23 February 2018
Several million schools around the globe are failing schools. Millions of teenagers cannot read a book, fill in an application form or do basic arithmetic. Most of the children at these schools will join the ranks of the largely unemployable and almost certainly the unemployed. Despite billions of dollars being invested by charitable organisations most schools remain underperformers.
The world is rapidly turning into two worlds – those with education, jobs, money and a future for themselves and their children, and those with little education, no jobs and no prospects. And these people are hungry and increasingly angry.
We just don’t have time to turnaround one school at a time.
We don’t even have time to turn around 20 schools at a time. BCF programmes turn around hundreds of schools with each intervention at a cost of only USD 980 – USD 1,500 per school depending on the country and travelling expenses.
The Billion Child Foundation trains
1. District Directors to reinvent their district and circuit offices to become centres of excellence, and
2. Circuit Managers to train and empower the principals of all the schools in their circuit to reinvent their schools to become centres of excellence.
The BCF District Centre of Excellence Programme enables each district director to turn all the schools in his/her district into centres of excellence. Most districts have 100-300 schools.
It works
UNICEF funded BCF to train school inspectors for the Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training during 2015 and this is what happened
1. In 2016 66% more learners graduated from previously poorly performing primary schools compared to the control group of 20 schools.
2. The role of the Inspector changed from being largely a compliance office to that of a respected Change Leader.
3. Inspectors and the school-based management and academic staff of each school in each District worked as a single cohesive, synchronised team to ensure that each school operates as a centre of excellence.
4. This resulted in closure of the gulf between district officials, Inspectors, circuit managers, school leadership and academic staff, and the ending of silo mentality.
5. Greater acceptance and improved implementation at school level of policies and guidance, provided by Inspectors, Circuit Managers, Subject Advisors and other District officials.
The full report from the Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training is available from our CEO at alan@billionchild.org
How you can help turn education around in your county, town, city or country
Send this message to the CEO of every company and philanthropist you know and ask them to support BCF and BCF District Centre of Excellence Programme in a county, town or city of your choice.
Donate at www.billionchild.org today
BCF currently has been requested by Ministries of Education in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, and five other developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to enable them to turn entire education districts into centres of excellence. You can play a role in changing the world today!
Over a billion children need the Billion Child Foundation and there is no time to waste. Act today.