SOS Schools in Guinea

SOS Nursery School Conakry

Because of the growing number of children, 169 (78 girls) all four sections except the nursery, are practising a double shift education. As a result, two female teachers were recruited.  Our Nursery school, under the supervision of commission presidents, took part in the following activities:

• Three outings to: Saint Mary Cathedral, Fayçal Mosque, Friguiadi Company poultry farm
• Children’s birthdays
• Christmas (school): children received toys from a mining company
• Montessori training workshop
• Visits to SOS family houses and Montessori life skills
• Children’s evaluations : Terms I, II and II
• Reading: After some reading tips, children enjoyed using picture books and took a pleasure going to the library
• Educations’ supervision
• Sport day: nursery school and school children took part in: running, apple picking, toy bearing, knead threading, bag-jumping, ball-blowing, headlining, orientation exercise (finding objects with closed eyes)
  

The children were positively influenced by the social environment, fun and learning activities as well as love that the teachers offered them.

SOS Primary School Conakry

The SOS Primary School, which opened in 1990, has about 250 pupils.   Here, too, the double shift is practiced because of the school growing population: 556 (260 girls).
-    Primary school : 35 pupils, among whom 172 girls
-    Secondary school: 181 students, among 88 are girls.

It is worth mentioning that the school could host nest year up to 700 students.

The schools results, thanks to good management and teaching practices, were good: 88.99 % in primary school and 91.5 % in high school. Nine new teachers were recruited for both levels.

Our school, unlike many schools, did well at national exams and ranks among the best institutions of Conakry. The success rate was as follows: Junior high school entrance: 98 %; senior high school entrance 89 %.

In addition to the on-going teacher trainings, several other activities took place:

• February 2008: School UNESCO Club by the Executive Board of the Guinean Federation of UNESCO Association & Clubs. The five committee-members are all students
• Resumption of sport plays: volley, basketball, tennis and football
• Participation in the Guinea word corporation interschool competitions
• School football competition, 3rd march – 26th April 2008
• Sport and SOS Day : 26th April
• 23rd June celebration: it was a success in the whole SOS Children's Village
  

Our library, with its 350 new books (of French, arithmetic and science) donated by the Matoto Education Authority, is attracting more readers. Students and teachers are required to get use loan-cards for any individual and collective borrowing.

Today, the prospective needs of the school are:

• Providing the library with appropriate books
• Providing the laboratory with basic teaching materials
• Refurbishment of the school canteen

SOS Secondary School Conakry

The SOS Secondary School, which opened in 1990, has about 100 pupils.

SOS Nursery School Kankan

Our Nursery school received a total number of 71 children. Among there were 22 SOS children and we shared then in 4 groups as we have 4 sections: the nursery, the lower section the middle section and the senior section.

This year, our activities were limited due to the delay in the programme. We organised only one class outing and two birthday ceremonies for the children. And some learning activities on Montessori were done with children on the following topics:

• Folding a mat
• Making the bed
• Buttoning
• Uniform care

The headteacher of the nursery school participated in two training workshops on the use of educational tool in Conakry. The first one took place from May 9th to May 13th and the second from June 23rd to 30th June 2008.  The teachers training and family visits had been respected.

The classrooms, toilets, and the yard were always kept clean together with the children. The breakfast schedule was respected too.

For a better functioning of our nursery school we need a Montessori room with accessories, 50 children chairs, a kitchen and some toys in the yard such as: seesaw, toboggan, rolling…).

Finally at the end of the academic year we got encouraging results. That success comes from the motivation and close cooperation of all the staff.

SOS Primary School Kankan

The SOS Primary School, which opened in October 2004, is located inside the SOS Children’s Village Kankan, the SOS Primary School of Kankan registered 254 students 216 at the primary level and 38 at the secondary level during the academic year 2007-2008.

As previous years, our results were satisfying. At the primary level there were 75 % of success and 80 % for the secondary. In all there was 75.7% of success for girls.

The annual action plan have been realised in the following areas:

• Administration
• Social affairs
• Academic activities
• Discipline
  

It’s important to mention that this success was possible due to the team work encouraged by the new direction of the school.  On the cultural area, the cultural committee set up a choreographic ballet totally composed of SOS children, which became an admirable artistic band at this moment.

Our most urgent needs are:

• The equipment of the library with appropriate documents
• The equipment of the schools laboratory in basic teaching materials
• Building 4 classes for the secondary school and the vice principal’s office
  

SOS Nursery School N’Zérékoré

The Nursery School of the SOS Children’s Village of N’Zérékoré has this year 2007-2008 a number of 112 children (44 girls and 68 boys) with 15 children from the SOS Children’s Villgae N’Zérékoré. The nursery school staff is composed of 6 members: one headteacher, four teachers and one monitor.

During this year, our activities were:

• organisation of recreational activities
• clean school days
• birthdays
• educative outings
• cooking art
• Montessori practice
• regular activities based on cassettes cartoon, flowers  and animal world, speciality based on children life and decoration of classrooms
• inviting some NGO working in the same area for some recreational activities in order to have good training in the cognitive affective and psychological areas
• training of SOS mothers, aunties and teachers. As rewards, the teachers have received congratulation certificates during a ceremony with the children and the parents

In partnership with the National Office of SOS Guinea, 90 children have been subscribed in mutual insurance Company of International centre for Development and Research of N’Zerekore for a 9 months period.

In order to keep the standard level, the nursery school staff, through continual training, participated in some workshops, training, seminars followed by the visits of SOS National Office executive collaborators.

To keep a good working place and of leisure, our nursery school has been beneficiary of:

• computers, educational et entertainment materials
• construction and equipment of the Montessori room
• three big slides

The nursery school is in good relationship with the others schools of the community. Our facility has good impact on the population. The quality of the training is a good luck. There are many people who send their children despite the distance and transport difficulties.

SOS Primary School N'Zerekore

The SOS Primary School, which opened in September 2001, has over 200 pupils. There is also an SOS Nursery School for 60 children.

SOS Secondary School N'Zerekore

The SOS Secondary School opened in 2001. There are about 90 pupils.