The last couple of years have seen many new developments at CRS, the biggest being the move to new premises purposefully adapted for educational use thanks to a large grant from The Merck Family Foundation. The driver for the Merck Foundation grant was the provision of facilities to promote science education in a country where access to practical science education is limited. Subsequently, FCRS has paid for the two senior science teachers to gain the skills necessary to manage a school science lab and teach practical science at the highest school level demanded by the West African Exam Board. This summer Mr Musa Kesselly and Mr Adikalie Kamara successfully completed their certification courses in lab management and practical science teaching.

For FCRS and CRS, being a specialist science school equiped with highly qualified staff and a purpose built space for the teaching of science, is the key to financial sustainability. Students with aspirations in science have very few options in Conakry. State schools lack the resources and staff to teach science post 12 and practical lab based science education is exceptionally rare. CRS aims to attract students hoping to gain a good quality science education who have the resources to pay for their education to boost income from fees, enabling them to build financial resilliance and sustainability. FCRS has funded 40 science scholarships for this academic year to ensure that those who have similar aspirations and ability but who lack the ability to pay do not miss out on the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

On Monday the students of CRS started their first full academic year in the new building. Students specialise their education in the top of three grades, taking science, humanities or business focused classes. This year a record 47 students have signed up to study science in the first week of the academic year. 

So what is the problem? Supplying the chemicals to run practical science classes will cost CRS £2000 for the year. Going forward this will be funded from the increase in fees generated by their status as one of the few schools offering practical science. But in this first year of providing practical science CRS has not yet generated this income. 

We are asking for money to help CRS fund the purchase of the chemicals recommended by the exam board for teaching practical science over the coming year.