Academic Recognition Awards

Objective

GEAR Awards seek to recognize and honour academic excellence among students, teachers and schools in the Greater Gusii region ofNyanza Province in South-western Kenya. These recognition awards are intended to spur interest and healthy competition among Gusii educational stakeholders with the aim of improving the regions competitiveness in national examinations and overall academic performance. While GEAR acknowledges that there are many measures of academic excellence and/or educational achievement, these awards mainly focus on performance in the end of year national examinations.

GEAR shall award deserving achievers, both individual students and teachers, as well schools within the region. Subject-based performance criteria shall be used to identify the best teachers while district, provincial, and national school performance rankings shall be used to identify award winning students and schools.

Note: GEAR Awards are neither scholarships nor monetary awards; any money that may accompany the recognition is of token value only.

Award Categories

Primary School

• Best overall boy for each of the Gusii districts (total 8 awards):
• 1 for public and
• 1 private schools
• Best overall girl for each of the Gusii districts (total 8 awards):
• 1 for public and
• 1 private schools
• Best School in each of the Gusii districts (total 8 awards):
• 1 for public and
• 1 private schools

Note: There will be No award for scores less than 400 in the KCPE exam.

High School

• Best overall boy for each of the Gusii districts (total 8 awards):
• 1 for public and
• 1 private schools
• Best overall girl for each of the Gusii districts (total 8 awards):
• 1 for public and
• 1 private schools
• Best School in each of the Gusii districts (total 8 awards):
• 1 for public and
• 1 private schools

Note: Award benchmark for KCSE exam will be determined later.

The Awards

GEAR Awards shall a plaque (inscribed with GEAR logo and duly signed by the Chair of GEAR) and an Award Letter. The latter will be signed by the Chair of GEAR and the District Education Officer, or his/her representative in the respective district.   If and when possible, there will be a token amount of money awarded to the recipient.

Vetting Awardees

It is the intention of GEAR to ensure that award winners merit the respective recognition. Student Award recipients will be vetted by respective district education offices and data from the Kenya National Examinations Council. District education offices will also vet and nominate schools and teachers that qualify based on objective criteria.

Students, teachers and parents are urged to make nominations for teacher and school categories to their respective district education offices, giving appropriate reasons for their nominations. GEAR will circulate the necessary nomination forms for this purpose.

Mode of Presentation

As much as possible, GEAR Awards will be presented alongside other education recognition awards in the districts. Where such coordination is NOT possible, GEAR will convene its own meetings to facilitate the presentation of the awards.

Important Dates

The nomination deadline is March 31st of the current year for exam results released the year beforefor KCPE and current year for KCSE.  Awards will be determined and administered by August 31st in the year the nominations are made.

Call to Action

• Parents, students and teachers – make appropriate nominations to your respective district education offices.
• GEAR sponsors, officials and well-wishers – donate award items for the awards. Award items can be in form of money (an amount of $50 is suggested), insignia, books, education-related electronic material such as calculators, computers or some other such items that may befit the recognition. Inspiration and career-related books are specifically encouraged.
• All award donations or expression of interest to contribute to the awards can be directed to the GEAR Chair and GEAR Secretary at the following respective email addresses: - chair@gusiieducation.org and secretary@gusiieducation.org.

Past winners

2006 - TDB
2008 - TBD
2009 - TBD

Sample Student Award Letter

Date:
Dear ….

Congratulations for being selected as a winner of the [insert year] Gusii Education Advancement Resources (GEAR) Award. Your performance met the selection criteria for [insert category] GEAR Award.

The GEAR Award is in recognition of your hard work, which resulted in your good performance and achievement. This award is intended to encourage you to work even harder in the future to assure continued success. Remember that the journey of your education is only starting. 

The GEAR Award is also intended to inspire you and others to perform better in their schooling [or school management] and careers. GEAR encourages you to become a community role model and an example that others can emulate. To that end, we encourage you to share your experiences with others that may be facing the same challenges as you as they strive to build a better future for themselves (specifically) and the community (in general).

Congratulations once again for your recognition.

GEAR wishes you the very best in your future studies and career.

Yours truly,

 

……….
Chair of GEAR