Good School

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

Hyvä Koulu (Good School) is a project that aims to develop the educational activities of primary schools on two levels in a suburb of Dakar, Senegal.One of the objectives set out in Senegal’s national curriculum is to provide all children with instruction in arts subjects, which is also considered one of the basic rights of children by UNESCO. Due to a lack of funds, however, only wealthy private schools can actually offer arts education. This creates inequality and prevents children from developing in a uniform manner. The Good School project aims to give all primary school children in the Santhiaba area the opportunity to take part in arts education, vital for their balanced development, and to consolidate arts subjects as part of the schools’ curriculum even after the Finnish funding for the project comes to an end. All children participating in the project are treated equally, regardless of their gender, ethnic background or their family’s wealth. Children with disabilities are also taken into account in the project. The project also places emphasis on familiarizing the participating schools with contemporary teaching methods. In Senegal, physical punishment in schools is forbidden by law, but teaching is still often based on fear. The second main goal of the project is to eradicate physical punishment by familiarizing the teachers - through arts education - with contemporary teaching methods that focus on encouragement and independent thinking, and can be applied to all teaching.The children, teachers, schools and educational authorities in the Santhiaba area will benefit from the project.The Good School project will further develop the existing structures by providing poor schools with a chance to put the national curriculum, including arts education, into practice. The project will offer primary schools in the Santhiaba area arts education courses that include visual arts, music and performing arts. The project will be carried out by a local teacher-in-charge, with Finnish resident artists taking part in the teaching.