Talking Teachers 2010
To follow on from our successful 1GOAL ‘Education For All’ campaign in 2009 conjunction with the Irish GCE Coalition, in November 2010 VSO continued to promote the need for quality education worldwide through a Talking Teachers education campaign.
What is Talking Teachers?
To highlight our work in education worldwide, VSO is brought two teachers from Ethiopia and Tanzania to Ireland. While here, they helped emphasised the need for improved education and teaching standards globally.
While in Ireland our delegates met with leading education actors, unions and politicians plus they gave a talk on the challenges and professional development needs of teachers in their countries.
The event
Attendees heard real life stories from our Talking Teachers on Wednesday 17 November 2010 in the Irish Aid Volunteer and Information Centre, O’Connell Street, Dublin 1.
VSO returned education volunteers and staff were on hand to set the scene and answer questions on education and volunteering in developing countries.
Speakers
Asya Iddi Issa
Upon the completion of on M.Ed. in 2006, Asya Iddi Issa became Principal of the Ben Bella Secondary School in Zanzibar, an urban based mixed school with over 900 pupils and 44 teachers.
Despite increasing enrolment rates across Tanzania in recent years, the quality of education remains weak. Repetition by students is high, retention is poor and the pass rate for exams is less than half. However, with Mrs. Issa’s management, Ben Bella Secondary School has continued to make admirable progress.
Mrs Issa is came to Ireland to learn more about school leadership and monitoring and evaluation of schools’ performance. Her presentation brought to life the challenges and context of school management in her country.
Yohannes Benti
Mr. Yohannes Benti, President of the Ethiopian Teachers’ Association (ETA), began his career in education as a teacher of chemistry in Bodji High School in 1992. He became involved in educational research and management over the following years and in 2003, Benti began his work with the ETA, the largest teachers’ union in Ethiopia.
Representing over 90% of the teaching workforce of Ethiopia, some 290,000 teachers, the ETA plays an important role in the national education system.
As president of the ETA, Benti presented on the challenges facing teachers in Ethiopia and the need for increased quality and expansion of education nationally.
