EDITORIAL: Spread 'Keep Girls At School' initiative countrywide

From the simple name, one would think Keep Girls At School (KGAS) is just a poster nailed on a mango tree in a primary school compound, except that it is a club. More specifically, a club that embraces female students to tackle the challenges they face in their pursuit for academic fulfillment. KGAS, an innovation for education project, was started with the primary objective of reducing school dropout rate among girls by addressing their social, emotional and economic challenges so that they are motivated and confident to stay in school. Female students in the club are able to meet regularly to discuss challenges they face, brainstorm solutions and chart ideals to spur their progress in many aspects of life, both within and outside school. Thus, they lean on one another for socio-economic and emotional support, reducing instances of teenage pregnancies and fighting for self-reliance through a savings culture ingrained in members of the club. Launched in 2013, KGAS ensures that girls clubs are established, providing opportunities for girls to learn social skills and become more confident. It is an avenue through which teachers are trained as psychosocial mentors, providing opportunities for girls to discuss difficult issues, in particular issues affecting their emotional wellbeing. Testimonies from teachers inducted as mentors in KGAS shows that the clubs have widened their scope of teaching modus to realise that there are salient issues other than just imparting knowledge that girls, especially, need to stay in schools and also perform well. The savings culture builds opportunities for girls to learn financial management skills and engage in savings, while community score card approach allows girls to raise concerns and influence decisions affecting their education experience. Information on the ground in piloted 30 schools in Nyaruguru, Gisagara and Nyamagabe districts suggests that the project is worthwhile and calls for a push to have it spread to all schools countrywide. The Ministry of Education, together with its funding partner in the KGAS project, should roll it out further so that, in five years for instance, all schoolgirls in upper and lower secondary schools can access this integrated strategy to address the underlying causes of girls’ dropout and performance in school.

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EDITORIAL: Spread 'Keep Girls At School' initiative countrywide