Girls, disabled children, and refugee children are often left out of education altogether, or are ignored and overlooked in class if they are in school.
We must prioritise the wellbeing, protection, and resilience of all children.
Teachers need to understand the varying needs of their pupils, and adjust their classroom, curriculum and teaching methods to make sure all children are included.
Good teaching means making sure that all learners are supported.
Traditional teaching methods with a dependence on rote learning, strict discipline, and focusing attention on boys, means that many children are prevented from getting the education they deserve.
Our approach takes the central principle that every teaching activity should build confidence and self-esteem – particularly for girls and other marginalised children.
We have developed a comprehensive manual to support teacher training and training for trainers that embeds SEL across teaching delivery.
Link’s training for teachers, school leaders and government staff uses SEL approaches in conjunction with safeguarding, gender-sensitivity, and disability-inclusive training.
Our approach works in combination with other interventions and supports including: girls’ clubs, mother groups, sport for change projects, interactive theatre projects, and safeguarding strengthening activities.
Our SEL approach has been developed in collaboration with communities and governments over 25 years. Link is embedding SEL throughout projects, and supporting education systems to move away from rote learning towards inclusive practices.
We are using our approach and training materials in Ethiopia where secondary schools work to keep at-risk girls in education, and in Malawi where primary schools are supported to welcome the most vulnerable.
Social and emotional learning, along with our School Performance Review model, and education in emergencies, will continue to be a key area of focus as we strengthen schools and communities against crises and disasters.
Detailed information on Link's approach to this and other innovations, projects and programmes can be found on our website. We would welcome enquiries from potential collaborators, and are actively seeking funding partners to invest in both the scaling up of our work and the creation of new projects.
