“Dream? I have no idea what I’ve learnt at school in the last couple years, and what being a lawyer would entail, and so I cannot really dream any more” G, 14 years, Grade 9

“What’s the point? Sometimes we’re hit for not doing homework, sometimes for not wearing the right shoes. Why should I study? At least now I earn.” R, 14 years, started working a 12-hour shift at a local factory during the lockdown

“Students fail and then end up killing themselves. Why should I study? For that?” K, 13 years, Grade 8

Such haunting reflections by children about schooling reveal how school itself reproduces inequalities and compel us to listen more keenly - their dreams, dilemmas and struggles cannot be ignored.

They also tell us that an educational intervention that is relevant and meaningful for adolescents - that takes into account the particularities and struggles of these challenging years - is a real, felt need.

This challenges us to ask - how can we listen to the voices of children and youth to build an educational practice rooted in their dreams, dilemmas and demands that holds meaning and purpose for them? How do we make the encounter within and outside the school compassionate, so they may strive for excellence, innovation, social justice and equality?

We hope to build workable practices to address these questions. As the powerful words of one of our students reveals, at New Learning Centre, students and teachers are reclaiming the transformative power of education, everyday.  

A Nurturing Space to Navigate New Futures