Promoting Equality in African Schools
Encyclopedia
Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) is a UK-based charity
that builds and develops low fee secondary school
s in Uganda
, and soon also in Zambia
.
John Rendel, who has won an Unltd Award for Social Entrepreneurship was named in the Courvoisier Future 500 as one of five young leaders in the public
and social sector
s , founded Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) in 2004 after visiting Uganda and discovering the huge need for secondary education.
Now PEAS has teams both in the UK
and in Uganda
, working to both raise money (in the UK) and implement the PEAS SmartAid approach (in Uganda). As a result there are currently eight schools in the PEAS network in Uganda, with several new schools under construction, including one in Zambia. They will open at the beginning of the next academic year, in February 2012, each with an initial enrolment of about 200 students. The PEAS schools are:
and schools:
PEAS Uganda implements this PEAS vision, supporting each individual school. A Director of Finance financially audits every school, every term, to ensure efficiency
and accountability. The Director of Educational Excellence inspects every school, every year, in order to maintain and improve teaching standards to help students learn more. Teachers benefit from continuous professional development, and salaries paid in full, on time, every month, which is a practice still rare in Uganda.
PEAS recently held its first annual teachers conference in Kampala, Uganda, bringing together teachers from across the PEAS network to share experiences and lesson . PEAS also promotes opportunities for the students to practice the skills they have learned, such as through a public speaking competition .
The SmartAid model means that PEAS fundraises the capital for the building and start-up costs of a school. As a result, a PEAS school is able to open debt-free, allowing it to charge fees that are low because they merely need to cover the running costs of the school. The income from the low fees is supplemented by income-generating projects (which also teach the students important business and vocational skills).
PEAS schools typically become financially self-sustaining within a year of opening, allowing them to run independently of UK fundraising
, which is the key to sustainable development
. This means that funds raised by the PEAS team in the UK can be spent on creating even more new schools allowing PEAS to provide thousands and thousands of new secondary school places for young people.
and the UK that has been running since 2006. Students join together to complete 10 km bridge walks in London, Manchester
and Birmingham
. The money raised by students is used to help build new affordable secondary schools in Uganda and Zambia through the charity. In the past, the event has been attended by then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and Channel 4 new presenter Jon Snow . The walk takes place yearly, in May.
Over 5000 students have walked the bridges of the UK in the past years, helping to raise £100,000.
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
that builds and develops low fee secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, and soon also in Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
.
Overview
In 1997, Uganda launched free universal primary education (UPE) to all children. This has boosted primary enrollment immensely to 93.2% in 2008/9 , yet demand for secondary education is largely unmet: only about 23% of girls and 27% of boys are enrolled at secondary level , largely due to a lack of schools.John Rendel, who has won an Unltd Award for Social Entrepreneurship was named in the Courvoisier Future 500 as one of five young leaders in the public
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
and social sector
Social sector
Social sector is one of several terms created as alternatives to nonprofit sector and nongovernmental sector. The latter are seen as putting an emphasis on what this sector is not, rather than calling attention to its focus on a social mission..Other terms that have been proposed are voluntary...
s , founded Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) in 2004 after visiting Uganda and discovering the huge need for secondary education.
Now PEAS has teams both in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, working to both raise money (in the UK) and implement the PEAS SmartAid approach (in Uganda). As a result there are currently eight schools in the PEAS network in Uganda, with several new schools under construction, including one in Zambia. They will open at the beginning of the next academic year, in February 2012, each with an initial enrolment of about 200 students. The PEAS schools are:
- Onwards and Upwards Secondary School
- Forest High School
- Sarah Ntiiro High School
- Kiira View Secondary School
- Green Shoots Secondary School
- Lamwo Kuc Ki Gen High School
- Hibiscus High School
- Pioneer High School
PEAS Principles
PEAS is a young UK charity with no religious or political agenda. It is built on the following principles that aim to eliminate the problems experienced by many development organisations around the world.- SustainabilitySustainabilitySustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
- Every PEAS school covers its own running costs through low fees, government subsidies and income generating projects. Even the costs of the PEAS Uganda audit and educational inspection teams in Uganda are funded from excess revenueRevenueIn business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
s from the schools. Too many charities create dependency on donorDonorA donor in general is a person who donates something voluntarily. Usually used to represent a form of pure altruism but sometimes used when the payment for a service is recognised by all parties as representing less than the value of the donation and that the motivation is altruistic...
fundingFundingFunding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money , or other values such as effort or time , for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions...
and PEAS wants to show how much further money can go when it multiplies rather than undermines the energies of local communities.
- Local Ownership - Every PEAS school is run by Ugandans for Ugandans with support from UK partners. Each PEAS school has a local Board of Governors.
- Avoiding Market DistortionsMarket distortionIn neoclassical economics, a market distortion is any event in which a market reaches a market clearing price for an item that is substantially different from the price that a market would achieve while operating under conditions of perfect competition and state enforcement of legal contracts and...
- PEAS schools are only built in areas where there is high demand for extra secondary school provision. In many areas, primary school leavers are unable to continue their education. Schools are marketed to those in greatest need and PEAS is working to help improve existing affordable schools at the same time as launching more and more within its network.
- Collaboration with government - PEAS works closely with the Ugandan Ministry of Education and the wider Ugandan government. The success of the schools depends on working within the educational framework laid out by the Ugandan government. In 2011, PEAS engaged further with the Ugandan Government through a Public-Private PartnershipPublic-private partnershipPublic–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
: 3 schools have rolled out the Universal Secondary Education (USE) program from the start of 2011. This means that education is free at the point of use for the student, thus expanding access to education to those otherwise unable to afford it.
- Transparency - PEAS never gives or receives bribes. This transparency is upheld through clear accounting and all PEAS annual accounts are available on their website for public perusal.
PEAS Values
PEAS emphasises certain values that form the basis of their approach to educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and schools:
- Equal access - PEAS schools are open to all students irrespective of ability and personal characteristics. PEAS schools never discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, religionReligionReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, genderGenderGender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, physical disabilityPhysical disabilityA physical disability is any impairment which limits the physical function of one or more limbs or fine or gross motor ability. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders and epilepsy....
or primary school performance.
- Personal security - PEAS schools are safe places that work to instill positive behavioural management systems, which help Ugandan staff move away from the use of corporal punishmentCorporal punishmentCorporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
. PEAS carries out risk assessmentRisk assessmentRisk assessment is a step in a risk management procedure. Risk assessment is the determination of quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a concrete situation and a recognized threat...
inspections in all the schools.
- Relevant learning - As a minimum, PEAS schools guarantee that students leave with literacyLiteracyLiteracy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
, numeracyNumeracyNumeracy is the ability to reason with numbers and other mathematical concepts. A numerically literate person can manage and respond to the mathematical demands of life...
, and at least one vocational skill. The latter is emphasised through Income Generating Projects such as bee-keeping and brick-making.
- Professional development - Through extensive inspection and reciprocal lesson observation, PEAS embeds student-centred learning and professional accountabilityAccountabilityAccountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving...
where staff are responsible for their own success.
PEAS Uganda implements this PEAS vision, supporting each individual school. A Director of Finance financially audits every school, every term, to ensure efficiency
Efficiency
Efficiency in general describes the extent to which time or effort is well used for the intended task or purpose. It is often used with the specific purpose of relaying the capability of a specific application of effort to produce a specific outcome effectively with a minimum amount or quantity of...
and accountability. The Director of Educational Excellence inspects every school, every year, in order to maintain and improve teaching standards to help students learn more. Teachers benefit from continuous professional development, and salaries paid in full, on time, every month, which is a practice still rare in Uganda.
PEAS recently held its first annual teachers conference in Kampala, Uganda, bringing together teachers from across the PEAS network to share experiences and lesson . PEAS also promotes opportunities for the students to practice the skills they have learned, such as through a public speaking competition .
A Unique Approach to Aid
All PEAS schools operate a SmartAid model, a sustainable way of giving aid that prioritises local ownership and long-term sustainability.The SmartAid model means that PEAS fundraises the capital for the building and start-up costs of a school. As a result, a PEAS school is able to open debt-free, allowing it to charge fees that are low because they merely need to cover the running costs of the school. The income from the low fees is supplemented by income-generating projects (which also teach the students important business and vocational skills).
PEAS schools typically become financially self-sustaining within a year of opening, allowing them to run independently of UK fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
, which is the key to sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
. This means that funds raised by the PEAS team in the UK can be spent on creating even more new schools allowing PEAS to provide thousands and thousands of new secondary school places for young people.
Bridges to Africa
Bridges to Africa is a national sponsored walk organised by PEAS, involving students from schools across LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the UK that has been running since 2006. Students join together to complete 10 km bridge walks in London, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. The money raised by students is used to help build new affordable secondary schools in Uganda and Zambia through the charity. In the past, the event has been attended by then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and Channel 4 new presenter Jon Snow . The walk takes place yearly, in May.
Over 5000 students have walked the bridges of the UK in the past years, helping to raise £100,000.