This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Teachers set for Malawi
18/05/2006
A group of Scottish teachers are set to help schools in Malawi as part of the national effort to support the African country.
Twelve Scots will travel to the Dedza area in Malawi next month to share their specialist skills in literacy and numeracy as well as development planning and management.
The trip is supported by the Executive as part of the education strand of the Co-operation Agreement signed between Malawi and Scotland last November.
Ahead of her visit to Malawi, set to agree the next phase of the Co-operation Agreement, Minister with responsibility for International Development Patricia Ferguson said:
"I am looking forward to seeing how Scotland's partnership with Malawi is helping to improve the lives and opportunities of people in Malawi. I am sure these Scottish teachers will build on the good work being done by many Scots in Malawi whilst enriching their own lives and the lives of their pupils at home in Scotland.
"Scotland and Malawi have much in common - Education is a priority and the best way to fight poverty and ignorance. That is why the Action Plan that covers the education strand of the Co-operation Agreement has such a strong emphasis on joint work between our two countries and mutual benefits to our people."
Education Minister Peter Peacock said:
"This will be a great experience, but also a great challenge for them. They have a chance to make a real difference in Malawi and also here in Scotland by sharing what they have learned with other teachers and students in school and the wider community on their return."
The teachers travelling to Malawi on June 24 are:
- Susan Arnett from Dean Park Primary School, Edinburgh
- Alison Brown from St Mary's Nursery Centre, Lanark
- Katherine Burton from Lawmuir Primary School, Bellshill
- Olive Caldwell from Kirkcowan Primary School, Newton Stewart
- Heather Cameron from Blantyre Specialist Support Base
- Anne Duncan from Hayshead Primary School, Arbroath
- Carol Joyce from Douglas Primary School, Lanark
- Audrey Kellacher from Central Primary School, Inverness
- Margaret Mackay from Lochgelly High School, Lochgelly
- Sarah Richards from Banff Academy, Banff
- Mary Thomson from St Flannan's Primary School, Kirkintilloch
- Ruth Tibbs from Prestonfield Primary School, Edinburgh
The education strand of the co-operation agreement between Scotland and Malawi promised:
- To help build capacity in education by further developing teacher exchange programmes and supporting the development of training of trainers for local delivery
- To support the exchange of knowledge and skills by facilitating academic links and twinning initiatives between local government, schools and higher education institutions
Free, universal primary education was introduced in Malawi in 1994, when enrolment jumped from 1.9 to 3.2 million almost overnight.
The current overall teacher: pupil ratio is 1:127, compared to 1:14.6 in Scotland.
Only 50 per cent of primary students have classrooms, and only 11 per cent in the rural areas have desks.
A recent World Bank report found only one in three children completed five years of education
The trip is organised by Link Community Development (LCD), an international development charity established in 1989 which runs the Global Teachers Programme in Three other countries in Sub Saharan Africa.
Following the First Minister's visit to Malawi last year, and the co-operation agreement between Scotland and Malawi, LCD received funding from the Executive to work specifically in Malawi and Scotland.