in the campuses, including my younger brothers former schools in Kenya and Malawi on the best list. MsJoe Hello Ladies: The equivalent of Lourdes and Sacred Heart ( producers of best results in Cameroon - but did not make the list) are Methodist Boys and Methodist Girls in Sierra Leone - both schools made the list. ========================================================================= As noted, there has been a remarkably high rise of excellent schools in Africa that are attracting resources and international recommendations. The ranking by the The African Economist based on research includes schools with exceptional facilities, good learning environment and consistent high education standards, contributions of graduates - alumni association and public image. Numerous sources conduct survey of students. For example: serveafrica.info/secondary-school-satisfaction-survey Whilst government schools within African countries started off the best, following independence, much has changed. For the most part, private schools, which includes missionary school, outperform government schools. In addition, international schools have taken Africa by storm. Below is the list of 100 best secondary schools, which is shared with the global community. 1. Grey College South Africa 2. Rift Valley Academy Kenya 3. King Edward VII School South Africa 4. Hilton College South Africa 5. St. George’s College Zimbabwe 6. Prince Edward School Zimbabwe 7. International School of Kenya Kenya 8. Accra Academy Ghana 9. Lycée Lamine Guèye Senegal 10. Adisadel College Ghana 11. St John’s College Houghton South Africa 12. Maritzburg College South Africa 13. Lycée Guebre Mariam Ethiopia 14. Selborne College South Africa 15. St Alban’s College South Africa 16. Lycée Lyautey Morocco 17. Durban High School South Africa 18. Grey High School South Africa 19. St Andrew`s College South Africa 20. Gateway High School Zimbabwe 21. Glenwood High School South Africa 22. Rainbow International School Uganda 23. Lycée Moulay Youssef Morocco 24. Kearsney College South Africa 25. St. James High School Zimbabwe 26. Wynberg Boys High School South Africa 27. Pretoria Boys High School South Africa 28. Lycée Français de Tananarive Madagascar 29. Mauritius College of the Air Mauritius 30. International School Moshi Tanzania 31. Le Collège Mermoz Ivory Coast 32. Strathmore School Kenya 33. Parktown Boys’ High School South Africa 34. International School of Tanganyika Tanzania 35. Holy Child School Ghana 36. Christ The King College Onitsha Nigeria 37. Graeme College South Africa 38. Jeppe High School for Boys South Africa 39. Alliance High School Kenya 40. Hillcrest School Jos Nigeria 41. Kingswood College South Africa 42. Hamilton High School Zimbabwe 43. Lincoln International School Uganda 44. Lycée Victor Hugo Morocco 45. Alexandra High School South Africa 46. École Normale Supérieure Guinea 47. Ghana International School Ghana 48. Arundel School Zimbabwe 49. Rondebosch Boys’ High School South Africa 50. Starehe Boys’ Centre Kenya 51. American International School of Johannesburg South Africa 52. Victoria Park High School South Africa 53. Methodist Boys High School Sierra Leone 54. Harare International School Zimbabwe 55. Methodist Girls High School Sierra Leone 56. Lenana School Kenya 57. St. Andrew’s High School Malawi 58. Benoni High School South Africa 59. Waddilove High School Zimbabwe 60. Roedean School South Africa 61. Wykeham Collegiate Independent School for Girls South Africa 62. Lycee Francais du Caire Egypt 63. Christian Brothers’ College Bulawayo Zimbabwe 64. Kamuzu Academy Malawi 65. Mount Pleasant High School Zimbabwe 66. Mfantsipim School Ghana 67. Chisipite Senior School Zimbabwe 68. Gayaza High School Uganda 69. Kutama College Zimbabwe 70. Wheelus High School Libya 71. Michaelhouse School South Africa 72. Westville Boys’ High School South Africa 73. Namilyango College Uganda 74. Government College Umuahia Nigeria 75. Muir College South Africa 76. Wesley Girls High School Ghana 77. Alexander Sinton High School South Africa 78. Lycée Faidherbe Senegal 79. Royal College Port Louis Mauritius 80. Lycée La Fontaine Niger 81. Lycée Lyautey de Casablanca Morocco 82. Settlers High School South Africa 83. Nyeri High School Kenya 84. Pinetown Boys’ High School South Africa 85. Kings’ College Lagos Nigeria 86. Lycée Français Liberté Mali 87. Paarl Boys’ High School South Africa 88. St. Paul’s College Namibia 89. Tafari Makonnen School Ethiopia 90. Wynberg Girls’ High School South Africa 91. Bingham Academy Ethiopia 92. Port Shepstone High School South Africa 93. Clapham High School South Africa 94. Hillcrest Secondary School Kenya 95. South African College School South Africa 96. Lycée Blaise Diagne Senegal 97. St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls South Africa 98. Townsend High School Zimbabwe 99. St.Gregory’s College Nigeria 100. St. Patrick School Zimbabwe
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 06:49:19 +0000
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