Some head teachers, proprietors /proprietresses and heads of beneficiary schools of Edify Sierra Leone, with motto ‘Flourishing Godly Nations’ have informed this medium in an exclusive interview that they have benefited immensely from various capacity building trainings organized by the renowned organization.
Edify started working in Sierra Leone in 2017 primarily with private schools like Beacon High, Agape Pre/Primary, Blossom, Nenneh and Dunnet among others.
The heads of schools articulated, “Going Deeper in Christ” is more than just a phrase: it represents a life-long journey of spiritual growth and deepening intimacy with Jesus. For Christians, the call to “Go Deeper” is rooted in the desire to experience a more profound understanding of God’s love, purpose and calling.
According to heads of schools interviewed, this journey involves surrendering, commitment and intentional steps towards living out a deeper life informing that the major objectives of the organization collaborating with them is to go deeper in establishing and sustaining Christ-like education in Christian schools through their transformational training, education technology and school development loan programs.
Edify supports schools with education technology to drive lasting transformation by enhancing learning experiences, improving educational outcomes as well as preparing students for a rapidly changing world. By integrating technology into classrooms, Edify is promoting an inclusive, global and future-ready educational environment.
Edify’s National Proprietors’ Conference is aimed at exploring and promoting the values and practices of Christian Centered Education that highlights the importance of integrating Christian values, Biblical teachings and faith-based principles into educational systems.
The conference provides an opportunity for proprietors, educators and other stakeholders to network and collaborate. Furthermore, the conference involves spiritual activities such as prayer sessions, worships and talks on spiritual leadership, encouraging participants to lead their institutions with Christian values at the center.
Champion School Proprietors have been tailored by Edify to provide a balanced education that nurtures the child’s whole mind, body and spirit-through Christ-centered teachings, character development and service to others. The aim of these schools is to raise students who excel academically, lead with integrity and live out their Christian faith in all areas of life.
Edify partner schools are trained on how to become financially sustainable with teachings designed to equip school administrators, leaders and their financial teams with the knowledge and strategies needed to ensure the long-term financial health and viability of their schools.
This training focuses on creating robust financial management systems, developing diversified income streams and making wise financial decisions that support both the academic mission and the spiritual vision of the school.
The Biblical Integration Trainings organized by Edify equips educators, leaders and institutions with the knowledge and skills to effectively incorporate biblical principles and Christian worldview into all aspects of education and learning. The goal is to ensure that both the content of education and the way it is taught reflects Christian beliefs and values.
This type of training is designed to help educators integrate faith into their classrooms, teaching methods, curricula and interactions with students.
The heads of schools further enlightened that the National Edify Partner Schools Association (NEPSA) firmly holds the view that partnership enhances teaching, fosters spiritual growth and creates a supportive community in addition to enabling Christian schools to integrate faith with learning, engage parents, serve the community as well as prepare students to be leaders who embody Christian values in their lives.
They went on to reveal that through collaboration, the collective mission of the schools (NEPSA) is advanced, creating an environment where both academic excellence and spiritual development thrives underscoring that the core schools program of Edify prepares Christian proprietors of schools to focus on the integration of faith and business practice.
They continued that the program is designed to equip school leaders with the skills and values needed to navigate the business world while adhering to Christian principles such as integrity, stewardship, compassion and ethical leadership.
Numerous schools nationwide have benefited from the capacity building programs organized by Edify, in collaboration with A Call to Business (ACTB).
Edify also provides schools with resource materials at the end of each retreat, workshop or seminar organized, rates and classifies schools in four categories: Introduction, Client, Core and Champion based on the various criteria.
The various benchmarks are preparation of Documents, Number of Pupils, conducting devotions and how the word of God is promoted in schools, staff/management relationship, meeting government requirements, academic performance of pupils and sustainability.
Edify also provides loans to credit-worthy schools based on stringent criteria.
Other criteria are Best Leadership Practices, School Enrollment, Best Financial Practices, Christ-Like Behavior, Teaching and Learning Environment.
Most of the heads of schools interviewed underscored that the trainings provided by Edify have empowered them to implement and put several structures in place that have sustained their schools like documenting all school information through the use of Excel and other computer applications resulting to their schools excelling in various areas like academic, sports, singing, Bible quiz, preaching, debating competitions and other events.
According to the heads of schools, the trainings organized by Edify, in collaboration with a Call to Business, that they have benefited from immensely include How to Run a Business, Government Requirements to Manage a School since the world is now very competitive as they underlined the need to teach children to create impact not only in their communities and country but the world at large and above all to be God-fearing.
Concluding, the heads of schools revealed that unlike in the past, they now pay taxes to the National Revenue Authority, contributions to the National Social Security and Insurance Trust for their staff, Freetown City Council and other institutions revealing that school fees are now paid directly through the banks.
