By Adama Kone, Teacher Project Coordinator
Mr. Mallé poses with his certificate and his prizes, which include a dictionary, a ciwarra statue (which symbolizes a hard worker) and a Mali Rising polo shirt.
Mali Rising teachers work hard to help students and change lives. In Mali’s rural schools, teachers face many challenges such as the lack of electricity, limited teaching tools, poor housing and classrooms, a large number of students in one classroom (often 100 and up!), and more. In spite of all these challenges, many teachers just enjoy helping kids and have great relationships with parents and village leaders. Mali Rising has established annual awards to recognize this dedication and hard work.
This year we honored Mr. Brehima Mallé with the Most Helpful Teacher Award. Mr. Mallé teaches math, physics and chemistry at the Cliff and Nita Bailey Middle School of Beneko. Mr. Mallé has taught in Beneko for five years.
In a normal middle school in Mali, there would be two teachers to teach math, chemistry and physics in the three grades at the school. However, Mr. Mallé covers all of these subjects for students of all three grades (7, 8, and 9th) at Cliff and Nita Bailey Middle School.
As if that is not enough work, Mr. Mallé provides extra math, physics, and chemistry classes outside of the normal school day in order to help students. He is very open-minded and even receives students at his house to work on some exercises.
Mr. Mallé’s dedication and determination has made him different from the rest of his peers. In Mali, there is an annual national exam that the 9th graders must pass in order to graduate. To pass that, students need to work hard. Some students buy books for all subjects and study at any time they are home although that is hard with all the chores parents want them to do. Some students go outside villages and study so their parents do not keep them away from their notebooks, books or interrupt them. Some would go to their classmates’ and work on homework with them.
But Mr. Mallé hosts many extra classes with 9th graders to give them a quiet place to prepare for the national exam. He says he has only one goal, which is changing kids’ lives for the better by giving them good education. Excited to win the Most Helpful Teacher Award, Mr. Mallé says he dedicates his reward to all the staff of his school and hopes they will work as hard as he did to get the awards in the future.
The principal for Cliff and Nita Bailey Middle School thanked Mali Rising for the award. He was thrilled and proud of his school and especially Mr. Mallé for his hard work. He said that Mr. Mallé provides a great example of good work, which should inspire other teachers.
Mr. Mallé likes to teach at Cliff and Nita Bailey Middle School because he thinks he has a great relationship with the rest of the school staff and all the students. Mr. Mallé is not married yet but he is planning to get married by the end of 2021. For fun, Mr. Mallé sometimes plays soccer with students and teachers and his favorite dish is rice with peanut sauce and chicken. “I am grateful to Mali Rising Foundation for the award,” he said.
