YSSOSTFA at SLUKDERT Education beyond Ebola Conference 7 March 2015 London

Yengema Secondary School Old Students Teachers and Friends Association

Handout for SLUKDERT Education beyond Ebola Conference 7 March 2015

Web site:  www.yss-association.org.uk twitter: YSSOSTFA email: info@yss-association.org.uk

YSSOSTFA is an association of former students, teachers and friends of Yengema Secondary School, in Kono District, Sierra Leone – based in UK working in partnership with volunteers and organisations in the UK, Sierra Leone, Ireland and internationally - to advance, support and rehabilitate learning at the school. YSSOSTFA is a registered charitable Company Limited by Guarantee, No. 8432599 (UK).

PRIORITIES

·         RAISE STANDARDS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING - Urgently increasing the capability of teachers to provide higher standards of education to students and surrounding communities with teacher training​, teaching resources, strategic school planning and curriculum development

·         REHABILITATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE and PASTORAL PROGRAMME - Rehabilitation of infrastructure including buildings, labs, equipment and teaching materials; motivating children to stay in school instead of working in diamond mines; child safeguarding and gender equality.

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Since 2012 YSSOSTFA has worked successfully with Yengema Secondary School's administration to design and implement a number of strategic projects aimed at raising standards of learning and teaching at the school.

·         ​Networking with Sierra Leonean community organisations, other school partners, staff and students and using social media to help connect hundreds of ex-students and friends of the school as well as some of the school’s ex-teachers.

·         In partnership with the Eastern Polytechnic Distance Teacher Training College in Sierra Leone; delivering in service teacher training courses to 3 of the school's teachers, thanks to scholarships from YSSOSTFA. We hope to extend this scholarship programme as funds allow.

·         Reference Library Project with a large number of books and a study area for 50 students at a time- completed 2014 and ongoing support – African Writers Series -

·         Curriculum Development and Raising Standards Project - in progress - School Improvement Plan - in progress 1st draft

·         Gender project - to be developed

·         Solar Power Supply Project - preliminary planning complete, partial partner implementation - in progress (library only)

·         Science Labs (chemistry, physics and biology) Project; planning, furnishings and fittings - in progress

·         Workshops rehabilitation - concept phase

·         Staff quarters rehabilitation - concept phase

·         Agricultural, environment and honey bee project - concept phase​​

·         Shipment of Chlorine Granules + anti-Infection (Ebola) Kit, and purchase of Tanks, Veronica Buckets

Constraints and challenges:

·         Although we have offered capacity building assistance and partnerships to the Freetown and Kono based YOSA alumni organisations, these partnerships are still a work in progress.  

·         Our outreach and research suggests that the founders, the Catholic Church leaders in Sierra Leone are not in a position, financially or organisationally, to involve themselves in major support of second-level education in most of the country's districts.

·         Working in partnership with and getting cooperation of SL Ministry of Education and local authorities to facilitate better governance and resources for the school and its students.

·         Enhancing ebola resilience of school and surrounding community

·         Facilitation of students to return to school, will students return? Can they? Diversion of students from education because of pregnancies, attraction of diamond mining, poverty, etc

·         Ensuring World Bank GoSL funding for reopening of schools after ebola arrives at the school and is used effectively for its purpose

·         Many teachers around the country apparently not happy with March reopening of schools but their principals seem to be in favour, is this because of prospect of the above funding?

·         Poor internal organisational capacity of schools resulting in failure to proactively solicit, receive and benefit from those who may wish to help (not donor fatigue–donor frustration)

·         Getting students to take interest in non-curriculum titles for reading and broader learning

·         Re-introducing the Volunteer service ethic to students and teachers – we have had some success here – especially library project !

·         In order to deliver we have been constantly faced with problems of building local capacity, utilizing local manpower and materials, and providing unattainable materials from afar and putting systems in place to accomplish our projects.

·         etc

For more information on how we have overcome some of these challenges please contact:

Sahr Fasuluku

Director – YSSOSTFA

sahrfas@yahoo.co.uk

07740 277 969

 All photos credits below : - Ade Daramy SLUKDERT - click on photo to see full size

Yengema Secondary School Old Students Teachers and Friends Association Continues Work in Sierra Leone Despite Ebola

www.yss-association.org.uk

YSSOSTFA is based in the UK, partnering with Yengema Secondary School, YOSA, similar groups in other countries, Peace Corps, Christian Brothers, Rockel Shipping Co and many other business and community organisations, to further our objectives of raised standards of teaching and learning at YSS. 

We've recently completed our pilot library project, the school has an attractive functioning library with a growing collection of books and publications.

Despite closure of all schools in Sierra Leone due to Ebola, for the last few months we've turned our attention to planning and implementation of the first part of YSSOSTFA's science labs project, the creation of a working chemistry lab, funded so far by the Finnegan Family Fund for YSS. 

Work has gone far on the furniture, with 100 stools constructed (50 for the chem lab and 50 towards the physics and bio labs) most of the 3m long student work benches.  Special chemical resistant lab worktops from the UK to go on top of the benches, have now arrived at the school. 

FFFYSS have purchased and shipped chemlab sinks and taps which will arrive next month, they have also implemented urgent repairs to roofing blown off in storms over the last two years.

In order to complete this and other projects, FFFYSS recently issued a challenge that requires old students, teachers and friends of Yengema Secondary school in Kono District, Sierra Leone, to raise several thousand pounds towards YSSOSTFA projects, before continuing any further funding. 

It's only fitting that alumni, old teachers and friends of the school should show their commitment after the thousands of pounds that the FFFYSS have donated to YSSOSTFA projects over the last few years. Although we've done a lot, there's a lot more to do and the organisation needs greater involvement of alumni and ex-teacher volunteers and a steady flow of funds to ensure sustainability. We've set up a secure Paypal payments system. Payments can now be accepted from anywhere in the world and paid directly to Paypal via the 'Donate' button on our website.

Visit www.yss-association.org.uk for more details. Check our Gallery page for photos from the last few years. I have to say I'm quite proud of our work, I remember back in 2010 none of us alumni or ex teachers had connected with each other for 40 years, the school was a distant vague memory of childhood days and for me, a scruffy photo I had asked my father to take and send to me when he was an MP in Sierra Leone way back in 2002.

Since then, so many have helped rebuild the school and we at YSSOSTFA made it real, presented it to the world, ex students teachers and strangers alike for all to see in three dimensional technicolour. A living breathing institution bustling with the next generation of students, their hopes and their dreams. The fog of war is the best way to describe the contrast between seeing and experiencing and not seeing or knowing about the school at all. Visit the Gallery at yss-association.org.uk and you'll see what I mean.

We're also on Facebook at yssassociation and twitter @yssostfa