New Vision for Education

Joke by me - A Trick to Get Sierra Leoneans Good At Math... Pass A Law That All Math Teachers Smile 3 Times for 3 Seconds in Each Lesson Disclaimer:  While there are a number of other factors affecting mathematics teaching and learning including a poor foundation, a lack of learning resources, that students don't practice out of school, that parents have a role to play, teacher remuneration, math teacher training etc., my focus today is really on us the Math Teachers; what we can do to get our students more excited about learning mathematics. The matter is a serious one. Mathematics has been dubbed the queen of the sciences but there is no queen more hated than this one. I have been working with university graduates transitioning into Sierra Leone's labour force, and the fear of anything with numbers I see is scary. We try to innovate and transform our economy, yet our efforts will be seriously constrained if Sierra Leoneans continue to be so afraid of the foundational subject ...

Rising distrust in 'expert' opinion maybe inevitable. What's driving it and what can we do about it? Studies such as The 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer has shown that across the world 'distrust in expert opinion in Governments, Media, NGOs and Financial institutions is rising. According to the report government was the least trusted institution, followed by the media, now distrusted in 82% of the countries surveyed'  – https://www.edelman.com/trust-barometer . But wait, has the role of the expert not always been an evolving one, undergoing constant metamorphosis to fit the spirit of the times? It is important perhaps to note that an understanding of the 'expert' as an all knowing human in whose words and actions (in relation to their field) personal opinion, interest or flaws should have little to no place is perhaps a very misleading one. Indeed, we have seen that human flaws and selfish interest has never really been that far removed from 'exp...

The world is ushering in the dawn of a fourth industrial revolution ' characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.' [1]    We are seeing 'emerging technology breakthroughs in a number of fields, including robotics, artificial intell igence, blockchain, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, The Internet of Things, 3D printing and autonomous vehicles.' https://www.weforum.org/about/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-by-klaus-schwab How can we catch up with it leaving no country behind?  Past industrial revolutions have shown us that poor countries and our values have not always kept up with the growing opportunities and challenges the world is faced with. Many have highlighted the great potential as well as dangers of letting the machines loose. Continuing disruptive b reakthroughs will herald an inevitable cultural and socioeconomic revolution, just as we have seen in the past. How...

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...