Imagine leaving home for the first time, sleeping in a strange new place with a roomful of girls you do not know and adopting a whole new daily routine.
You were a bright primary school student, but the expectations are SO much higher in secondary school. It is like a whirlwind – in your first year, you take 15 subjects! This includes Biology, Chemistry AND Physics. Instead of being in one room, you move from classroom to classroom, and to the library, computer lab, art room and outside for sports.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bit more guidance, someone you could go to for answers to your questions, who would show you the way and provide encouragement and a welcoming smile? This is also someone who could provide study strategies and other tips for succeeding in this fast-moving place (where you are expected to memorize, memorize, and memorize some more).
Yes, it would!
We are so pleased and grateful to have Ms. Jennifer Nyakober, a math and geography teacher at St. Katherine in the role of Teacher Liaison for African Girls Can. She is the perfect person for this volunteer position as she has acted as a Mentor for BRAC Scholars (funded by the MasterCard Foundation) for the last five years and also heads up the Career and Counseling Department at the school. We invite you to get to know this dedicated teacher.
What was your childhood like and what type of schools did you go to? What did you study?
My background is of a polygamous marriage and as a result of problems associated with polygamy, my parents divorced when I was six, my elder brother was nine and my little sister only three. My mother single handedly brought us up and did all she could within her means to ensure we got quality education. I earned my Diploma in Secondary Education, as well as a Bachelors Degree in Procurement and Logistics Management from Kyambogo University. I have taught mathematics for the past 10 years. This is generally regarded as a boys’ subject, so I love to help girls succeed at it!
Who supported you and encouraged you to get an education?
Thanks to my grandparents, who educated her, my mother is the source of my inspiration. She only had a Certificate in Midwifery, but managed to educate and produce a Medical Laboratory Technician, a Mathematics teacher and a Banker. It was because of my mother’s education that my brother, sister and I are educated – and that I am now an advocate for girls’ education.
Why did you decide to go into the teaching profession?
Becoming a teacher was a God given career for me. It had never been my dream, but when I got into it, I found that it was an opportunity for me to stand and encourage girls to stay in school. Enlightening them on the importance of education and hard work while at school gives me a lot of satisfaction.
What do you enjoy most about teaching and mentoring girls?
Unlike in the developed world, it is not automatic that a girl who joins school will come out with some qualification to earn a sustainable income. They require a lot of guidance and support to make it through school. This is the reason I love to teach, share my experience and offer to do anything I can to assist girls.
How do you think receiving a secondary school education will change the lives of the AGC girls?
The education of the girl child can create a great difference in our society because they are the future mothers. When a mother is educated, you can be sure of a proper diet in the home, good hygiene which promotes a healthy family, proper and immediate medical support, proper conflict management, investment for the family, and above all, she will struggle for the education of her children. As a result of all of the above, their society becomes a better place to live in.
Is there anything else you would like for people to know about you?
I am happily married to my lovely husband Herbert and proud to be a mother of four handsome boys.
