Only 1 in 3 can attend secondary school in Sub Saharan Africa. Those in school struggle to get a quality, safe, inclusive education. School leaders are uniquely placed to improve their schools. PEAS’ model is proof that with the right support and tools, school leaders can improve: 1) student safety, 2) teaching quality, and 3) use of resources. This delivers better student outcomes.
Our innovative school model is based on 15 years’ experience running secondary schools in rural areas of Uganda and Zambia. Evidence shows our students come from poorer households, make faster learning progress, and our girls are more confident and better equipped for life. We now work with governments in both countries to adapt PEAS’ tested approaches for government schools to inform wider system change.
In Uganda, the Inspect & Improve programme brings together district education officers and school leaders into a vibrant local network, passionate about school improvement. They focus on what they can change, not what they can’t. This programme, now in 200 government schools, establishes an annual cycle of improvement, and ongoing support for leaders to drive positive change in their schools. Our digitised processes means district education officers can keep up that consistent support, year in and year out so those big changes stick.
PEAS’ journey began in 2008 with just one school in Uganda. Over the last 15 years our network has grown to 36 schools across two countries, providing access to high-quality secondary education to over 15,000 learners each year.
In partnership with the Government of Uganda, we have scaled our school improvement model through the Inspect & Improve programme to 200 government schools since 2019 and work in a further 59 government schools in Zambia and Ghana.
In the coming years, PEAS will continue our partnerships to scale our approach, and work collaboratively with governments to identify elements of PEAS’ innovative model that can be embedded into the wider education system so that all young people can access a high quality secondary education.
PEAS would welcome discussion about opportunities for partnership or collaboration. PEAS is also actively exploring bringing our innovation to new countries, to reach as many young people as possible. We are currently pursuing expanding our work in Ghana and bringing our innovation to Malawi and Sierra Leone. To reach out about working with PEAS, please contact info@peas.org.uk !
