About Dr Eddah Gachukia
In school, she was a top student and her teachers often likened her to a boy due to her prowess in Maths and sciences. She went to Makerere University and was posted to Thika High School for three years before her further studies.
Upon returning to Kenya shortly after independence, she found herself in the middle of reforms aimed at making the education system relevant to the needs of the new nation. Since students could not understand English at the time, Dr Gachukia advocated for the use of mother tongue and Kiswahili.
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| Eddah Gachukia, CEO Riara Schools |
About Her Journey.
She spent most of her academic life at the university, having started lecturing in 1973 up to 1987 when she became National Advisor to UNESCO on Population Information and Development Communication for Kenya.
Six years later, she helped launch the Forum for African Women Educationalists, a non-governmental Pan African Organization based in Nairobi and serving over 30 African countries, and served as its founding executive director until 1998.
How Did she Make Riara Happen?
As a scholar, she explains, she had her own ideas of how to achieve the best education outcomes but she could not apply them in the public education system.
“To try out new ideas, you need space and an environment that you can control.”
Her initial move was to approach a white lady who had a small school across the road from her house. Barmoral Kindergarten mainly catered for white kids and the owner agreed to sell it to her.
Her reputation in the education sector helped convince parents that she could be entrusted with the education of their children.
What are some of the challenges She Faced Along The Way?
Good teachers were few at the time. Starting the school was the easy part. Developing a curriculum that captured her vision for kindergarten and later primary school education took her ten years. She had to literally invent teaching aids, activities and learning materials.
She didn’t have enough capital so she used loans to expand the schools. She didn’t have collateral either to offer the banks and she relied on her husband to arrange the financing. “He shared my passion for education and clearly saw the potential of the school,” says Dr Eddah.
About Riara School Today
Riara Schools’ success is largely because of the organizational culture that she has built. The line between employer and employees is blurred. “When you observe us today we are all friends, there is no line between employer and employees. They know when I attend meetings I come as a friend, as a professional, as a colleague.”
“But one area where less talk and more action is evident is learning. When it comes to quality of teaching, everyone seems to understand that “hard work, commitment, and performance come first,” Says Dr Eddah.
What does the School do differently to stand out?
The schools use educational experts and specialists to improve performance, introduce specialized skills, and tackle areas pupils have difficulties with. “We love good and new ideas, and we never hesitate to invite anybody who can help us become even better,” she reveals.
Deliberate efforts are also made to involve parents in the learning process especially because learning goes beyond the school’s gate.
What Other Ventures have Dr Eddah entered in?
Riara Group of Schools is a huge enterprise with a population running into thousands. It consists of five institutions on two campuses namely Riara Road Kindergarten, Riara Road Primary School, Riara Springs Kindergarten, Riara Springs Primary School and Riara Springs High School.
More about Dr Eddah Gachukia
She was also a Member of Parliament between 1974 and 1983. The career educationist also served as chairperson of Uchumi Supermarkets and as a director at the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research, Kenya Airways and Nation Newspapers Limited, among others.
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