BRIMAWA SCHOOL
Brimawa Daycare, Nursery, Lower and Upper Basic School
HISTORY AND CURRENT STATUS
Brimawa School was born out of the passion a married couple, Mr John Kemokai and Mrs Isatu Jah Kemokai, who have spent all their lives in the educational sector as teachers desire to give opportunities to young people especially the financially disadvantaged children to access quality education right from Nursery School to Senior High School level. The couples, who have taught for thirty-five and thirty years respectively in Nursery, Primary and Secondary School levels, want to give back quality and affordable education to all children especially to the less privileged children. We believe that every child has the right to receive quality education irrespective of their backgrounds. This is the driving force behind the vision of establishing Brimawa School. That is, to lay and develop sound and affordable educational foundations for all children especially those who come from poor backgrounds.
And so, out of the meager resources of the couple, they rented a compound in 2008 and set up a Day Care and Nursery School in a poor community. The couple worked hard and provided the Day Care and Nursery School with basic facilities and employed trained and qualified teachers for the school. In order to equip the teachers of our Day Care and Nursery School better, the spouse of the husband who has been teaching for several years in renowned international school in The Gambia, Marina International, organised series of workshops for teachers in our Day Care and Nursery for the whole of the first academic year of the school.
After putting in place the necessary human and academic facilities for the school to start, the Ministry of Education was approached for approval. After inspecting the school, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education approved and licensed the school under the name BRIMAWA DAY CARE AND NURSERY SCHOOL
After operating for five years, parents of the children of Brimawa Day Care and Nursery School and Ministry of Education were very much impressed and satisfied with the educational foundations of the children of the school. This encouragement from parents and Ministry of Education underpinned by the passion the couple have for quality and affordable education became the driving force for the approval and establishment of BRIMAWA LOWER BASIC SCHOOL (Primary School) in September, 2013. Trained and qualified teachers were employed for the Lower Basic School. The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education visited and assessed the school and approved and licensed the school to operate at Lower Basic School level.
In July 2015, the first batch of students completed our Lower Basic School by attaining Grade 6 standard. The school applied to the Ministry of Education for the Upper Basic School Level. Consequently, the Ministry of Education sent senior education officers to assess the school. After the assessment, the school started its first batch of UPPER BASIC SCHOOL (ie Grade 7 level) in September, 2015.
In order to inspire the students of Brimawa Lower and Upper Basic School, Brimawa School is now collaborating with Nusrat Senior High School, one of the best Senior High Schools in The Gambia. These two schools are located in the same community. Grade 7 students of Brimawa Upper Basic School go for educational visits to Nusrat Senior Secondary School in order to be inspired to study hard to meet the academic entry requirements of Nusrat Senior High School.
CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS:
The community of Bundung and its environs are awakening to the positive impact Brimawa School is having rapidly on the lives of the children of these communities. Brimawa School is becoming a household name in the Bundung community. Though we do not have sponsors at the moment but the school has never deviated from its original objectives. That is to provide quality and affordable education to all children especially the less privileged children. There is one testimony that is on the lips of all parents. That is, BRIMAWA SCHOOL is a good school with affordable fees. This testimony is translated into increasing admissions or enrollments in our schools.
The graph below shows the number of graduates from Brimawa Upper who have been able to achieve entry requirements for Nusrat Senior Secondary School since 2018 when Brimawa Upper Basic School started writing Gambia Basic School Certificate Examination (GABECE)- Grade 9
OUR CHALLENGES:
Despite these positive developments we have our challenges. Key among our challenges:
- We have employed trained and qualified teachers from Nursery to Lower and Upper Basic School who are relentlessly committed to their duties. Their salaries and benefits are paid from the school fees we collect. Though our school fees are low comparatively, most parents are still not able to pay the school fees for their children in time. If we could have people or organization that would help us to pay the salaries and other benefits of our teachers, this will ensure the continuous provision of quality education at low cost.
- We need our own land to operate. Currently, we are renting in all our locations and the rent is huge. Would you rather help us acquire our own land? For example, currently, in Brimawa Upper Basic School, we have up to 70 students in Grade 7. This is a large number but we are constrained by inadequate infrastructure and notwithstanding, the parents keep pressing for their children to be enrolled in Brimawa School because by their own evaluation, Brimawa School is a good school.
- Provision of furniture for the school continues to pose serious problems for the school. The school would very much appreciate donations of furniture to help us register more children in the school.
- We need learning materials in the form of Text Books, computers, lab tops, toys ect. for our children.
WE ARE SEEKING HELP FROM YOU AND OR ORGANISATIONS TO WIPE AWAY TEARS OFF THE FACES OF MANY FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITIES. GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU AS YOU COME TO OUR AID.
APPRECIATION
We acknowledge donations we have been receiving from Global Ambassadors (AGA) based in United Kingdom especially in terms of relevant reading materials mostly books. These reading materials have greatly improved the reading abilities of our children as well as our teachers.