- May 23rd, 2012
Scottish teachers in Africa
- nickmorgan
- Comments: noneTags: volunteering
Its the time of the year when many teachers are planning ahead, both for the summer school holidays and for the next school annual cycle. And every year a number of Scottish teachers decide to spend part of their time in Africa as volunteers who can make a contribution to development and improvement of school education in a developing country. Some will go for short periods, others will commit to a longer stay, and they will do this as individuals or as part of a group, through a link organised by a local church or a charity. And as a consequence each one will return to Scotland better able to demonstrate and champion global citizenship among the young people they teach here.
Two examples:
International development charity Voluntary Service Overseas VSO currently has an urgent need for education professionals to take up volunteering placements in Ethiopia, starting this September 2012. VSO volunteers are working at a number of different levels in Ethiopia to help improve teacher training and education management, increasing the quality and relevance of education that children receive. Senior teachers and education managers are working with national government institutions supporting the development and implementation of national policies like teacher training programmes and monitoring and evaluation systems. Experienced teachers are working within regional education and teacher education institutions to help deliver training programmes and develop the skills of their local colleagues. Many Scottish teachers have gained their experience through VSO. This short YouTube video clip features Edinburgh teacher Dhamayanthi talking about her volunteering experience in Ethiopia. Contact VSO about Ethiopia and other opportunities to use your skills to help children in developing nations to get a better start in life.
Another kind of opportunity is provided by the Global Teachers programme run by charity Link Community Development Scotland, now solely funded by the Wood Family Trust. This summer a group of teachers and headteachers from Aberdeenshire will spend five weeks in Ugandan schools, helping local teachers to employ better pedagogy, and improve school leadership and planning. An article in TESS describes the preparatory phase for the Scots and the kind of positive outcomes the individuals hope for.
Categories CPD, africa, international
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