Our education specialist in Ethiopia reports back on the impact of our teacher training
Link is committed to advancing girls’ education through our STAGES project which has been running since 2017. In recent years, good progress has been made in improving classroom teaching-learning practices and ensuring inclusion through a series of Gender and Inclusion Responsive Pedagogy (GIRP) training in Ethiopia. More than 2,800 frontline practitioners such as teachers, headteachers, supervisors and education experts have received the training.
Ms Hirut Woldie, a mathematics teacher for Grade 5 – 8 students, was one of the teachers who participated in the GIRP and Numeracy competency trainings. She said; “The pieces of training I have received from the STAGES project opened a new horizon on how to include and engage girls and children with disabilities in my lesson. The GIRP training is not just a simple activity, it is a process of ‘lifting up the ones left behind’ in the class.”
Hirut illustrated her view by recalling her lesson planning before and after the GIRP training as follows:
My lesson plan was not overtly considering the participation of girls and children with disability in earlier years. However, after the attendances of the GIRP and Numeracy competency trainings and the feedback received from the headteacher and supervisor, I have started taking into account gender sensitivity and inclusion in my preparation phases as well as in every activity happening in the classroom. Nowadays, in my classes, all children– girls and boys, children with disabilities, children who came from the poorest family etc. have the same opportunity. As the result, the participation and their academic achievement improved
HirutIn addition, Hirut attended a training of trainers organized by Link and became familiar with the strategies on how to boost the competence of numeracy. Now, Hirut has started to take part in training other colleagues.
Improved dynamism of teaching and learning in Hirut’s classroom has been also witnessed. Mr Yohannes Chemo, another vibrant GIRP trainer and Education Expert in the Wolaita Zone Education department, said; “some admirable teachers like Hirut became role models and inspired others in Wolaita as a result of GIRP training and the subsequent technical support through coaching and mentoring programs. Thanks to Link, our education system got in-house trainers as a resource who will take-over supporting teachers as a means to ensure the sustainability of the project ideas through Continuous Professional Development programs.
“As far as coaching and mentoring sessions are concerned, the trained teachers are trying to show what they do differently– teachers in Link target districts are better aware of the existence of individual differences in terms of special needs, gender, learning styles, disabilities etc., and how to accommodate these accordingly.”
Yohannes further explained that all the pieces of training provided by Link put gender and inclusion at the heart of all its programmes to create a strong education system. According to him, now education authorities in Wolaita Zone are equipped with how to advance gender equality and ensure inclusion in education.
