Office day

Today we have an office day. Agreements for laptop computer rental are needed as well as e-learning platform preparations. We took three laptops from Finland with us but rest of computers are purchased locally and Rotary Club of Banjul is waiting for proposals.

We need to keep motivation level high through 1½ years project. Accredited certificates are important in Africa. In this case we can not use Finnish Accreditation process due demands that are not compatible with local environment. If we are successful with our project, there is hopefully a chance to  apply accreditation from a local authority. While waiting for that, we want our students to be committed to our training program. Laptops do not become the property of the school until the training program has been completed.

I love teaching!

A school-specific background study has now been conducted and the actual training program can begin. Participants from Future Starts Now Gambia -school and EMMA school arrive at 10 am to run laptop setup and make personal competence development plans (PCDP).

-Do you like teaching? I ask at the beginning of every PCDP-interview. In addition to "yes", I get a wide smile and twinkling eyes from everyone. There is an admirable amount of sense of meaning in the answers.  Almost everyone lacks previous teacher training so the training program will be needed. Schools are different so there will be different needs too. In the training program we'll have modules that are common to all but we'll also find specific tools for programming, management or children's IT training.

As Finnish teachers we can bring a lot to The Gambia but, for real, this is about co-operation. Education system is always connected to local culture so there is no way to produce proper system alone without locals. It seems that we will have a very nice pilot group so we are looking for next 1½ years with a lot of hope and enthusiasm.

Tailoring studies as an apprenticeship

Malick Mendy Tailoring School is an unique one because it's totally based on apprenticeship training. Students learn by doing. The study time varies according to the student's progress. When skilled enough, a student gets an opportunity to work with his or her own customers in school premises. Couple of times a year they have an opportunity to leave the school and continue tailoring career with another employer or start a business.

- I'm a school drop-out myself, Mr Malic tells us. His father was a tailor too so he learned the secrets of the profession already as a young boy. After working hard for years he runs a successful business nowadays and wants to help young people to build their own career.

Rotary co-operation

Today we had an opportunity to join local Rotary meeting to tell about the project, answer questions and build important network in The Gambia. It appears that teacher training is most needed. Our project gives tools for teachers in ICT and pedagogy. Training program starts with personal competence development plan (PCDP) that is signed by teacher student and school management. Program continues on e-learning platform for 1½ years and will be finalized with competence demonstration in The Gambia.

Our project is a pilot, which can be used also after project end day. There are three beneficiary schools in pilot phase but material can be used later for much larger group if needed.

Electricity comes first

We have three different schools to work with. All of them have their own specific needs. We need to understand their working methods to achieve effective results and help them properly. Today we had an significant discussion with Mr Musa O. Mendy. He is experienced teacher, school leader and specialist working for Gambian Board of Education. 

In Gambia foreign schools are valued high. Mr Mendy is concerned about this trend. For the parents of the children, the choice cannot be based solely on the nationality of the education provider. He emphasizes the importance of teachers' pedagogical skills which are, according to him, many times missing in expensive private schools. Co-operation with partners from Finland hopefully improves the situation and gets image of local school higher.

Second destination of the day is Future Starts Now Gambia -school in Serekunda. Few students are present because electricity is off again and students have been sent home. This happens far too often and degrees are delayed. Still, students have mobile phones and possibility to get online. In negotiation with principal we decide to focus on building a light mobile e-learning environment to enable studying also when school is closed due electricity problems. Solar panels will also help the situation a lot.

Importance of community

-Community is everything, says Mr Ebrima (Solomon) Tamba. Tamba is Hotel Proprietor at Kunta Kinteh Complex. He is also founder and sponsor of local EMMA school. School wants to expand to higher levels of education to keep children in the area. EMMA school is one of the beneficiary schools of GGG-project.

Tamba tells that like many others, he had no choice to make as a young boy. Future was not dependent on one's talent or skills, it wad dependent on what your family needed and told you to do. Tamba wants to chance that. -I want children to have opportunity to plan their future. If someone is skilled with his hand, he needs opportunity to proceed with practical profession. If someone is bright, he needs opportunity to study more and use his intelligence. This is why I want to support education. It helps our community to develop and create welfare. 

Project team in the starting pits

This would be exciting anyway but after staying home due Covid-19 all feels even more special and important. Our project team: Mrs Annu Jokela-Ylipiha, Mr Jukka Ylipiha and Mr Janne Lepola are on the way to Gambia. Candelled flights, staying overnight at the airport in Paris, travelling for 36 hours but we are moving ahead!

Our project is operated in co-operation with Finnish and Gambian partners and sponsored by various Rotary Clubs in Finland and Rotary World Fund (read more on Sponsors -page).

Join us and our Gambian friends to follow what happens during this two years journey.