| Programs | |
 Edirisa Smiles is an educational program dedicated to three generally neglected areas: creativity, cultures and practical skills. While we do provide scholastic materials, build classrooms and try to tackle all problems that keep young people away from school, we see much bigger issues. Our main question is the quality of education offered in Uganda. Three Major Concerns  Creativity is at the top of our list of concerns. It is actively discouraged throughout the schooling process - pupils and students are told to memorise pre-prepared answers and solutions. Copying from those who are supposed to know better is promoted as the best practice, even at art classes or composition writing!Uganda's traditional cultures are seen as incompatible with modernisation that is preached at schools. Instead of researching their heritage and being critical of foreign ideas, most Ugandans superficially copy European lifestyles. Schools are perceived as the way to academic success and white-collar jobs in the city. Practical skills are allegedly only for the poor and the uneducated. Few obtain knowledge useful in Uganda"s rural areas - which make up 90% of the country. What We Do About It Edirisa is fighting this situation with a mixture of extra-curricular activities, competitions, trainings, debates and more:
  photo: Samo Acko, Matevz Hribernik, Alenka Cebular & Edirisa archives | |
| 12. Nov. 2009 | |
