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| The blogger interact with the students after watching the film. |
Silence permeates in a crowded open classroom
despite of the escalating African summer heat. Everybody’s attention was on the
screen, holding their breath and all of the sudden an applause break the silence. Some girls were sobbing,
and one lad said to me “Juanito, I will not escape from class anymore “. This is just one of the student’s reactions
after watching the film Nemo.
For most students and some teachers , this is the first time that they watched a
film in their schools. This is one of the initiatives that I am doing to
support and improve the quality of teaching and learning in the schools of Pemba especially
in Wete District. Through the support of British Council Tanzania
and VSO Tanzania, I am piloting the implementation
of the Program in Improving English (PIE) Primary and supporting the PIE Secondary here in the island. The lack of resources
in mentoring teachers sometimes will hinder the process of
transferring skills and it is always a concern to me on how to address it.
Though, we can find a lot of alternatives for the lacking resources but there
are things that we need that we cannot do because it is impossible to have it
or make it such as the LCD projector.
Through the courtesy of the Tanzania Development Trust, we are
able to acquire an LCD projector that makes our work more effective and to
reach more people. It also help to improve the coffer of the Miti Ulaya Training Center because it
also upgrade the facilities of the training center where they can ask for a rental fees anytime people
will come during the weekends to conduct their events such training and
seminars in the training center using
the equipments. This is one way of
making the training center more self sustainable. Currently, as Methods and Content / Language Advisor of the Training Center the equipment is an indispensable tool for me in conduct training to upgrade the teaching skills of the teachers, gender mainstreaming in the schools, and most recently my film showing project to create environmental awareness and instilling life skills in schools and in the community. But best of all, it also provide new form of infotainment (information and entertainment) to improve everyone’s English skills.The LCD projector is an ordinary machine but an important catalyst in making my small share development work here an extraordinary one for everyone here in this side of the East African coast of the Indian Ocean. Ashanteni sana Tanzania Development Trust Fund for making our dreams a reality and for trusting me to have the grant.
