As we progressed with our first and second schools, we noticed an unfortunate trend of declining student numbers. Initially, we suspected that a lack of incentives was the cause. We introduced prizes for outstanding performance, but this approach admittedly proved to be a bit off the mark. While high-achieving students remained engaged, those who were already struggling felt further alienated and their attendance continued to drop. To address this issue, we shifted our strategy to a system of offering our students smaller, more frequent rewards with a significant prize every six months for each school’s top performer.
The second challenge we faced was lower participation rates amongst our students, which we believed could be linked to the high crime rates in the area of one of the schools. Through observation, we discovered that the issue was not solely based on the crime. We found that it was also due to the value, or lack thereof, placed on education in this area. In one school, a parent-driven initiative was launched in which a nominal fee was introduced. This small investment led to a greater sense of ownership and commitment to education amongst our students and their parents. We are still in the process of formulating a solution for the other school which features a different demographic.
A significant barrier in both schools is the perceived irrelevance of learning English, particularly among parents with limited education. They struggle to envision future job opportunities for their children which require proficiency in English. To tackle this, we’ve initiated motivational meetings. By drawing on Geert Hofstede’s 6-Dimension model, these meetings aim to display the influence of power distance on behavior and allow us to show parents the tangible benefits of English proficiency for their children’s futures.
Lastly, we have worked to address the issue of students skipping school to work for their meals. We initially provided them with snacks from a local manufacturer, which showed promising results at first but ultimately didn’t help sustain long-term attendance. Recognizing that food insecurity was not the primary factor at play here, our focus has shifted towards engaging parents more actively in their children’s education. We believe that as the first cohort of students securing jobs through their acquired English skills, the need for these additional motivational strategies will gradually diminish over time.
