Kavita Shah: Reimagining India’s Approach to Education

Mar 23, 2021 Posted by: Jill Jha India,  Kavita Shah,  SDG 4

Kavita: When we learn a language, especially English, we learn that “A is for apple, B for ball, C is for cat,” and so on. Why can’t our minds come up with anything other than an apple for “A”? The concepts we learn in school remain so deeply ingrained in our brains that we can seldom think beyond them. The education system does not encourage the development of inquisitiveness in young students. The 2019 ASER survey found that, in India, only 37.4% of kids below the age of six can recognize letters, and only 25.6% can do addition. The lack of age-appropriate skills in the early years is alarming as this can impact the entire education supply chain in India. This is an extremely alarming issue which we at Neev Shikshan Santha are aiming to resolve.

Kaene Disepo: Inspiring Botswana’s Youth to Develop 21st Century Skills

Mar 22, 2021 Posted by: Jill Jha Botswana,  Kaene Disepo,  SDG 4

Kaene: I am extremely passionate about improving access to quality education and youth inclusion in national decision-making platforms of development agenda setting, implementation, and accountability. Botswana suffers from the plight of structural youth unemployment figures, often perpetuated by an outdated education system that doesn’t train job-ready graduates and thought leaders. To achieve a culture of inclusive development, I focus on youth capacity building, skills training, and career guidance and counseling in schools. To date, we’ve reached over 4,000 students.

Djénéba Gory: How Negotiation Can Impact Girls' Education and Aspirations

Mar 19, 2021 Posted by: Jill Jha Africa,  Djénéba Gory,  Mali,  SDG 4,  SDG 5,  USA

Djénéba: We’re empowering girls in developing countries by teaching them how to be rock-star negotiators. In 2018, a whopping 66% of Malian high-school-age girls were out of school. The fertility rate of teenage girls 15-19 years old was the fourth highest in the world. Sadly, these numbers are predicted to increase again with COVID19. Suadela aims to change this! For teenage girls who are not empowered to make important decisions in their lives, we offer negotiation training, delivered by trained educated women. The program started in Mali and is designed to scale across other African countries.