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16/06/2017

2017 signalled the beginning of a new era for VVOB. The Belgian government awarded more than 44 million euros to VVOB to be directed towards programme activities in nine countries in the next five years. Teachers and school leaders remain the key actors in the 2017-2021 multi-year programme (MYP), and equity is the common thread. An overview, complemented by first impressions of our Flemish structural partners after visiting the programmes.

Early childhood education

In Vietnam, VVOB is moving from the capital city of Hanoi to Central Vietnam, where early childhood teachers are often faced with young learners coming from poor backgrounds or an ethnic minority. VVOB Vietnam wants to make sure no child is left behind by strengthening preschool teachers and school leaders in the fields of process-oriented child monitoring, addressing barriers to learning, and ensuring every child’s participation and deep level learning.

“The new programme succeeds the previous one in a very logical sense, both substantively and strategically. The foundations were set up in 2014-2016, now we can focus on deepening and spreading out the programme. We cannot help but be hopeful when we speak to actors in the field, such as government officials, school leaders and teachers, about the action research and the programme in general. Process-oriented child monitoring has really caught on.”
(Herman Coene, teacher trainer at Karel de Grote University College, looks back on the last and forward to the new MYP after his third visit to Vietnam within the framework of the partnership between his school and VVOB.)

In Zambia, VVOB wants to streamline teaching practice in the early years in two areas: gender-responsive learning-through-play pedagogy on the one hand, and the use of Early Learning Development Standards (ELDS) on the other. With the aim of reaching as many teachers as possible, VVOB Zambia targets both existing teachers through their professional development, and student teachers through their initial teacher education.

Primary education

In Cambodia, VVOB will strengthen the initial teacher education and teaching practice of primary school teachers. Student teachers are prepped to create learning environments in which their future pupils can effectively learn. The focus of VVOB Cambodia’s efforts in the teacher training colleges lies more specifically on maths, classroom management, differentiated learning, gender and environment.

“A class is built up in a certain way, but the rigorousness of how this idea is applied in Cambodia is confronting. It shows us how the strict application of models doesn’t necessarily create thinking beings, but automatisms – students that merely repeat definitions. And still… these Cambodian students repeat models, but in such a way that the class is transformed into a collective being. Not much explanation is needed. You could say that one step after the other is taken automatically, which creates a sense of purpose. The continuous repetition of words and sentences transforms the class into a single being. No student is spared. The beauty of these classes doesn’t lie in the (lack of) critical participation of the students, but in the full surrender of the students to the class environment.”
(Nancy Vansieleghem, coordinator of the teacher training in the audiovisual and visual arts at LUCA University College, reflects on her participation of a maths lesson within the framework of the partnership between her school and VVOB.)

The new MYP in Rwanda is aimed at maths and gender-sensitive class environments in primary schools. In the last MYP, VVOB Rwanda successfully developed a diploma course in Effective School Leadership for school leaders. In the coming years, this course will partially be reformed to also include equity topics relevant to education. The professional learning networks for school leaders are strengthened, and newly qualified teachers receive better guidance thanks to a robust mentorship system.

In South Africa, VVOB will capacitate school leaders and teachers of the primary education system to effectively implement the existing policy on inclusive education. To this end, VVOB South Africa works with the relevant institutions charged with professional development so they can offer capacity development trajectories to school leaders and teachers on inclusive leadership and pedagogy in schools.

Secondary education

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the focus of the new MYP lies on the professional development of teachers and school leaders. VVOB RDC attempts to make it easier for students of secondary agricultural education to find a job by making their education more relevant to the needs of the agricultural sector. Teachers teach in a more active and participatory way, and gender and environment play a bigger role in schools. The entrepreneurship skills of students are encouraged.

“In an exploratory mission to VVOB’s programme in Congo, we discovered how we can contribute to the activities. Because we have our own agricultural training at school, we of course have some expertise in that area that can flow back to Congo. But the partnership with VIVES also offers opportunities in a less obvious way. A lot of schools in Congo have their own, albeit limited, fields and livestock, but they don’t always have the knowhow to develop a good business plan and generate an income from these assets. Coincidentally, that is the strength of our teachers and students of Business Administration.”
(Elke Denys, researcher at VIVES University College, visited Congo to lay the foundations for the structural partnership between her school and VVOB DRC.)
 

In Ecuador too, VVOB contributes to aligning technical secondary education and the world of work. Technical teachers receive trainings from local businesses to keep their knowledge up-to-date. School-based counsellors support these teachers and the school leaders in this endeavour. Teachers and school leaders can subsequently share their knowledge and experience with colleagues in communities of practice and professional learning networks respectively.

Finally, in Suriname, VVOB aims at making lower vocational education and training (lower VET) schools safe learning environments through strengthening their teachers and school leaders. VVOB Suriname focuses its efforts on improving both the initial teacher education and the professional development opportunities for lower VET teachers. School leaders will be provided with the opportunity to participate in professional learning networks.

Belgium

At the start of the new MYP, VVOB’s Equity programme in Flanders was renamed eNSPIRED. The goal remains to inspire Flanders and Brussels with new practices that promote equity in education, through dialogue with educational experts in the Global South.

Each academic year will centre on an equity issue in education. In November, a masterclass on the issue is organised at a University College or pedagogical guidance centre with an international guest speaker. In April, the theme is further explored during a whole learning week. Teacher training colleges and pedagogical guidance centres will also be encouraged to stimulate global citizenship in (future) teachers. They – and other interested people - can turn to the new digital platform www.eNSPIRED.net for videos, pictures, articles etc. from VVOB’s partner countries.