Building capacity of local institutions.

Most local education management committees are ignorant of the education standards that need to be achieved to attain conducive learning environment and achieve quality in delivering the service. For example, Local school Management Committees are not aware of recommended teacher to pupils ratio, recommended number of toilets in relation to users for both genders, availability of decent sanitary rooms (changing rooms) for adolescent girls to allow them learn even during menstrual cycles, consideration of providing or advocating to provide or support girls with sanitary pads and other necessities (investing in girl child education etc.). Building capacity of local school management institutions can provide an eye opener to understand the situation of their own school and fight to mobilize resources to uplift the standard of learning at their respective institution. In areas where School Improvement Grants are provided, they are wrongly prioritized out their ignorance.

The specific problem that we are working solve is that of high school dropout rate among girls. While there are issues of early marriages and pregnancies among them my argument is that this is a result of a failed conducive environment which can promote learning interest in girls. High school dropout rate among girls in my community is very high and worrisome. Only 30% of the girls that enroll in Standard One make to Standard 8 out of which 20% are selected to Secondary School and 5% make it to University and to some College.

Dilapidated infrastructure such as toilets where there is also congestion is a demotivation to adolescent girl attendance to school especially during their menses. Another factor is the high average teacher to pupil ratio of 1: 120 leaves far to be desired. Slow learners just don't learn even if they go to school. Teachers hardly recognize their needs and rarely provide extra lessons to make them catch up leading to failures. This just pave way to dropping out.  

The workable solution is to train School Management Committee (SMCs) members, Parents and Teachers Association (PTAs) and Mother Groups (MGs) on desirable standards for effective delivery of education services. This will make the members understand the recommended teachers to pupil ratio and provide them with an opportunity to reflect that to their own school. They can ably be in a position to mobilize resources to build more learning blocks or report to the Ministry on need for more teachers. Adequate classrooms and teachers bring bout adequate teacher to pupil ratio and are key to improving education quality.  This promote learning enthusiasm and teachers are able to provide proper assessments on everyone.

Building the capacity of local education institution members also provide a reflection on the requirements of resources such as availability of running water, sanitary facilities, books, teachers houses, teachers offices, etc. The methodology of assessing school condition can then follow using a School condition Score Card. It is also important to be transferring the skills to successive members so that the developments can be carried on.

Target population are the local School Management Committees, Parents and Teachers Association (PTAs) and Mother Groups. Dzimwe Community Radio Station had a pilot project to one Constituency with support from Tilitonse Fund and the results were overwhelming. We saw communities taking lead in establishing more education infrastructures such as classrooms, sanitary rooms and toilets, constructing learning shelters and following up girls who were reported absent for some time to hear from them their challenges.

Local School Management Committees are vested with the responsibility of developing School Improvement Plans. The Committee members represent parents and teachers and are responsible in mobilizing resources that are needed at a school. These Committees also work with Primary school headmasters who also have their interests. Headmaster capitalize on the ignorance of the committee members to embezzle or miss-allocate School development funds leading to the plans missing the inclusion of achieving the desirable quality. 

This is innovative because mostly the elected members within the committees are typical villagers who have even not gone to school. It becomes a mockery if these are trusted to operate an education institution that has quality challenges and expect the delivery of the service to improve. The Committee also is well placed to advise fellow parents to think about investing in girls education as has been proved that educating girls is more beneficial to the society as is also supported by the cultural settings. This innovation therefore stand to be accepted and adopted by both the Committees and parents in the village setting to resolve their respective challenges.

The use of score cards will also rate the school whether it is performing well or badly. As a media institution, we shall use the results to seek clarification on government plans and allocation of resources from policy makers so that the condition of learning infrastructure is improved and girls are assisted with their immediate needs.

The core technology is my understanding on desirable standards to improve or achieve quality in education service delivery in relation to my understanding and experience on knowledge and practice of local school management committees.

as I said we used this technology in Senior Traditional Authority Nankumba in Monkey bay and Monkey Bay West constituencies and it worked overwhelmingly.

My Theory of Change is Community Knowledge, Voice and Action (CKVA). If the community responsible to manage education is knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities in relation to making girls and women stay at school and attain better education service, they will speak about the issues, talk to policy makers and hold them accountable as well as work to resolves any gaps that impend any progress in achieve education quality.

This solution has  currently served 50,000 people. In one year, with availability of funding, it can serve 800,000  people and in five years it will serve 4,000,000. 

The ultimate goal is to make sure that at least an average of six (6) out of ten (10) girls finish their Primary School education by 2025. This will be achieved by providing them with adequate sanitary facilities, providing adequate learning space and resources inorder to improve teacher to pupil ratio in schools and setting up a Committee to follow-up challenges faced by girls and resolve them together with parents and local leaders.

Lack of financial resource is a major barrier otherwise we have the District Education Manager and local communities that collaborates well on this Project.

searching for relevant sponsors to help us implement the project.

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We are an institution that currently has 32 members of staff. Among our staff are experienced Community Development Officers and Journalists who ably articulate and engage the community and service providers on issues. The institution is headed by individuals who once were teachers and as such are well conversant with education requirements. Best practices and lessons learnt are shared inform of radio programs and public service announcements using the media to allow adoption by the larger community and this effect change to a wider area within a short period of time. 

We work with government departments such as the District Community Development Office, the District Education Office, the District Council, Village Development Committees and stakeholders that work in a field of education and development.

We are a media institution and provide communication service to the population. Being a Community Media Organization, we are the voice of the people and this attracts listenership because the radio talks with them about the issues that impact on their livelihood. We market the audience needs through well searched and balanced radio programs.

We raise funds to cover staff salaries through airtime sales. However since we target underpreviledged community, this is in limited amounts and hardly suffice funding Projects like this one.

I am applying to Solve to be supported with financial resource mobilization to scale up the Proposed Project.

Our partnership goals are to achieve attendance of girls in schools and reduce dropout rate by 35% by 2025. This will be achieved through sharing of skills, capacity and in resource mobilization.

Solve Members are key in helping mobilizing financial resources to help with implementation of the initiative.

The purpose of this award is to help achieve some innovations for Women which is also related to the purpose of this Project hence qualified for this Prize. Once Awarded, the funding shall be used to construct sanitation rooms and sanitary pads for girls to promote their attendance to schools.

This project is about promoting Learning for Girls and Women which very much relate to the purpose of this award. Once awarded, the funds shall be used to Construct sanitation rooms and purchase of sanitary pads for adolescent girls.

The key activity of the propose project is to build the capacity of local school management committees to understand their roles and responsibilities in achieving quality education that will promote girl attendance and reduce dropout rate. Once awarded, the funds will be used to train these local school management committee members. This sort of training is tantamount to providing literacy to them.