Educate Jarra

Our vision

This project has three main components all with the view of improving the uptake of STEM subjects by children in the rural and most deprived areas of Gambia. Educate Jarra focuses on stimulating the academic performance of the students. It has also put in place mechanisms as how to improve academic performance. One of the key goal of the Educate Project is, making sure every child has the necessary access to education and its resources, together with strategies in place for student assessment. The Educate Jarra project is also working on long solutions to maintain high standards of education and also making sure that learning resources are also available for all and at all times in Jarra region. Below is a list of the areas we are working on.

our focus

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

The importance of engaging key factors surrounding the lack of science and technology in schools of Jarra cannot be ignored; therefore, this project understands the profound correlation of engagement, its drivers and implications on performance for both students and schools. Educate Jarra is engaging these issues in order to address them.

SCHOLARSHIP

Educate Jarra is also introducing a scholarship scheme to encourage students in their performance and also support students with financial difficulties. The scholarship will encourage students to drive their focus in STEM subjects more envisaging improve academical performance in maths and science. The project has set out a criteria for recruitment purpose. Students who become winners of the awards will be sponsored up to university level.

Discover Students' Potentials

Over £93,000.00 has already been spent on Educate Jarra . This has also seen over 1,000 students gaining access to IT. During this period, we have also spent over £800.00 on scholarship which is currently benefited by 7 students so far.

KEBBA SANNEH

The UKJA as part of our Educate Jarra Project would like to invest in Science and Computer Laboratories in schools in Jarra. This is based on a long term strategic, human and economic development and more importantly educational considerations. From the UK Jarra Association’s visionary point, no country can afford to be left behind in a world where new scientific experiments into new drugs and process and mastery of ICT is increasingly become the key to success to any economy or country in the family of globalized nations. Living in the 21st century of information and knowledge-based century, therefore it is imperative for a country’s younger population, its workforce to have skills in those scientific methodologies and research, information access, management, processing and usage and a general population that is computer literate and capable of working with and utilizing information technology. The importance of science and technology in this century and in the future cannot be over emphasized.

The importance of engaging key factors surrounding the lack of science and technology in schools of Jarra cannot be ignored; therefore, this research seeks to understand the profound correlation of engagement, its drivers and implications on performance for both students and schools. The opinions of the research respondents have been collected with the sole aim of understanding and to acquire knowledge of how this project can maximize performance, or how the lack of science and technology can affect students in stages of their career development.There are lots of factors leading to the lack of these resources, but key amongst them is the lack of personal development which students can very much benefit from going through stages of their career development. Therefore, the research will focus in finding how UKJA can make them available, as well as the impact factor ranging from the lack of these resources to academic and personal development of students.

 

“We want every child to realize his or her potentials upon completing their secondary school level. This can be achieve by making available all the necessary learning resources to students in all key stages.”

There is also the effect of motivation which is immensely elevated by use of these facilities. Subject areas mentioned in this report do require interactive practices to elevate an in-depth understanding for students, as well as broadening their knowledge. Providing such facilities will not only benefit students in science and technology, but also empower teachers by enabling them to acquaint themselves with adequate information, making it less stressful when teaching. For example, teachers can make the use of computer lab as a resource center, preparing themselves for lessons, of which the students will be the beneficiaries at the end point. The following are objectives we are looking to achieve.

ISDB DONATED $100,000

With the sum of $100,000.00 donation from Islamic Development Bank (ISDB), we have already worked out the logistics to kick start the implementation. We are working closely with the ISDB in this process to ensure the infrastructure in place by September 2017. It is our desire to pilot this successfully. We are also working with INSIST GLOBAL, a technology firm in The Gambia who we contracted to provide the ICT infrastructure across schools we have nominated for the first pilot segment. INSIST GLOBAL provide interactive learning materials using systems in classes to help stimulate academic performances. With their systems, they also provide detail report about student performance as well as giving school management exclusive access to a software platform that outlines student weakness areas hence suggesting possible assessment strategies to support students. The idea conforms with what we looking to achieve and which is why we choose to work with them.

Supporting Education

Educate Jarra has increased access to IT for pedagogical purposes, provided essential learning resources in key subject areas, and it build a fully equipped science lab which has made it possible for students at Soma Upper and Secondary School to take up science subjects with guaranteed success. It also made it possible for Soma Senior Secondary School to qualify as a WAEC Science exams centre.

Our Drive

UK Jarra Association’s Educate Jarra Project is premised on creating possibilities for the children of Jarra to excel in STEM related subjects, giving them the opportunity to achieve their potential and be able to invent and discover,  and to grow into men capable of doing new things and breaking barriers. We recognised that, an investment in education pays the best interest.

Why We Want Your Help

 It is the premise of progress in every family and every society. Hence we are appealing for donations from members of the public, especially Jarrankas,  and organisation to help us advance the objectives of the Educate Jarra project.

What We Achieve So Far

UK Jarra Association in partnership with IMDID Gambia has organised a summer IT Camp for students in secondary schools in LRR ( Jarra and Kiang) which is currently going on at Soma Senior Secondary School. The objective of this ICT Summer Camp is to bridge the technology gap between students in the Urban and Rural Gambia. This training will equip these students with basic IT skills that could benefit them in their career progression.
Lamin Manjang
Chairman

What We Achieve So Far

Scholarship

Three (3) outstanding students benefited from the UKJA scholarship worth £100.00/student. This covers exercise books, textbooks and other learning materials. These students who are all majoring in Science will be sponsored through their secondary and university education.

Furniture Donated To Schools

Forty 40 tables and benches are donated to two schools (Jenoi and Jiffin) in The Gambia. This has resulted in ameliorating the furniture shortage in these two respective schools by providing one hundred and twenty (120) students (previously sitting on mats on the floor) with a chair to sit on and a table to write on during lessons thus improving the classroom condition and also enhancing their learning experience.

Constructed Multipurpose IT & Science Lab

Construction of a multipurpose IT and Science lab at Bureng Upper Senior Secondary School in The Gambia. The work has just commenced, and it is expected to be complete by the end of November 2019.  The work is progressing steadily, and the project is on track to be completed on time.

Constructed IT & Science Lab For Two Schools

Tremendous success has been registered through the UKJA intervention of the science and IT lab constructed and equipped at Soma Upper and Senior Secondary School. The Association is still supporting this project by paying for the services of an IT technician who also serves as the IT tutor.

Initiate Technology Summer Camps

The summer tech camp is geared towards introducing students in the rural area into technology programs. The program is engaged students by exposing them in building applications and games. This is also a path to spot potentials in students. Most of those students have never use a computer before this project.

Introduce & Educate on Efforts Towards Climate Change

Throughout our project, we have exercised the use of solar panels for the source of energy. This is also a way of educating on climate change in schools. Our computer and Science Labs are built with the use of solar panels in mind which means we are thinking towards climate change.

The Effort

 

We are currently building a new complex of Science & Technology. The contract for the construction is awarded to Nema Construction company ltd as the most responsive bidder following an open, transparent and competitive bidding process in which seven other contractors applied. The total cost of the building construction is D1,105,360.00 or £17,545.00.

Once completed the project will increase the uptake of STEM related subjects by students in Bureng and surrounding communities from 0% to 20% by 2022. It will also provide all the students in the school the opportunity to acquire basic IT skills crucial to learning and future job opportunities especially in the increasingly ICT world we live in.

Academic Impact

PROFICIENT IN IT
Over 200 students now proficient in IT 74%
ACCESS TO IT
1000 students now have access to an IT lab 80%
SCIENCE SUBJECTS
Increased number of students attempting Science Subjects 68%
WASSCE
Improved students’ performances in the last WASSCE exams 50%

Support us Today

You can support to see even more schools and students benefit from Science and Technology. You can donate in many ways. Cash and material donation are available. If you wish to donate us through an NGO funding, you can fill out our contact us form and someone will be in touch with you to discuss in detail, how your organisation wish to proceed with the donation. 

Clean Energy

Most schools in Jarra region has no access to energy source. Educate Jarra reaffirm its commitment in providing solar systems to supply energy to schools that have ICT infrastructures in place. Without energy, all the other component it is trying to deploy wont be able to work. This is another initiative we are commuting to in order to be able address the issue. Educate Jarra relies on its donors and fundraisers to be able to fund these projects.