This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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International teacher programme
09/10/2003
Up to 45 teachers will benefit from an
international education programme to enhance their
management and leadership skills.
The Executive is contributing up to
£108,000 over three years towards the Global Teachers
Programme which will support teachers travelling to South
Africa, Ghana or Uganda to work on educational
projects.
The programme is run by Link Community
Development, with support from the HSBC Education Trust.
During the next three years 150 UK teachers
and headteachers will be recruited to take part in this
innovative professional development scheme which brings
benefits to schools in both the UK and Africa.
Education Minister Peter Peacock
said:
"Each year, 15 Scottish teachers and
headteachers with an interest in developing their
management and leadership skills will spend five weeks
during the summer learning about different cultures and
educational experiences and sharing their knowledge and
skills with schools in Africa.
"Many of the teachers who have already
taken up this opportunity have gained a greater
understanding of educational development, which has in turn
supported their professionalism.
"I am also delighted that the
Educational Institute for Scotland is supporting this
programme as part of its commitment to teachers'
professional development and its broad commitment to
promoting education in developing countries.
"Sharing best practice through
programmes such as this is of great benefit to both
countries involved. Scotland is in a fortunate position, we
are refining our education system and leading the way in
school inspection, assessment and technology
developments.
"However, we must remember other
countries are faced with challenges like getting clean
water into schools and tackling major shortages in the
teaching profession because of the tragic spread of
AIDS/HIV. In Botswana as many as four per cent of all
children have at some point lost a teacher to AIDS and, in
2001, more than 600 teachers died of AIDS in the ZwaZulu
province of South Africa alone.
"We will discuss these challenges when
we welcome Commonwealth Education Ministers to Edinburgh
later this month for the 15
th Conference of Commonwealth Education
Ministers (15CCEM). I also look forward to meeting the
young people involved in the Youth Summit and Showcase of
Best Educational Practice aspects of 15CCEM.
"By promoting best practice and
strengthening our links with other countries through
education exchange programmes, 15CCEM and the World
Congress of Youth - which will be held here in 2005 -
Scotland can continue to make a real difference to the
lives of millions of children and young people
worldwide."
A debate on Scotland's Contribution to
Education in the Commonwealth - Past, Present and Future,
will be held in the Parliament today.
Link Community Development is a
registered charity which works to improve the quality of
education in Ghana, Uganda, South Africa and the UK through
international teaching programmes. It will receive up to
£108,000 from the Continued Professional Development budget
-
over the next three years - towards the
Global Teachers Programme. Recruitment of teachers will be
later this year.
The experience provides the Global
Teachers with an opportunity to develop constancy, peer
support and training skills
by supporting colleagues in a school where chalk may
be the only resource and where class sizes regularly exceed
60, with children of varied ages and abilities.
Participating teachers live in the local community
and learn about the way of life, culture and development
challenges. The placement is also an opportunity
for them to forge a lasting partnership between their
placement school and their school in
Scotland.