Senior Secondary School - the big step
The World Bank has made it less expensive to go to elementary school (lower basic cycle school) in The Gambia this year. But as before, the biggest challenge, especially for girls, is making the leap to senior secondary school (grades 10 to 12). For upcountry students, this usually means leaving home, since no schools are within 10 to 15 miles of your home. For girls, if you are15 years or older, you are of marrying age. And if your family is poor, their first priority must be educating the boys, who by tradition, will be the ones you can rely on to support you in your old age.
And so, while lower costs allowed us to add more than 60 new elementary school students to our program this year, our focus continues to be keeping girls in school after 9th grade.
Today, 74% of the students we support are girls, and of those nearly half are in grade 10 or higher.
A Case in Point
Imagine being an off-the-charts intelligent young woman whose parents have died and who is living with relatives, realizing that 9th grade might be the last time you are in school. Please click here to listen to my conversation with Mariama, who is in 11th grade thanks to a GambiaRising scholarship. She is eloquent, and the conversation is 12 minutes long, so if you are short on time, forward ahead to 8:33. Luckily, Mariama knew a Peace Corps volunteer, who knew GambiaRising, and today she is the top student among the 12 students with GambiaRising scholarships attending Armitage Senior Secondary School.
That this is life-changing for the girl involved, there is no doubt. But there is broader societal impact as well. There is growing evidence that when girls are more educated, incomes rise, children are healthier, and population growth decreases.
In each conversation I had with students in The Gambia last month, they asked me to thank those whose generosity is allowing them to stay in school. I promised to do so.
Thank You.
And so, while lower costs allowed us to add more than 60 new elementary school students to our program this year, our focus continues to be keeping girls in school after 9th grade.
Today, 74% of the students we support are girls, and of those nearly half are in grade 10 or higher.
A Case in Point
Imagine being an off-the-charts intelligent young woman whose parents have died and who is living with relatives, realizing that 9th grade might be the last time you are in school. Please click here to listen to my conversation with Mariama, who is in 11th grade thanks to a GambiaRising scholarship. She is eloquent, and the conversation is 12 minutes long, so if you are short on time, forward ahead to 8:33. Luckily, Mariama knew a Peace Corps volunteer, who knew GambiaRising, and today she is the top student among the 12 students with GambiaRising scholarships attending Armitage Senior Secondary School.
That this is life-changing for the girl involved, there is no doubt. But there is broader societal impact as well. There is growing evidence that when girls are more educated, incomes rise, children are healthier, and population growth decreases.
In each conversation I had with students in The Gambia last month, they asked me to thank those whose generosity is allowing them to stay in school. I promised to do so.
Thank You.