2019: Think Equal launches a pilot programme in South Africa
Think Equal launched a 2019 pilot programme in South Africa in the Ugu District of KwaZulu Natal. 48 Early Years teachers have received the Think Equal programme training and our partners at Network Action Group are collecting data for a Yale evaluation. Leslee came back from South Africa with a pledge from the Education Ministry to implement Level 2 of the programme in every Grade-R reception class from next January.
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2020: Training in South Africa
The Think Equal team went to South Africa again to train a new crop of Think Equal teachers for 2020 in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng.
The Think Equal team of trainers went to both rural and urban locations, and overall 165 teachers and Heads of schools were trained in the key target locations of Buffalo City Metro Area, Diepsloot and Johannesburg, including the flagship school Roedean School in Parktown. The East London pilot is being conducted in collaboration with the Eastern Cape Department of Education and our partners Zinjiva, and Early Years settings in Diepsloot are receiving the programme.
The training was carried out by Leslee Udwin, Lula Dahir, Emma Nkondo and Nosipho Gumede. Overall, the training went extremely well and was positively welcomed by all stakeholders. Teachers & principals participated in the various activities and were excited to see the synergy between their work and Think Equal, and the vision for change within their communities and country.
Furthermore, with rising gender violence, crime rates, low educational performance (on average 30% pass rate) and a high level of school children dropping out across early years & high school, Think Equal’s work comes at a much-needed time in South Africa. Consequently, the South African government has recognised the need for better education and has made a commitment to improving education across the country. The Department of Basic Education has also recognised the correlation between early years interventions and a reduction in violence and has made Early Years education compulsory across the country.
Think Equal has partnered with Zinijiva and a local NGO in the Eastern Cape to support Think Equal’s work in the region. Furthermore, eager to start creating positive change in their community, the Roedean School in Parktown, Johannesburg has already started teaching Think Equal!
Explore other countries in which we have a programme below:
