Cranleigh School's Visit to Kawama

Last year I completed my Masters dissertation with Beyond Oursleves. My project explored the reasons for absenteeism at Kawama Community School. This may seem like an odd topic. Surely children who don't have the same educational opportunities as we do in the UK would be grateful for even the chance to attend school?

Well, generally speaking they are but there are many factors that affect a child's attendance and whilst my research was based at one particular school, many of these factors are common to children across the world; factors such as limited financial means, the quality of education provided, illness, hunger, menstruation, weather and the need to work. Absenteeism is clearly a multi-dimensional problem which has its roots in income property, social deprivation and entrenched cultural and gender norms.  Having just returned from a trip to Kawama, I was reminded of the extent of the progress that has been made in tackling some of these deeply complex issues.

All three schools that Beyond Ourselves partners with provide genuinely affordable education, unlike the government schools where there are often hidden costs such as administration and resource fees that are beyond the means of many poorer families. This ensures that many children in Kawama who could not afford to go to the government school are able to attend school. The feeding programme ensures the children receive at least one nutritious meal a day and are therefore able to concentrate and participate more fully in school and thus learning outcomes are improved. Sanitation has also been improved with good quality toilets now up and running.

Ultimately, however, children and their carers need to see a point in going to school. Why pursue education when it's unclear how that education will benefit you or your family? This is the reason why, alongside meeting basic needs, there is a real focus on improving the quality of education at the schools and the results are already being seen. Class sizes have been reduced with the aim of bringing all classes down to 40 or below. 

At Kawama School last year's Grade 7s achieved a 73% pass rate in the end of year exams that determine their entrance to secondary school, compared with a national average of 63%. During this trip we also saw the Reception and Baby class learning through play in a way that we have not seen before. We were genuinely moved to see the young children building towers, tackling puzzles and engaged in role-play, learning skills that will so significantly benefit their later education but also enjoying themselves so much!

The teachers at Kawama encourage the children and their families to value education and to understand the long-term benefits of completing their schooling. This is no easy task in a community that, through necessity, has had to focus on their immediate needs rather than planning for the future but the teachers know the importance of this message and I've no doubt that their commitment to meeting basic needs and providing a high quality and relevant education will encourage the children to value their schooling and work towards a better future.

By Becs Gibson, a teacher at Cranleigh School.