New Vision for Education

Keeping an eye on ego, understanding fear, and breathing life into your dreams are essential for developing wellbeing. Do you find yourself regularly watching through those millions of videos on YouTube? In constant turmoil analyzing what others think about you? How to not give a….? Or searching through for motivational quotes by accomplished others? Or do you usually find yourself drenched in guilt at the end of what seemed like a happy moment? Or constantly at the mercy of your inner demon? If any of these ring close to you (the definitely do for me) your wellbeing is at stake, and you’re not alone. We live in a society that dictates what is and isn’t acceptable for us, what we are good at, what’s beautiful, who to trust/love, how to dress, eat, behave etc. These rules often work against our wellbeing. The very few among us who seek to learn about and truly break free from these shackles are the ones who enjoy true wellbeing we so envy. You’ll be surprised to hear that a...

The next steps to reduce gender inequalities must create ‘experiences’ for a new generation supportive of a more equal world. EducAid Boys and girls working together to clear a stream at Mathele Bana ‘You mould your earth when it’s wet’ goes a Sierra Leonean adage, and I have never agreed with it more when it comes to gender equality. The side effects of gender inequality are at the stem of many problems we face. However, we spend billions in tick-box interventions doing piecemeal activities to change attitudes.  We comfortably sit and watch our boys and girls grow into their parents. Gender inequalities are present in every corner of the world. Even in countries where most progress has occurred, being a woman is still very tough.  Gender inequalities are sustained and strengthened by our thoughts and actions, which are heavily moulded by our childhood experiences in home and in school. Therefore, the school and the home must be our work stations in the...

My journey so far as a lifelong learner Alusine Barrie “We are all born lifelong learners, it all depends on how it’s developed and how some of us take advantage of it in our lives.” – Clara Sancho It is only recently that I realized through my quest as an educator that I have sufficiently developed myself as a lifelong learner. I see this as synonymous to the concept of growth mindset. I saw a likely source of this being my step father who lived with us and would always bring children’s story books and would read with us in bed until we fell asleep. He was always ready to answer my numerous (and often bizarre) questions. In him and my mother (who was uneducated but had great tolerance for questions) I found a safe place to develop my budding curiosity. I transferred to Freetown in 2009 and was given ample access to numerous school resources (especially the internet) and an environment where I felt safe to learn many different things. I was very excited being an arts stu...

Politics and poor education in a social media wave. How can we get our youth to contribute more meaningfully in the politics of their country? My country Sierra Leone is undeniably a beautiful country with great potential to lift its people from poverty and make a happy home where all its people can achieve their greatest potential. Our cultural diversity is unparalleled, our lands swell up to the brim with natural treasures, and our population is vastly made up of young people ripe with untapped potential. All these give our country many opportunities. But these opportunities are shadowed by many challenges that move our country backward. In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges holding back our country is the poor quality of education that leaves our young people unemployed, poor and vulnerable to almost anything – especially bad politics in which their choice is so crucial. Comments from a group of my friends teaching in schools here in Port Loko (the town ...

Action for climate change begins here! Farm lands destroyed by bush fires Climate change is not a problem of science versus corporations. It is a problem of our society, its morals, and its priorities. Turning words into action starts with this mindset. I won’t talk here about the huge data available on climate change. Anyways, if you’re really curious to see for yourself, check out the links at the bottom of the page. Skeptics of our climate change problem may try to distract us with their bad rap. Well, tell them that while we may not be here in the year 2098 to see side effects of our action to put climate change under control, we may also not be here to see the side effects of our inaction. Therefore, for our own sake and for our children's sake (whose lives will be affected by our actions or inactions of today), we are choosing to do the right thing. Experience has taught us that taking bold steps to control these situations is the right thing to do. Turnin...