Where We Work : South Sudan : Education

In post-conflict Southern Sudan, BRAC has pioneered a non-formal education programme for children who never had the chance for an education or who had dropped out of primary school. So far we have opened 140 “second chance” learning centres in Juba, Torit, Bor and Rumbek, with financing from the Strømme Foundation and Petrofac. The goal is to prepare the students to enter the formal government school system at the grade 5 level.

Programme Description

The goal of BRAC's education programme in Southern Sudan is to educate children who have dropped out of school or never enrolled so they can enter the formal government school system. Our education programme follows the government curriculum of the four-year lower primary cycle.

We admit 30 to 35 pupils per school and employ one teacher to provide a four-year school cycle. We follow the Government Curriculum. Once pupils reach grade 4, they can be mainstreamed into public schools at the grade 5 level. All learning materials are provided free of charge. Teachers are recruited locally. Prospective teachers are contacted by BRAC staff and encouraged to submit an application. We hire only women who are established as local residents and have a minimum of eight years schooling.

The main features of our approach are:

• Relevant curriculum providing basic education and life skills
• No financial cost for students or guardians
• School timing flexibility
• Operating in a close proximity to student's house
• Small class sizes managed by female teachers
• Little or no homework
• Child-friendly teaching environment
• Close and supportive supervision
• Close involvement of parents and communities in school management

We conduct house to house surveys to identify prospective students and teachers and cross check our findings with local education officials to identify drop-outs and prevent duplication. Potential teachers are hired by BRAC and given 20 days of basic teacher training designed to be proactive and participatory, placing emphasis on practice and role-play teaching. Teacher training includes topics such as the basic concepts of education, child psychology, different teaching and learning techniques and how to deal with children with special needs.

One female community organiser from the locality is recruited to look after 10 schools. She visits each school twice a week to ensure the attendance of the learners and the progress of learning.

Teachers also receive monthly refresher training throughout the school cycle to hone and strengthen their abilities. All teachers are women, which helps make parents comfortable sending their daughters to school. This also serves to increase the status of women in the community.

A school building is rented in the local community, normally a one-room structure made of bamboo or mud with a metal roof, no further than one kilometre walking distance from the students' houses. Students are taught a curriculum that encompasses both basic primary education as well as relevant life skills, such as topics related to health and agriculture.

Flexible school times and a no-homework policy allow children to complete daily chores and other productive activities. Zero financial costs to parents and students plus a relevant curriculum result in extremely low drop out rates.

BRAC continues to work with the Government of Southern Sudan to achieve education for all, especially for girls. The programme contributes to the basic education of the most deprived children in Southern Sudan, while also promoting increased female participation in education, not only as students but as teachers and paraprofessionals.

NEW: ADOLESCENT GIRLS INITIATIVE PROGRAMME

Education is a major component of BRAC’s Adolescent Girls Initiative (AGI) in Southern Sudan. With funding from the World Bank, we will open 100 clubs in 2010 through 10 branches in four states. The programme’s objectives are to empower the adolescents aged 15-24 socially and financially. There are six components – a safe place for socialisation, life-skills training, livelihood training, financial literacy, savings and credit services, and community sensitisation.

For those adolescents who want to start their own businesses, we’ll provide money through microcredit. BRAC’s 20 years of experience working with adolescent goups in Bangladesh has shown their average loans are much less than for adults. The World Bank has chosen the BRAC Research and Evaluation Unit for East Africa programmes to undertake a baseline survey and ingoing evaluation of the impact of AGI.