Teachers visit to Bo – Sports and Big Plans
The overarching aims for this visit in February 2025 were to Listen to what is going on in primary education, visiting a number of stake-holders and projects, in order to re-imagine how OWL can play a role in supporting education and working alongside our current schools. It was also hoped that a new venture could begin working with vulnerable young women in Bo.
Liz Garrett, Education Coordinator
- Meeting with Director of EducAid -Dr Miriam Mason
Context – EducAid’s website is very impressive https://www.educaid.org.uk/ They have 30 years experience working in SL. EducAid’s vision is a democratic, dignified and globally-engaged Sierra Leone, where poverty is eliminated by educated citizens. EducAid runs a free network of schools and projects focused on improving education, social inclusion, gender equality, and community resilience in Sierra Leone.
They have 5 model schools based at 3 sites (Lumley and Port Loko) and they have projects using their Top 10 Strategies offering teachers practical ways to best support their students – working with the Ministry for Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE)
Liz had several email discussions with Miriam (who is from UK but has lived in FT since 2000) prior to Feb visit to establish that we might be able to learn from them and a meeting was organised for our first Sunday afternoon/evening at Roy’s Bar, Lumley beach.
John Sandi and Serah Tucker from Bo joined us and we chatted with Miriam giving her a bit more detail about our link school work in Bo. We soon established that a partnership could be achievable! The collaboration is timely because she was starting to look for ways to take EducAid’s work into Bo district. She proposed running a pilot teacher training project with 5 Bo link schools for the academic year 2025-26, where an EducAid trainer will live in Bo, visiting each school every week to deliver training and mentoring. We agreed to discuss this during our week in Bo. The challenge is that UK OWL would need to provide the funding for the trainer (approx. £12,500).
Miriam has developed good relationships with the TSC (Teaching Service Commission) who are responsible for teacher training. Miriam explained that the TSC has 134 professional standards which schools are supposed to use to train teachers – this is not easy to use or effective. Most primary teachers don’t read well enough to be able to follow these and they are usually working with English as their 3rd or 4th language.
EducAid has developed training materials: Top 10 Strategies: which are practical and use training videos to ‘show’ how to do things
- Meeting with Deputy Director of MBSSE, Hon Mamasu Murana.
Serah Tucker had set up our Monday morning meeting at the Ministry. Again, Serah and John joined Sally, Paula and myself. Mamasu had studied for her MSc at Kings College London and worked as a Deputy Headteacher in Croyden. She explained that she was always exploring ways of improving teaching and learning through getting partners involved and welcomed the endeavours of OWL to connect with schools in Bo. Fundamentally teachers need more training in Foundational Learning (core subjects-reading, writing and maths) Most teachers don’t read – they need to be shown.
“Teacher training is the heartbeat of education” – the most impact can be created by improving the quality of teaching – this is what will improve outcomes for students. She also spoke about the need for all Heads to become Computer Literate. We spoke about the IT Hub at the OWL centre.
This backed the message Liz had gained through discussion with Kate Jefferies at FCDO by Zoom – a recent assessment of Class 4 revealed a 20% pass in basic Literacy skills. The government is focussing training in grades 1-4.
- Visiting OWL Link Schools in Bo.
Sally spent Weds am with Rev Ann Peachey (Vicar at Holy Trinity Hatton- Ferncumbe’s church) at her link school – UBC Lower, also visiting UBC Upper and meeting the pastor. Paula and Sally visited St Joseph’s link, UMC New Site, so that Sally could facilitate Paul’s Live Link Assembly. Liz also did a Live Link Assembly for All Saints Warwick from BDEC New Gerihun Rd. Over three days, all 15 schools were visited by one of us or a Sports Day attended to meet staff and present certificates. Four schools held Sports Events; Holy Rosary School and RC Model at the Stadium and BDEC Messima and RC Madonna Pre-school at Centenary Field. These were exciting, noisy and joyful community events which must have taken schools a huge amount of organising.
St Mary’s VOC (Vocational College) at HRS campus.
I had spoken at length with Sr Pauline Ohalla (a Sister of the Holy Rosary, from Kenya, previously worked in Nigeria.) As the Principal of the college, she gave us a very warm welcome and summary of the background, purpose and aims of the college. There are currently 58 young women aged 18-26, studying 2 year courses in Tailoring, Catering, Hairdressing, Computing and basic English and Maths. She explained that one of their main challenges is the drop-out rate of students. Another is that of recruitment of good trainers but she is well staffed at present. They always value visits which provide a real lift and encouragement to the women. We enjoyed a tour of each classroom, chatting with staff and students and ending with all the students meeting with us in the hall. We were each asked to say some words and were presented with a piece of bespoke red/white/blue tie-dye fabric. Some students sang and danced for us. We had a wonderful lunch and very enjoyable conversation over in the nun’s accommodation building. Sr Pauline is very keen for the Self-Worth materials (such as the Inspire Course) to be delivered to the students in the future and really welcomed the collaboration with OWL Education. Resources to potentially use: https://self-worth.co.uk/
- Big Schools Meeting at OWL Centre – attended by Heads and teacher Reps from all 15 schools.
Each school was given a pack containing: updated list of schools/staff, summary page of EducAid Top 10 Strategies, some Phonics teaching aids, instructions about using ecobricks for building (further info on past project).
John Sandi presented the Purposes and Aims of OWL, reminding and educating new members.
Finally, we sang our link song You are My Brother and presented each school with a fabric bag (re-use message) full of school materials as gifts from UK schools – a football, pump, pens, chalk etc.