By Eddah Waithaka
Makini Schools has invested KSh150 million in a classroom technology overhaul as the institution positions itself as an internationally benchmarked learning hub, regional managing director Horace Mpanza said during a media roundtable yesterday.
Every classroom across all Makini campuses now features a projector, screen and sound bar, while each teacher has received a laptop. The school also upgraded its Wi-Fi infrastructure to ensure connectivity extends to sports fields.
“We didn’t do this as a gimmick,” Mpanza said. “We made sure teachers leverage technology to enhance student performance. Technology doesn’t do the teaching, you still need the human being in the room.”
The investment enables AI-driven learning tools including the AdvTech platform, which functions similarly to Netflix’s recommendation engine.
The system requires students to actively engage with video lessons, a cat randomly appears on screen, and learners must swipe it away to prove they are watching.”If the child doesn’t swipe the cat away, the teacher knows the child played the video but didn’t watch,” Mpanza explained. “That forces the child to pay attention.”
Students must master each concept before progressing to higher complexity levels. The system has delivered measurable results. Makini’s Kisumu campus, the top user of the technology, recorded significant improvement in mathematics performance, outperforming Nairobi schools.
Makini also participates in the MAP program, allowing international benchmarking against other AdvTech schools in Botswana and globally. “Any learner in Makini who does mathematics gets an opportunity to write an assessment benchmarked internationally,” Mpanza said.
“Feedback then goes to parents showing how their child compares with children of the same age internationally. We are one of few schools in the country that actually do this.”
Wilson Mwangi, executive head of the CBC curriculum, noted that Makini served as a pilot school when Kenya introduced the Competency-Based Curriculum.
The school now offers what it calls “international CBC,” enhanced by global tools and teacher development programs.”We do weekly staff professional development,” Mwangi said.
“Teachers access courses designed for the educational space through our Sirius platform.”
New brand identity launches Friday
Makini Schools will unveil a new brand identity on Friday, February 20, starting with an internal launch for students and staff before an evening event with Ministry of Education officials and regulators.
General manager Godfrey Odhiambo emphasized the rebranding reflects the school’s evolution into an international institution. “Our vision: anytime a student passes through any of our campuses, their experience here has to count for something,” Odhiambo said. “That is where our school separates itself from others.”
The school assures parents that existing uniforms will remain acceptable for the next six years, with any changes phased in gradually.
Private education’s role in Kenya’s future
Mpanza addressed the broader education landscape, throwing his support behind the CBC curriculum shift from the old 8-4-4 system.”Education shouldn’t be about regurgitation and memory tests, that is not future-proof learning,” he said.
“Under CBC, learners gain skills that will never go out of fashion.”He called for policy reforms to enable private sector growth in education, citing population projections.”By the year 2100, half of the people born in the world will be born in Africa,” Mpanza said.
“That means lots of people need education. African governments cannot cope with those demands alone. The private sector has a role to play.”
Makini is also investigating entry into Kenya’s university space, following the AdvTech group’s existing universities in South Africa and Ghana.
The group currently educates about 100,000 students across the continent.”The quality of education we offer meets international standards,” Mpanza said.
“We have 36 nationalities represented in our Cambridge principal’s staff room alone. This is no longer only a local brand, it is a proudly Kenyan brand with strong international links.”
