As the new school year got underway in Mali this month, we started gathering groups of our partner schools’ principals together to share ideas and energy. The first such meeting was hosted in the Ouelessebougou area, which is home to the majority of partner villages. It was an energetic meeting and the principals really took ownership of how to help each other in the coming year.
Meet the Principal of our Newest School!
Textbooks: Tools We Take for Granted
As one of my former professors —Pr Ibrahim Sagayar — said: “A teacher or a student without a textbook is like a soldier on the battlefield without a weapon”. Yet all too often in Mali, teachers and students are not armed with textbooks. I recently discussed this problem with two of our partner principals — the principal of Sue Chung Chiu Middle School of Simidji, Mr. Essai Mikoro and the principal of Little Heroes Academy I Middle School of Mana, Mlle. Djenebou Niama Coulibaly.
An Inspired Principal Calls on His Peers
Teachers MAKE the School at Christiana Norris Middle School
Mali middle schools are typically home to an average of four teachers, although our schools range from 3 to 11! Because there are 8 core subjects in Mali’s national curriculum, teachers must cover multiple subjects. For example, the French teacher is usually required to teach history and/or geography as well. Often the English teacher will teach art or another subject. At Christiana Norris Middle School, there are currently four teachers, including the principal.
A New Principal for a New School
During a recent visit to our new school in Banko, I got to talk with the new principal for the brand new school. The principal is Mr. Mahamadou Diallo. He is thirty-four years old and the father of two children. Mr. Diallo as a principal is new to the village of Banko, but he has been a principal at another school for about five years. In fact, Mr. Diallo started his teaching career years ago far north (about 260 kilometers!) of Bamako. In addition to being principal, Mr. Diallo teaches French in all the three grades in Christiana Norris Middle School of Banko.
Good Principals Make Good Schools
Mr. Konaté is one of our principals who impresses us with their great school results and strong relationships with their partners like school committee, local educational department, and non-governmental organizations. At a recent Principal Peer Meeting, we had a chance to talk with him about his school and how he runs it so well.
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.
Why Principal Coulibaly Values Our Principal Peer Meetings
A school without a principal is less than a school! Our principals have a lot on their plates and Mali Rising wants to help them do the best job they can. One of our goals is to have great and frank partnership with our principals. As part of that, we host regular Principal Peer Meetings where we gather 5 to 6 Mali Rising principals to share their challenges and solutions with each other. At our most recent peer meeting in the town of Ouelessebougou, we got to talk with several our principals who participated in it. We already shared the experiences of Principal Cisse earlier this week. Now, let’s hear from Mali Rising’s only female principal, Djenebou Coulibaly…
Principals Make a School Work...And We Help Them!
A school without a principal is less than a school! Our principals have a lot on their plates and Mali Rising wants to help them do the best job they can. One of our goals is to have great and frank partnership with our principals. As part of that, we host regular Principal Peer Meetings where we gather 5 to 6 Mali Rising principals to share their challenges and solutions with each other. At our most recent peer meeting in the town of Ouelessebougou, we got to talk with one our principals who participated in it. Let’s read more about what he said…
