Bakoteh Nursery School

Bakoteh Nursery School

2006 Report to JRCS

Part Funded in 2006 by The Jo Richardson Community School - Dagenham

Originally established by our sister charity in The Gambia this project is now totally funded by and under the banner of GETSuk. The building was derelict when the charity first became involved. Having established that the community owned the site and the existing building, an agreement was drawn up that the charity would provide the funding for the materials to rebuild the school and the community would provide the labour.

Work in progress

A school Committee was established to supervise the building, decorating and furnishing of the school and once completed took on the task of appointing teachers and a head teacher. It was a great joint achievement but the standard of teaching and educational achievement of the pupils was not remotely comparable to the equivalent of schools in the UK. A situation which is very common all over the Gambia

GETSuk is determined to change this, at first in Bakoteh and immediately after in its other nursery schools.

Painted and ready
to open

In Autumn 2006 the teaching work of Cliff Parfitt was used with the teachers at Bakoteh and now proven successful, we will be offering teacher training to all our Gambian teachers. Suitably qualified GETSuk voluntary teachers and teaching assistants have supported the teachers, who throughly enjoy the input from any English speakers.

In the longer term GETSuk is aiming to extend the GETSuk educational approach through all levels of Gambian schooling up to University - aiming to follow a time span similar to that of European children. The children of Gambia deserve no less.

Open day

During Autumn 2007 we have been discussing the possibilities of land for our '3 to University' school in both Busambala and Bwiam - both communities offer advantages but we hope to have firm plans in early 2008.

This MAJOR project is in its embryo stage of implementation and is without doubt ambitious. First the teacher support and curriculum must be proven and assessed over the next few years. During that time GETSuk will strive to build a Skills Centre housing facilities for teacher training and production of educational materials to support the curriculum, plus an in-house school offering education from nursery level through to university. In addition there will be supportive and reasonably priced accommodation for the many volunteers who will be needed to assist in many different ways.

We are constantly looking for sponsors like the Jo Richardson School.

If you are in UK Education and think your school may be linked with GETS to help fund our educational projects please contact us.

We are very happy to help your children in any way we can to develop their perceptions about all aspects of West Africa.

For this project we will need to seek support from charitable funds, major sponsors and identify a large bank of volunteers with an educational background plus people with practical skills. Other charities with similar aims may wish to be involved and will be warmly welcomed to discussions.- Funding ideas are also most welcomed.

Part Funded in 2006 by The Jo Richardson Community School - Dagenham

Mr Andy Buck of the Jo Richardson Community school in Dagenham visited GTS and offered to support the school. In December 2005 the school made a donation of nearly £2000 to Bakoteh and this provided the funding for our teachers' salaries during all of 2006. The report sent to the head and governors provides the background of the school and its current position in April 2006.

Other sponsors have come on board and Bakoteh is continuing to thrive educationally.

It could of course be better, the building is not ideal and has no proper playing area for the children. If the school has to be abandoned and a new site found the current Bakoteh staff could well become the foundation of the Nursery section of the NEW school.

The Teachers

Nfamara Jarju
Headmaster

Giant Parachute at Bakoteh School

Teachers from Bakoteh and a neighbouring school were introduced to both fun and learning games with a Giant Parachute, provided by Helen Downie on her visit in February this year. The parachute, a gift from an early years teacher in the UK was brought over to use mainly with the girls at Bakoteh school to alow them to have their own special sport and recreation activities. The parachute provided new and exciting ways for the 'girls' to get involved in their own sport while the 'boys' continued to develop their football skills during sport and recreation lessons.

The Giant Parachute and the instruction books were introduced to the teachers of Bakoteh by Helen and it was clear from the smiling faces of teachers and pupils that they were very exited about playing as many games as possible with the parachute.

The games included understanding the concept of up and down as the children threw the parachute in the air then brought it down to the ground forming a mushroom effect. Other games included dividing the children into 'colour teams' and instructing the yellow teams to change places with the blues, and instructing the children to grasp the parachute with their right or left hand and walk round in a circle, but the most enjoyable one to date was a team game competition with the neighbouring school with the two schools taking hold of one side each then a ball was placed in the centre of the parachute with the aim of bouncing it to the opposing side and over the edge to score!

It was all great fun and kept the children, teachers and visiting parents amused for a long time!

This may look like a purely fun game, but the guide book says that if used correctly, there is so much that can be learned, including working as a team, eye to hand co-ordination, colours, and the instructions up/down left/right.

But it's also about teachers and pupils understanding that 'learning can be great fun'!

Helen Downie