Schools progressing with our EducAid project

The Bo project officially began on 15th September, 2025, to ensure that every student is IN school, SAFE, and actively LEARNING. Since its inception, we have engaged headteachers on the EducAid Top Ten Strategies for teaching and learning. This session took place on 27TH September, 2025, at the One World Link Centre in Bo. Additionally, all teachers from the five participating schools have been trained on these strategies.

We have also visited the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) to raise awareness about the project activities . Engagements have been held with school management committees to further inform key stakeholders about the initiative.

Data collection is underway on several fronts, including lesson observations and school scorecards assessing safety, attendance, community involvement, through lesson observations and school walkthroughs. We are already seeing evidence of the EducAid Top Ten Strategies in action across all five schools. 

For example, Strategy 1 (Ensure every child is known and seen) has led teachers to greet students by name and begin using the one-page-per-child tool, though adoption is not yet universal.

Strategy 2 (Fostering a growth mindset) is helping students build confidence, with teachers praising students’ efforts, encouraging more participation even when answers are uncertain. 

Strategy 3 ( Support Learning to learn) – I am now seeing some students with their vocabulary books, this was challenging at first but after a series of engagements with the schools, 50% of the students are now with their vocabulary books. 

Strategy 4 (Creating a kind classroom) is supported by Ubuntu Star posters, which promote kindness and generosity among students. 

Strategies 7 (Purposeful grouping) and 9 (Making teaching and learning enjoyable) have contributed to noticeable improvements in attendance and class engagement, this help to strengthen teacher-student relationships.

Strategy 10 (Executive functioning) shows promise as teachers and students collaborate to establish classroom expectations and improve time management. Although time management is not yet perfect, considerable progress is evident. Most teachers are now preparing lesson notes, a significant improvement from before the project began.

Despite these successes, challenges remain. Some teachers expected material incentives like transport or snacks during sessions, which the project does not provide. Schools also complain of shortages of the materials needed to display key ETTS elements visibly. Providing essential tools such as the one-page-per-child book, core skills tracker, and learning goal planner is still difficult, though some teachers have made personal sacrifices to supply these resources for the smooth running of the project.

Photos by JP, EducAid Mentor
Report by Miriam Mason-Sesay, PhD
Country Director, EducAid Sierra Leone