Mariam, Djenebou, and Sata just finished the 8th grade at the Tim Gibson Middle School in the village of Sebela. Like kids all around the world, they missed far too much school last year due to the pandemic…but they are working hard on catching up, using Mali Rising’s Workbook Project.
Something as Simple as a Workbook...
Way back in the early days of the pandemic, we — like everyone else — were scrambling to find ways to keep our kids connected to school as things shut down. School closures in Mali were total…there is no online learning in our remote, rural villages! One tool we decided to test was incredibly simple, but turned out to also be incredibly engaging. That tool is a set of simple, photocopied workbooks we distributed in our villages.
Two Students Race to the Top!
Mali Rising’s goal is to see our students succeed, which means helping them stay connected with learning even during a pandemic. To that end, our ongoing take-home workbook project continues to make difference for our kids and makes many parents proud of their children. An example of these outcomes can be found at The Mindful Bunch Middle School of Kafara. Students at this partner school have been working hard to make their parents proud of them. Although school was closed for months due to the pandemic, students at The Mindful Bunch Middle School have been working hard on our take-home workbooks, staying connected with learning and language.
Konimba: Working Hard Even During A Pandemic
During this uncertain pandemic time, Mali Rising is working in five of our partner villages to test take home workbook as a tool for keeping students learning when schools are closed due to the pandemic. One of the villages where we have done this work is Sebela. We recently visited with the high scoring workbook student of Sebela, Konimba, and her father.
Keeping Students Connected to Learning
Just like everyone else around the world, Mali Rising staff and students have had to make a lot of “pivots” over the last year. Although that term may be over-used these days, it remains a central part of our new reality. Flexibility has become our new core skill, as closed schools and other problems challenge attempts to keep children learning. As part of our pivoting, we have developed and distributed take-home workbooks that allow our students to stay connected with learning and language during their extended break.
Partnerships With Principals Are Crucial!
Abdoulaye Coulibaly is the principal of Mindful Bunch Middle School of Kafara. He is 33 years old and father of 3 children. Mr. Coulibaly says many people in Karafa cannot even find words to express their feelings when it comes to talking about the importance of Mindful Bunch Middle School. Mr. Coulibaly estimates that 99% of the people in Kafara think their middle school allowed them to be closer to their kids and be able to watch over the kids and their education. Their kids have been studying in their own village and do not have to walk miles any more to get to school.
Feeling Good With Mali Rising Workbooks
Tim Gibson Middle School in Sebela has been a blessing for the people of Sebela. However, the 7th and 8th grade students have not been in school for a while, due to a teachers’ strike this spring and then a school closure as a result of the pandemic. Although the 9th graders are back in school studying for their graduation exam, the 7th and 8th students are still waiting on the government to allow them to get back to school too. The students love each other because they feel they are all joined together in one school. They are looking forward to going back to school and being with their teachers. Read what one student of Tim Gibson Middle School thinks of our workbook strategy to keep students engaged with learning during COVID-19 closures…
