Since PEAS started in 2008, they have grown their network to include 36 secondary schools in Uganda and Zambia, supporting over 19,000 students each year. Their focus is on creating schools that deliver a quality education whilst making this attainable for all by keeping fees down. Having established a successful model on how to run an exemplar low-cost school network, they have gone on to share their expertise with 220 government schools across Uganda and Zambia, reaching an additional 128,000 students.
Our partnership with PEAS started in 2009 and together we have invested over £1million in PEAS funding new schools and expansions of existing schools in Uganda and Zambia, supporting over 10,000 young people. We were delighted to be part of PEAS’ move into Zambia in 2011, where PEAS Zambia is now educating over 3,000 young people annually and is a leading player in secondary education in the country.
Through their research, Ghana was highlighted as a high potential country, as a country with a huge disparity in education access between the most marginalised in rural communities and the wealthier communities in urban cities. This is the first time PEAS has entered a new country since setting up in Zambia but given PEAS’ experience in effectively supporting the poorest communities they are well places to address this challenge.
The quickest and most cost-effective way to do this is to support those already operating in Ghana – government and other education providers. Over the next 3 years, PEAS will work in partnership with government to build a stronger, more consistent education system at every level. Top priority will be given to student safety and learning, and educators will be given the tools and resources needed to make a difference. Earlier this year, PEAS launched their first project supporting a cluster of 14 existing government schools in rural, marginalised communities. PEAS partnered with the local Ghana Education Service (GES) and an organisation called Savannah Education Trust (SET) to design and deliver a sustainable school improvement programme, reaching over 2,200 students (51% of whom are girls).
Leo Lion Foundation are delighted to be supporting this expansion as PEAS enter this new country and create further opportunities to grow their network and impact more students. The initial grant will enable PEAS to scale up their pilot projects with additional schools as well as staff training and development. We look forward to working with them as they take this exciting step in their PEAS Ghana journey.