The USAID Bar ama Baro wraps up an intensive, nine-day training for a cadre of teacher trainers working in Somalia’s accelerated basic education programMogadíscio, SomáliaMais do que 130 teacher trainers, learning-material writers and officials from Somalia’s Ministry of Education, Cultura e Ensino Superior (MoECHE) participated in an extensive nine-day training event that marks a major milestone in the unprecedented scale-up of the country’s accelerated basic education (ABE) programa.
The workshop prepares participants to share their newfound knowledge to improve the skills of an additional 3,000 teachers across the country tasked with advancing Somalia’s ABE program, which aims to provide basic education to generations of youth whose formal education has been interrupted by conflict, famine and instability.
“Ensuring that all Somali children have access to equitable, inclusive and quality education is a top priority for the Somali Government,” says MoECHE Director General Mohamed Abbi Hassan. “Through the partnership with USAID’s Bar ama Bar program, estamos alcançando mais crianças somalis com educação de qualidade, que contribuirá positivamente para a segurança, desenvolvimento social e económico deste país.”
Led by a team of experts, including two lecturers from the Somali National University, and the Jubaland Teacher Training Institute, the training is a component of the NÓS. Agência para o Desenvolvimento Internacional (USAID) Barra ou Barra (BAB) projeto, a five-year primary education program supporting the Government of Somalia in the design and delivery of comprehensive, inclusive education services.
Barra ou Barra, which means “teach or learn” in English, is implementing an ABE program to improve access and quality of education for out-of-school children ages 9 para 18 through direct implementation in the Federal Member States of South West, Jubaland, Hirshabelle and Banadir. Somalia’s ABE condenses eight years of the formal curriculum into four, covering Arabic, Inglês, ciência, estudos sociais, somali, Tarbiyah and technology – ensuring that students can either rejoin the formal school system at Grades 2 ou 4 or obtain Grade 8 level certification.
Mais do que 100,000 students are expected to benefit from the new curriculum, métodos de ensino, materials and non-formal learning centers developed by BAB in cooperation with the MoECHE. This expansion follows the ABE Policy and Curriculum Framework inaugurated on April 24, 2021, and a pilot conducted with more than 40,000 students during 2022. Por 2023, aproximadamente 1 million ABE textbooks, teacher guides and supplementary reading materials will be distributed.
The nine-day workshop in Mogadishu included sessions on the condensed curriculum and how to start and manage non-formal learning centers, retain student enrolment, monitor quality and the importance of engaging parents and other community members.
Other sessions addressed research on brain-based instructional activities, technical teaching methods for working with beginning readers, participatory techniques to promote numeracy and problem-solving, identifying the needs of ABE students and working with ABE placement testing.
Bar ama Baro’s Chefe do Partido, Faiza Hassan, Ph.D., applauds the collaboration among the trainees, and adds: “We are very happy to be partners with the MoECHE and the Federal Member States Ministries of Education on the design, development and roll out of this national basic accelerated education program aimed to address the need of the large out-of-school population in the country. Juntos continuaremos a reconstruir o sistema de ensino público da Somália para que todas as crianças tenham a oportunidade de aprender.”
Sessões de trabalho mais envolventes
Os participantes disseram que o design do treinamento e a incorporação de trabalho interativo entre os diversos participantes tornaram as sessões mais envolventes e propícias ao aprendizado. Além disso, muitos dos formadores de professores disseram que a orientação clara fornecida durante as sessões criou um modelo fácil de replicar quando começaram a fornecer instruções a professores em todo o país.
Abdirazak Xeique Mohamed, formador de professores do MoECHE desde 2000, diz que a aula de gestão foi particularmente útil para ele “porque oferecia instruções passo a passo sobre como ensinar e administrar aulas”. O seminário de nove dias foi diferente dos treinamentos anteriores dos quais ele participou porque foram “mais interativos e práticos, envolvendo trabalho individual e em grupo,”ele diz.
“É fácil seguir ou ensinar,Abdirazak diz. “Este programa bem desenvolvido e focado ajudará a melhorar a qualidade da educação na Somália. Os professores também se beneficiarão muito com as técnicas e o treinamento oferecido.”
Ahmed Ali Shire, um facilitador no treinamento, disse que ficou impressionado com a importância que o novo currículo atribui aos educadores da ABE. “Isso é importante porque o professor é o maior agente de mudança,”ele diz. “They are responsible for student retention and improving learning outcomes.”
Such an approach to the role of teachers is “more effective compared to the traditional one,” Ahmed says. The trainings improve the quality of the teacher, which can lead to improved learning outcomes and create a safe learning environment for the ABE students, ele diz.
“It shouldn’t be one-time program, it should be sustainable,”ele acrescenta.
Jaime Oberlander, USAID/Somalia Social Services Office Director, says of the nine-day training session and the accelerated basic education program: “The United States is proud to partner with Somalia to provide over 100,000 with opportunities to gain fundamental literacy, numeramento e habilidades para a vida. Através Barra ou Barra, A USAID está a contribuir para desenvolver as competências dos professores para satisfazer as diversas necessidades dos alunos, ajudando-os a ‘recuperar o atraso’ para reentrar no sistema escolar formal ou fazer a transição para a formação profissional ou de subsistência.”
Com edição e redação de Sabra Ayres em Chevy Chase, Maryland.
