Student sucess
We have heard about how the Bob Simson school has been rebuilt and strengthened against damage by future storms. We also supplied classroom furniture, such as strong tables with metal frames, and metal and plastic chairs. These cannot be bought locally, and will last for years.
The number of students has gone up significantly – by October 2022 we had almost four hundred young people in the school. Many of them have come from surrounding villages, and some had actually been sent further away to school, but are now returning to continue their education much closer to their homes.
The academic performance has also been impressive. Twenty-two students took the Basic Education Certification Examination for 2022. Not only did every one of them pass, but the highest mark was achieved by a girl! In a country where at the age of 15, over 50% of boys are literate, but only 39.8 % of girls, this success is particularly notable.
This exam is taken at the end of junior secondary school, after three years of a broad general education. Recently issues such as environmental protection have been included in the syllabus. As we know from experience, Sierra Leone is vulnerable to climate change, and extreme events including floods and severe storms, so this is a very important topic for the young people to learn about.
