Juma Ali Dido – JAD                                        

In attendance:  Stephen Kameti – SK

Anthony Gross – AFG   

Apologies:   

Hussein Duba – HD

Tony Fitzjohn – TF

Komora Samuel – New HT                                          

Mark Cheruyiot – MC

Mike Harries – MH                                         

 Ismail F. Solola – IS

Kulisa Shora Dirkicha – KD

Mohammed  Hassan - MoH

Kate Hargreaves – KH

Gill Marshall-Andrews – GMA,  

Lissa Campbell - LC

Item

New action

1

The meeting was opened with a prayer by MH

2

Minutes of last meeting on 19 November 2009 were tabled and passed

3

Matters arising and actions from the previous meeting

Planning sessions: SK outlined that he is planning to organise a 2-day strategic planning workshop – chair, secretary, head teacher and representatives of the regional trusts, to take place at Mwingi.  To take place in month of end April, KH running it.   Budget and schedule of people to attend is needed - SK.  KH said the schools should bring their 3 year plans.   TAS needs to consider the budget outside formal meeting.  GMA reminded board of need to present funding proposals on a timely basis. 

HD asked for minutes of LATF promising funds for APS for the construction of a dormitory.   Earliest October for the funds to be released.    Need to speak to chair of LATF.  JAD to speak to LATF to confirm amount and when it will be released.

GMA – TAS particularly interested that dormitory block is for girls.  There is no guarantee that TAS will support a dining hall in relation to the dormitory block – concerns about performance of Asako

AFG – you need to prove there are funds from LATF for the dormitory before we start to consider a dining hall.

School lockers:  Kimanzi: proposal for cupboards for textbooks.   Ksh 174,000 instead of Ksh 150,000.  SK – if classrooms are in poor state of repair – do we want to introduce fixed cupboards into such classrooms or should they be stand-alone cupboards?

Kimanzi to carry on with fixed cupboards and to repair classroom areas where plaster is in disrepair.   Lockers will be made in April school holidays.

School trips:  waiting for dates for drama and other activities from district education office in Garissa/Madogo.  Schedule comes out March.  GMA/MH – ideas including visiting libraries, KWS, Meru...   – new head teacher + SK to organise.  GMA – it’s up to HT to use activity money plus remaining TAS money for maximum benefit of children.  Give the children different experiences. 

Completion reports – SK has helped but they are not complete.  GMA - Action for school – new headteacher to take this on.  MH – people donating to TAS haven’t been to Kenya – completion reports help people understand the purpose of donations.  LC – get a quotation from students etc to show the benefit.  GMA – we need to see results of the money.

Water:  Maina:  MH talked with him on phone.  Electrical borehole wasn’t working at the time – not been fixed.  ?legal status of borehole. Then we’d be in position to move windmill and solar working together on same borehole.    Is it an Asako community borehole? Is it Premier Urgence’s borehole? Letter  has been sent to CRS confirming the ‘handover’ of the pumps to the community by KWS

Madogo students:  HD produced end of term reports:  both have poor performance academically – Aalia Abdi scoring D-, Adhan Abdi Adm scoring D+.   MH – funds 2 students – they report termly and are told they will loose their funding if they perform poorly.

GMA – someone from the community needs to take responsibility about whether the bursary is well used.   We need advice about whether to continue bursary.    Someone must take responsibility for advising on this – Kulisa volunteered.

SK to produce budget and detailed plan for these sessions

JAD

New Head plus SK to produce ideas. 

SK to work closely with new HT on completion reports.

MH to meet Maina 0722 701658

AFG to contact CRS

KD to advise by April meeting.

4

Funding proposals:

a)      Budget for board meetings

KH proposed 4 board meetings in the year to be complemented by visits by SK, TF and MC – where they will fill out an information sheet – also tabled at the meeting.

GMA – teacher attendance record had been proposed - single biggest problem for the school.  MoH says this was in place.

GMA – teachers are contracted to work all days of the term. 

LC – KWS had previously offered to take the teachers to bank one day a month to reduce teacher absence.

GMA – suggestion- teacher coverage for times when a teacher has to be away – you can plan your absence...Supernumerary teacher for coverage...proposal to TAS for this?  Board felt this was too difficult to manage.  HD said colleagues cover for each other.

Average teacher absence is 2-3 days per month.   JAD - One teacher (TAS funded) has been absent for 3 weeks.  MoH – she was very sick and far from a clinic.

Agreed.

Information sheet – SK to confirm it’s OK

5

KCPE results:

Only 5 students passed despite the school expecting at least 8 to pass.  But the overall score was greatly improved. 

Mean score in 2008 in KCPE was 168.  Mean score  in 2009 was 225

Pass rate is 250

School was confident to get more than 8 and was therefore shocked – need to analyse the results.    Report to TAS explaining the results – will be sent to TAS asap.

Mock examinations for new Standard 8 – expecting better results.   3 girls in new std 8.  22 pupils in total in new standard 8. 

GMA – what to do with bonus incentive?  Carry over?

MoH – teachers were very much looking forward to it.  We didn’t achieve it but we need to do something to raise their morale.

Abbas /AEO – school has slightly improved... give them some of the bonus.

Kulisa – see the performance of the subjects and see which performed best and reward teachers accordingly.

HD – not all teachers taught class 8 who won’t benefit. 

JAD – give the money anyway. 

AFG – suggest 50% to keep morale up

MH – what about looking at teachers’ attendance – reward people according to their attendance and effort.  KH also use appraisal system/assessment

GMA – the mean score has gone up significantly – we need to reward them somehow.  Go with 50%.  We will review the incentive system – we don’t want to reward failure.

Vote taken on whether to carry the incentive forwards or to pay 50%.  Majority agreed to pay 50% of the bonus.

New HT to send report to TAS.  

50% of bonus to be paid to teachers.  JAD to determine allocation across teachers at the school now.  Ksh 52,0000

6.

End of year reports for Madogo bursary children – see item 3.

7

Gender issues -GMA said we would like to improve the attendance and improvement of girls and will look kindly on proposals that promote this, such as educational trips to other girls’ schools, motivational speakers etc.

8

Proposal for school trips – see item 3

9

AOB

Bursaries – 5 children passed KCPE exams and TAS has promised to give them bursaries.  TAS will give them standard bursaries of kes15,000/- each for the first year.  Parents must pay the extra. One student has been accepted into Kenyatta but the fees are too high for TAS to pay in full.  It was suggested he apply for a scholarship or bursary from the relevant authority.

AFG said he felt many of the meetings wasted time as trustees did not come with proposals or having done what they had promised in previous meetings.

MH said he was worried about accountability of the school.  Crucial for teachers to be in school at all times.  Attendance records of staff and children must be brought to meetings.  He also said he would like to see some record from the school of whether the work of TAS is being appreciated – e.g. whether teachers are pleased with the staff houses.

It was felt very promising that the mean results of the school had improved, even if fewer children passed than expected. As many schools in Kenya had a fall in their mean grades in 2009 this is a significant achievement.

10

Date of the next meeting –  Thursday 20^th May in Asako

AFG