A school in western Kenya is among the world’s top finalists for a major international education award after being shortlisted for the 2026 World’s Best School Prize for Overcoming Adversity.
Roshen Lakeview Academy, a kindergarten, primary and junior secondary school in Port Victoria, Bunyala Sub-County, was shortlisted by T4 Education, which recognises schools globally across five categories including, Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity and Supporting Healthy Lives.
The finalists are drawn from across the globe, with shortlisted schools located in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America, reflecting a diverse field of institutions recognised for addressing significant social and educational challenges in their respective communities.
According to organisers, the Busia school serves children in a vulnerable fishing community affected by poverty, recurrent flooding, high HIV prevalence, orphanhood, early marriages and long-standing beliefs that have limited educational aspirations for young people.
“Roshen Lakeview Academy is changing realities and restoring dignity and belief in education for highly vulnerable learners through a philosophy that is grounded in the belief that every young person, regardless of background, deserves the opportunity to learn and thrive,” T4 Education said on its website.
The school initially began as a feeding programme for children whose parents spent long hours fishing or trading, before growing into a full institution delivering the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) alongside mentorship, leadership training, supervised study sessions, sports and confidence-building programmes.
It also offers boarding facilities and psychosocial support for learners from unstable backgrounds, while integrating digital learning tools despite limited resources. According to T4 Education, the school operates in a context where many children have traditionally believed their futures were predetermined, with boys expected to become fishermen and girls to take up work in local markets.
“The school has created a culture designed to challenge inherited limitations and help students imagine entirely different possibilities for their futures,” the organisation said.
Organisers also highlighted strong collaboration between the school, parents, guardians, local leaders and education officials to support attendance and learner welfare, alongside continuous teacher training and professional development. The school’s academic performance has also strengthened its profile, with learners recording a mean grade of “Exceeding Expectation” across subjects in the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).
Many graduates have progressed to top national secondary schools, while others have gone on to achieve strong results in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.
The category winners and overall finalists are expected to be announced in November.
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