In the quiet farming town of Musaia, far away from the busy streets of Kabala, a woman stands at the center of a growing movement for education. Her name is Zainab Sheku Marah, and she is the Head Mistress of the Movement of Faith Islamic Primary School.
Marah was born in Mongor, but her education took her to different parts of Sierra Leone. She attended MCA Secondary School in Tengbeh Town and later completed her schooling at Services Senior Secondary School in Juba, Freetown.
In 2018, she moved back to Kabala and completed her Teacher’s Certificate (TC) at Port Loko Teachers College. Something she didn’t know would later change her life.
Marah started teaching at the Movement of Faith Islamic Primary School in Musaia in January 2020 as an ordinary teacher. She continued working hard, and by April 2020, she received her pin code and officially became an approved government teacher.
When the former head teacher, Mr. Charles Jawara, resigned in 2023, the community chose Marah to replace him. At that time, she was still balancing teaching with petty trading between Kabala and Musaia to support herself.
Although there were five teachers in the school, only two had formal training. Because of Marah’s qualification, discipline, and the way she taught the children, the community believed she was the right person to lead the school.
Zainab Marah, Headmistress Movement of Faith Primary School, Musaia
A Woman’s Journey in a Man’s World
Taking up a leadership role as a young woman wasn’t easy. Musaia is a community where most leadership positions are held by men.
“As a woman, being head teacher in this village comes with many challenges,” she says. “But I focus on the work and on the children. That keeps me going.”
Even with these obstacles, her time as head mistress has brought visible change. When she first arrived in 2020, the school was just a small hut. Today, with support from Schools for Salone, Musaia has a proper school building and receives learning and teaching materials every year.
Zainab Marah (L) and a teacher cross-checking a class work done by a pupil
Marah’s courage to thrive in a male dominated society was made possible because of education. She’s a true example of how much a woman can achieve when she’s educated.
“In a community like this, where most leaders are men, I feel proud to be a young woman leading a school,” she says. “Education made this possible. I want every girl out there to take their education seriously.”
Pupils of Movement of Faith Primary School
Marah says what motivates her most is the support she receives from her teachers and the parents in the community.
“The parents always check on me,” she says. “They want to know how their children are doing. It makes me feel supported.”
The children also inspire her. Despite living in a remote area, they work hard and perform well. Last year, their best pupil scored over 300 in the NPSE. She hopes they will perform even better this year.
Class 4 pupils, Movement of Faith Primary School
Partnership That Changes Lives
The partnership between the school and Schools for Salone has brought major improvements to Musaia. Through their support, the school now has a proper building instead of a hut, along with steady supplies of teaching and learning materials.
They have also provided bicycles to help pupils who walk long distances get to school on time. In addition, teachers receive valuable training through the Teachers Learning Foundation.
A pupil of Movement of Faith Primary School riding his bicycle to school
Marah says the phonics training, especially, has strengthened teachers’ understanding of letter sounds and helped them improve the way reading is taught in the classroom.
As the school continues to grow, Marah believes more support will be needed to keep up with the increasing number of pupils. She hopes for additional classrooms to ease overcrowding and dreams of having computers so that both children and teachers can build digital skills.
Zainab Marah (L) doing some doing class inspection
Marah also wishes for scholarship opportunities that would allow teachers to further their education, especially by pursuing a Bachelor’s degree.
Her story is simple but powerful. She started as a young teacher in 2020, became head mistress in 2023, and today leads one of the most important institutions in her community.
Cross section of class 3 pupils during class session
Marah shows that leadership is not about age or gender, it’s about commitment, courage, and the desire to build a better future for children.