O’bai Conteh graduated from the IDS MA Gender & Development in 2018. His studies at IDS were supported by the IDS Graduate Scholarship programme. We caught up with O’Bai about why he chose this Master’s, how it helped his career and what it was like to study at IDS.
Watch a video of O’bai’s interview or read it in full below.
What course did you study and why did you choose this course?
I studied MA Gender & Development. And the reason I chose this course is because I am from a patriarchal entrenched society where the image of masculinity is very overwhelmed. So, I think that if I study gender, I will help improve gender equality within Sierra Leonne.
What was it like to study at IDS?
For me, IDS gave me an opportunity to learn in an enriching and very diverse environment. IDS is a community where you network with tutors and colleagues. You have the opportunity to learn and you have the opportunity to support others. IDS is like a family. It’s a community of great people.
What do you think is the best thing about IDS? What makes IDS unique?
I think aside of the quality of teaching and how conducive the IDS environment is, for the mere fact that when you are at IDS you feel at home, you feel you are with a family, you feel you are within a community.
You have support everywhere. You can just talk to colleagues. And another thing – it’s diverse. You have people from different backgrounds: from diverse, professional backgrounds. I learnt a lot from IDS professionally as well as academically.
What are you doing now?
Currently, I am a PhD student at Lancaster University. I am doing research in gender inequalities in secondary education. My project is looking at how gender interplays with other social markers and how this affect girls’ experiences in secondary school, in post-conflict Sierra Leonne.
What impact has studying at IDS had on your career?
Studying at IDS, for me it has been pivotal for my career. It was a life changing opportunity, as IDS gave me the required skills, tools and knowledge to perform my work professionally.
Basically IDS was like a springboard for growth. Now I’m doing PhD – I can say that IDS has laid the foundation for my success.
What advice would you give to someone who was considering studying at IDS?
Hey, don’t wait for a second! Like I said, it’s a network of great people. You have great teachers, great researchers, you have very supportive and collaborative colleagues.
Learning at IDS is not conventional learning. It’s very collaborative. You have lots of coursework and group work with colleagues.
Like I said, so don’t wait, don’t think twice. If you join IDS you’ll never regret it.