EU 40 primary schools project

 

The need for raising the standard of education in Angola, especially in primary schools, is being tackled on many fronts. One of these is the project “Forty Primary Schools Showing the Way”, funded by the EU and carried out by ADPP. It is an ambitious project and is due to continue well past its three-year funded program of activities.

20 schools in Luanda province and 20 more in Kwanza Sul province are enrolled in the project. The schools represent a broad spectrum of rural and semi-rural public schools, with almost 30,000 pupils and 800 teachers involved. The aim of the project is to help often unqualified or poorly qualified teachers to understand not only their role in the classroom, but also the needs of their pupils and how to make learning effective but at the same time fun. The teachers have to be resourceful to a degree that would stretch the most capable of educators in order to cope with large class sizes, irregular attendance, and a lack of teaching material including a shortage of classrooms.

Working closely with ADPP’s Teacher Training Colleges, the teachers follow a 40 week training program “40 Pedagogical Sessions” and have access to a well-equipped pedagogical workshops. Group work, theme days and weeks and extra-curricular activities are being promoted; girls clubs are being established; water and sanitation at the schools is being improved and the greater involvement of parents and the wider community is being encouraged.

With new pedagogical tools at their disposal and fresh motivation, the teachers involved in the project have been revising their approach to teaching. They are also playing an important role in helping their own colleagues adopt new methods and new ideas.

Monitoring and evaluation of the project is of vital importance. A baseline survey was undertaken in 2012 and early 2013 in order to be able to measure the progress and impact of the project. Apart from addressing the basic pedagogical questions, the survey has highlighted the importance of an integral approach to the education of young children, with parental support, sound nutrition and basic health and hygiene being crucial elements.