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Curriculum Project

Middle & High School Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Brooke Rothwell, Martha Rand, Judith Francis, Duli Pllana

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Brief Overview

Sub-Saharan Africa faces a crisis in education.

This curriculum project is designed to explore the creative educational strategies that exist

globally according to Brookings world wide educational updates.

“Africa has some of the world’s starkest inequalities in access to education….Being poor,

rural and female carries a triple handicap. ...Conflict is another barrier to progress”

(Watkins 2013). See the link to security tracker:

According to Winthrop et.al. (2018) “Fewer than 4% of innovations explicitly target

conflict affected or displaced young people.”

There continues to be a great deal of conflict in Sub Saharan Africa.

https://www.cfr.org/africa-sub-saharan/sub-saharan-security-tracker/p37884

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Why cases were chosen?

The cases were chosen by the following characteristics: gendered education, digital divide and uses of technology.

The cases focused on female education in 8th grade through 12th grade, which is middle school and high school in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Famous Example Group:

Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls

Oprah Winfrey Philanthropist & Entrepreneur - "Am I Good Enough". (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yb7bguW2Kg

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Reoccurring Themes

Location: Uganda, Zambia and Kenya (main areas of focus)
Similarities: Need for safe school zones, access to quality education, positive influences of female rights to education.
Differences: Comparisons between male and female students work and education skill sets. Disparity amongst male and female students with skills equality, skills uncertainty.

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Innovative Practices

Experience Based-Learning
Community Impacted Learning
Providing solar power to support students without access to ordinary utility services
Artistic expression to enhance empowerment
Students develop creative projects for sustainable ecology in South Africa
Development of a Great school toolkit that promotes and strengthens school governance
SASA! Community mobilization approach for preventing violence against women and HIV.

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Access to Education: There are many challenges for girls

Long Live the Girls

http://www.wise-qatar.org/edhub/long-live-girls

Access to education: Grassroots efforts to educate girls face social, cultural, religious,economic and infrastructure challenges.

In many parts of the world, including Africa, there are widespread and longstanding obstacles to educating young people and girls education is customarily not prioritized.. These obstacles stem from prevalent historical, cultural, and religious customs as well as political crises including high conflict hostility. Attitudes stemming from these customs are difficult to change. In Ethiopia, the Constitution of 1994 called for equality between men and women. Implementing this has been difficult. The first film clip, on the left, shows how the intersection between religion, culture and the harsh demands of life impacts a child bride who wished to continue her education.

The second clip, in the center shows Sheetal Mehta, executive director of the K.C. Mahindra Education Trust and Executive Director of Nanhi Kali, an NGO for Educating girls in India. She talks about her experience changing attitudes about education for girls in India, demonstrating that access to education for girls is not isolated to the African continent. She highlights the importance of changing attitudes held by fathers of girls; changing attitudes about early age of marriage for girls; and, changing girls attitudes about themselves by encouraging self-confidence and assertiveness.

The third video is the story of a student at the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy. Kibera is a large impoverished area in Nairobi, Kenya and the largest urban slum in Africa. Conditions are deplorable with inadequate and in some cases nonexistent public utilities. The girls accepted into the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy excel at soccer and want to remain in school. During 2010-11 there were efforts made to provide solar powered lighting to girls in the school, which could better their lives.

The photo shows members of Long Live the Girls, an educational initiative located in Ethiopia and Zanzibar, designed to empower girls through creative writing to ‘talk back’ to government about the place of women in society and the problems women face which also include gender-based violence, the favoring of boys education, and, the direct as well as hidden costs of education, in general.

(Note to self - (a) Ethiopia Constitution and implementation of gender equality

(b) India - discussion of how attitude change about girls education takes place (c) LLTG initiative

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Grassroots efforts to educate girls face social, cultural, economic and infrastructure challenges

http://anneatkgsa.blogspot.com/

Many positive social and economic changes are attributed to the education of girls and women.

Here are just five of the countless wonderful things that happen when you educate a girl:

An educated girl will have knowledge of her individual rights and freedom of choice, and will exercise them. For many Maasai girls, an education is the key to escaping the oppressive practices of forced early marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). As a result, an educated woman is less likely to inflict these practices upon her own children.
An educated girl is more likely to become involved in the workforce and in turn, bring economic stability to her family and community. Studies have shown that women invest around 90% of their income into their families and communities thus reducing poverty and improving health, safety, and education for everyone.
An educated girl knows the risks of unprotected, casual sex and will therefore help to combat the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. She will be better equipped to handle pregnancy and the health complications associated with bearing a child. This, in turn, will significantly improve maternal and infant health, allowing for healthier future generations.
An educated girl will be more apt to voice her opinions, be involved in political and economic affairs, and empower other women to participate. Women’s involvement in politics and the economy will bring more democratic processes to areas which desperately need political change.
An educated girl has the opportunity to dream big and to eventually realize the dreams she once thought would be impossible to achieve. Education catapults girls into a brighter future, creating an empowered woman capable of changing her own life, her community, and the world.

Masaai Girls Education Fund/Home (n.d) Retrieved from http://maasaigirlseducation.org/five-things-that-happen-when-you-educate-a-girl/

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Information and Communication Technologies

Empowe

n an interview with Oprah, Queen Rania shared her perspective raising her children, “When we invest in raising our children as global citizens who are educated and exposed to the diverse religions, cultures and characters of the world, peace is possible.” She is clear that education more than literacy; it is about cultivating values and dreams.

Yet, there are so many circumstances that thwart a girl’s dream like war and poverty. Education and empowerment are gifts that no one should be denied. No one should be robbed of the opportunity to dream and pursue a life without war and terror.

Instead, opportunity should be generated, particularly for our mothers and girls. It can begin in small ways. Most of us know how resourceful our mothers can be. In her hands small steps: literacy classes, nutrition, vaccinations, relationships, become life altering provisions. An investment in our mothers and girls are investments in the future.

Women and children need to feel safe, valued and respected for their innate value and contribution. This is the foundation for girls and boys to feel empowered to dream and pursue those dreams as global citizens who will create a world where we know we are all one family under God.

Information and Communication Technologies engaged adolescent girls in learning technology skills that allow them to map areas of safety in their communities. This work allows correlations to be seen among areas with security problems to be correlated with social problems. This this voice to adolescents, increases their skills and sense of agency and provides information to authorities and policy makers who can take further steps to maintain safety for girls and community members

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Raising Voices is a non-profit organization based in Uganda working toward the prevention of Violence against women and children. There focus is community activism, research collaborations, national advocacy leading up to Global Action.

Streetlight Schools- Mission is to create global competitive schools in some of the most underprivileged communities in South Africa. There goal is to create a new vision in their academic approach for South African Education.

Sustainability Institute- This organization helps to combat problems in Africa’s ecosystem. It’s goal is to reduce and eliminate poverty.

Movement for social change to promote education

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http://www.streetlightschool.org

http://www.raisingvoices.org/good-school/

Educational school setting in Sub-Saharan Africa

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We’re not Just a Pretty Face

Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS): a UK-based charity/social enterprise hybrid with an innovative school financing model, Smart Aid, that is sustainably expanding access to quality, low-cost secondary education in Uganda and Zambia.
ReachUp!: trains young Kenyan interns to deliver empowerment, ICT and Financial Literacy curricula to individuals and small business owners in communities from which they hail.
African Women in Science and Technology (AWiST): is a program specifically for young women in the field of Science and Technology.

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Coca Cola African Internships

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Education Development Center

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=sm6KdQfMgPI

http://zisukhanyo.blogspot.com

Skill Inequality in Education

EDC projects with focus in math and science decline skill inequality in education:

International donors who support nonprofit projects for developing education in poor countries finance leap science and math schools in Sub-Saharan. Today, schools are equipped with relatively modern technology in education. Teachers participate in professional development programs, which promote teaching centered in students. Students at LEAP outscore their peers at other schools regionally and nationally with a significantly.

Education Development Center created a project,” Zambia Time to Learn”, and it is in partnership with the ministry of education, science, and technology, and vocational training. The program improved quality of education, increased teacher’s professionalism, and assisted people infected by HIV.

Protea Educational Project is a registered charity in the Republic of Ireland, is the owner of Zisukhanyo schools project. The project is active in more than 20 primary schools in the Cape Town; majority of the schools are primary. According to the data sixth grader tests in 2012 and 2013, the progress of students’ performance increased at least 10% , and at most 50 %.

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Equal Access in Modern Education

LEAP Science and Math Schools

Provides free education from high need communities.
Schools provide student - centered math and science.
Leap Promotes equal access to quality education.
Provides quality tutoring math and science.
The LEAP model works. LEAP has an average of 93% Grade 12 pass rate with more than 70% of graduates.
READ MORE

http://leapschool.org.za/success /

Zisukhanyo Schools

In September, 2005, a state-of-the-art computer centre was officially opened at Intshayelelo Primary School by the Irish Ambassador to South Africa, Gerard Corr.
The schoolchildren use the computer technology each day for lessons conducted by their teachers
Today, all of the teachers and children at the school are computer-literate.

READ MORE

http://leapschool.org.za/

EDC - Educational development center nonprofit advanced lasting improves:

Reading program packages.
Learning material
Teacher training
Teacher supervision and support
Connect communities with psychosocial support services
Sustainable improvement in reading instructions.
READ MORE

http://www.edc.org/time-learn

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Gender Equity for Education

“Education should not end at the age of 11. All girls and boys should get the opportunities that secondary school brings.”

(PEAS | Home. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.peas.org.uk/)

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References

Africa Women in Science and Technology (AWiST) | Center for Education Innovations. (2018). Retrieved from https://educationinnovations.org/program/africa-women-science-and-technology-awist
Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1994) Article 34 Retrieved from http://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/et/et007en.pdf
Dimmock, J., Sinclair, S., (n.d), Too Young to Wed: Destaye, United Nations Population Fund Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEUVoMMnX78
DOT Kenya. (2018). Retrieved from https://kenya.dotrust.org/
Oprah Winfrey Philanthropist & Entrepreneur - "Am I Good Enough". (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Global Peace Foundation (2014) Educate a Woman and You Educate a Family, Educate a Girl and You Educat v=5yb7bguW2Kge the Future Retrieved from https://www.globalpeace.org/blog/educate-woman-and-you-educate-family-educate-girl-and-you-educate-future
Maasai Girls Education Fund/ Home. (n.d) Retrieved from http://maasaigirlseducation.org/five-things-that-happen-when-you-educate-a-girl/
Murimi, P. Gough, D. (2008) Slum Survivors-Part 5, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9qcq0Hu3OM
PEAS | Home. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.peas.org.uk/
Raftree, L., Bashan, K.,(2013) Integrating Information and Communication Technologies into Communication for Development Strategies for Marginalized Adolescent Girls, NYC, NY Center for Development UNICEF Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/cbsc/files/ICTPaper_Web.pdf

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References continued

Sunny Futures in Kibera/Home (2010) Understanding urban poverty, education and culture in Kenya Retrieved from http://anneatkgsa.blogspot.com/
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/THE WORLD BANK, (1996) Implementing the Ethiopian National Policy for Women, Institutional and Regulatory Issues Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=PYIKOMJ4-WoC&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=Article+35+on+the+Rights+of+Women+(Ethiopian+Constitution),&source=bl&ots=LSy0UvSv_P&sig=9pmG92yIX1ItmtQRoQH5G5M5Mmk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi3kIHW3IbeAhWQzlkKHag8Cx8Q6AEwBnoECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q=Article%2035%20on%20the%20Rights%20of%20Women%20(Ethiopian%20Constitution)%2C&f=false
Watkins, K., (2013, Jan. 13) Too Little Access, Not Enough Learning: Africa’s Twin Deficits in Education, Brookings Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/too-little-access-not-enough-learning-africas-twin-deficit-in-education /
wise/ed.hub (2015, October 15) Investing for Impact in Girls Education,http://www.wise-qatar.org/edhub/investing-impact-girls-education
Educational Development Center-Projects: (2017) Time to Learn (EDC” work in Zambia) http://www.edc.org/time-learn
LEAP Science and Mathematics School-Nonprofit Organization (2017) http://leapschool.org.za/success/
Ziskuhanyo Schools Projects-PROTEA Educational Development Projects(2014) http://zisukhanyo.blogspot.com