Ain’t it true that high school survival stories prepare you for a harsh world?

In lots of ways, our experiences in high school define the rest of our lives. Everything from social skills to street-smart adaptability. High school was an all-inclusive holistic life shaping engagement. Well, corporal punishment was common fanfare, them days. The perfect trailer to a harsh, cruel world after school.

First off, high school gave us a chance to venture outside the suffocating confines of our village and exposed us to other cultures.

He who doesn’t travel thinks his mother is the best cook.

We got used to weevil-ridden fare in smoky kitchens with sweaty, scowling cooks. In some occasions, we’d catch a whiff of kerosene in the Githeri!

The village had embraced us in a loving embrace – then high school ripped us from that comforting embrace to the cruelty of sadistic bullies.

You learn that people can be unkind for no reason.

You learn the world doesn’t owe you a soft landing.

The basics of the social system – elite class, the middle class and the peasants – are first made apparent in high school. One learns there will always be people richer and wealthier, but not necessarily smarter. The grades in class is what mattered.

On money, lessons were served fast and harshly. What may seem exorbitant to one may turn out to be mere chicken feed to another. In those days, I’d feel rich if my folks and relatives in the village sent me back to school with 500 bob as pocket money – shopping inclusive. Then I’d meet urban kids living like kings with unlimited funding!

High school taught us restraint – one doesn’t need to eat bread with margarine on every break.

The ingenious village kids would often come up with tricks to earn extra income.

I know a lad who cleaned the 4K club rabbit hutches for a fee. Most of the club’s members were averse to the tedious chores. He made a tidy sum after classes.

Another lad made a name as a data entry expert – copy writing notes and long assignments over the weekends. He’d also write fancy, wordy, perfumed letters to pen pals in neighboring schools for a fee.

The harshest lesson was dished out in form one, second term. I lost a tidy sum of money to con artists at the bus terminus in town on the way to school.

It was the school fees – stashed in my socks. To date, it amazes me how they had realized I had money on me.

Nowadays, luckily, school kids do not have to expose themselves to con artists and pick pockets. In regard to school fees, with Co-op Bank there’s four safe and convenient ways – from anywhere on the globe.

There are 4 different ways that you can use to pay your fees and that is; the MCo-op Cash app, M-Pesa Pay Bill, Co-op PesaLink or at a Co-op Kwa Jirani agent.

To pay your fees through the MCo-op Cash app follow these steps:

• Log in to MCo-op Cash
• Select Other Payments
• Select School Fees
• Enter school code/business number; click here to confirm your school’s coordinates
• Enter account to pay from
• Enter student number
• Confirm transaction
• Receive SMS confirming that the transaction was successful

(You can also dial #667 on your phone and follow the same steps)

To pay your fees through M-Pesa PayBill follow these steps:

• Go to Lipa na M-Pesa (PayBill)
• Enter Business Code 400222
• Enter Account Number as School Code followed by # followed by the student number, for example, 1059#123456789
  (NB: Click here to confirm your school’s coordinates)
• Enter amount
• Enter M-Pesa PIN
• Confirm transaction
• Receive SMS confirming that the transaction was successful

To pay your fees through a Co-op Kwa Jirani Agent, simply walk to the nearest one and give them the details of the student and name of the school and the money and you will get a receipt.

To pay your fees through Co-op Internet Banking (Co-opNet) follow these steps:

• Log in to Co-op Internet Banking
• Select ‘Bank Transfer’
• Enter the required details for the school’s account
• Confirm the transfer
• Print out your receipt once the payment goes through

For more information, you can visit C0-op Bank’s website and ask them any questions that you may have through their Twitter. #WeAreYou