Candidates at Isiolo Barracks Secondary had just been issued with Mathematics Paper I examination on March 29 at 8am when Abdi Mohammed Warsamed collapsed, causing panic in the examination room.
Unconscious, the supervisor and invigilator rushed him to the school’s health facility where he was attended to and regained consciousness minutes later before he was allowed back to the exam room.
Unknown to him, Mohammed would score A (plain) in Mathematics and attain A (Minus) aggregate of 76 points and emerge the best student in Isiolo County in the results released by Education CS George Magoha on Monday.
When the results were being read out, the first born in a family of eight from Kambi Garba, was with a friend, who also sat KCSE exams in March, following the broadcast on radio while seated under a tree outside their timber house.
“Adan (my friend) first sent an SMS and received his results. I borrowed his phone and sent mine too but I became somewhat nervous and took close to 10 minutes before looking at the SMS,” Mr Mohammed told Nation at their home.
Having gotten B (Plain) in the last examination prior to KCSE, the 17-year-old lad was hopeful he would improve in the national exams and surely did break the county’s record last recorded in 2014 by one Mohammed Jillo who got A- of 78 points at Isiolo Boys High School.
Hardworking and disciplined
“I was so happy when I saw that I had gotten A (Minus) because it is the grade I always prayed for. I thank God for the performance,” Mr Mohammed who joined the secondary after scoring 291 marks in KCPE at Dida Abakiri primary in 2016 said.
He attributed the success to hard work saying he used to spend most of his time at home studying and that he also prayed a lot.
“I used to wake up early to study before preparing to leave for school. I spent all the weekends with my friends revising and was determined to post better results,” he noted.
His guardian Mr Abdi Abdullahi said the student was hard-working and disciplined and that he used to stay until late in the night studying.
“I never expected he would attain A (Minus). I am so happy that his hard work has paid," said Mr Abdullahi lauding teachers who helped him revise during the nine-month Covid-19 break.
Isiolo Barracks Secondary Principal Fredrick Gitonga Bundi said Mohammed's performance was a great improvement from last year’s (2019) where the first student got B- (Minus).
“Teachers had completed the syllabus by last December and embarked on thorough revision beginning this year which helped in preparing the learners for the exams,” Mr Gitonga said.
County Director of Education Dr Hussein Koriyow reiterated commitment towards ensuring improved performance of Secondary Schools in the county in subsequent years.
“We are so happy for posting such remarkable results which is an improvement from the previous year,” Dr Koriyow said.
Mr Mohammed intends to pursue Medicine when he joins University so that he educates his siblings and supports his family.
