Press release: Teacher training - African style

For immediate release: 31 August 2006

37 teachers have returned to the UK having spent their summer holiday improving education in Africa. The five week placement in Uganda or South Africa is part of the 15 month Global Teachers Programme (GTP). The GTP is a unique international professional development opportunity, run by international development charity Link Community Development (LCD) and supported by the HSBC Global Education Trust and the Department for International Development.

The teachers, 26 who are returning from South Africa and 11 from Uganda lived with a host family in the local community where their placement school is based, often in a home without running water or electricity.

Christopher Welander from Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge went to Nkodusweni Junior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Christopher said: "I had an amazing time. I came across a remarkable bunch of teachers at Nkodusweni Junior Secondary School. It is extraordinary what they achieve given the sort of problems they face. Classes are huge by UK standards; buildings poor; teaching materials limited and lessons are conducted in English despite everyone speaking Xhosa at home. Some of the teachers have not been paid for months. I can't wait to let colleagues and students at my school know about my experiences."

Christopher lived with a family in a valley with views down to the sea and forests all around. He said: "My neighbours were subsistence farmers, growing everything from onions to bananas, and keeping pigs and cattle. They live in the traditional Xhosa roundhouses. The school was only 10 minutes away for me but some of the educators and learners come from miles away.

"I spent most of my time working with the principal and his staff. Education in South Africa is undergoing great changes at the moment. Schools are encouraged to manage themselves and a new National Curriculum is being introduced. But the teachers were educated under apartheid and feel ill equipped to deal with what is being expected of them now. I especially enjoyed helping them see how they could make their lessons more interactive and inclusive."

Following their placement Global Teachers will work with children in their own school and community to raise awareness of international development issues. Many teachers forge long-lasting links between their schools, giving children in Africa and the UK the opportunity to learn directly from each other and deepen their understanding of global issues.

Dame Mary Richardson, Chief Executive of the HSBC Global Education Trust said: "I commend the participating teachers for their role in this valuable programme which helps to improve the education of thousands of children in Africa. We hope the teachers find the experience inspirational and beneficial for their future careers in education."

LCD works to improve the quality of education in Africa and raise awareness of development issues in the UK. LCD's education development projects in Africa work in partnership with district departments of education. LCD's work focuses on school management, leadership, governance and resourcing as well as teaching and learning issues.

To find out more about the Global Teachers Programme and Link Community Development please log on to www.lcd.org.uk or phone 020 7691 1818 or email: link@lcd.org.uk

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

1. For more information, photographs or interviews please call Ben Miller, LCD Communications Officer on 020 7691 1818 or email ben@lcd.org.uk.

2. Link Community Development runs education programmes in Ghana, Malawi, South Africa and Uganda with the aim of improving the life-chances of children in some of the poorest areas. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is patron of Link Community Development.

3. The HSBC Education Trust, led by Dame Mary Richardson, was established in January 2001 to provide a focus for the HSBC Group's educational projects. It seeks to open doors of opportunity for young people by raising standards of education. The HSBC Education Trust works with schools and communities to enhance young people's educational experience in and out of the classroom. For more information, visit www.hsbc.com/csr