17 Jan 2012

ANGOLA / EU EDUCATION

A teacher training program supported by UNICEF and the European Union (EU) is providing better methods to teach throughout Angola. Around one third of all teachers in the country have no formal teaching training, part of the legacy left behind after a 27 year civil war. UNICEF

Posted at: January 17, 2012 5:19 pm

Duration: 03:20

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: ANGOLA / EU EDUCATION
TRT: 3.20
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: PORTUGUESE / ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 25 -30 SEPTEMBER 2011, LUBANGO/LUANDA, ANGOLA

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, teacher in front of outdoor class
2. Med shot, kids in outdoor classroom with watch on blackboard
3. Wide shot, kids in outdoor classroom with watch on blackboard
4. Med shot, children's chairs in outdoor classroom
5. Med shot, Sister Cecilia Kuyela
6. Close up of Sister Cecilia Kuyela writing in notebook
7. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Sister Cecília Kuyela, teacher-trainer:
"The impression that I got in this classroom here, is that the methodology is not appropriate. The lesson could have been more dynamic. It lacks a bit of energy. Yes, for the children to become more motivated and to learn easier."
8. Wide shot, outdoor classroom
9. Wide shot, outdoor classroom
10. Med shot, Sister Celicia and teacher
11. Close up, Sister Cecilia talking to teacher
12. Med shot, Sister Cecilia reading book 
13. Close up, Sister Cecilia reading book
14. Pan right, outdoor school
15. Wide shot, outdoor classroom
16. Med shot, kids in outdoor class
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Koen Vanormelingen, Angola Country Representative, UNICEF: 
"The EU (European Union) has been supporting UNICEF to implement Child Friendly Schools. There are basically a couple of principles to make sure they have quality education in an incredible fashion with participation of the stakeholders. In education, the three main challenges are equity so to make sure everyone has access to schools, quality so to make sure kids can really read and write adequately at the end of the year and continuity so that we don't stop with primary school but that you continue to the secondary school. So the EU has really contributed to mainstreaming this child-friendly school principle."
18. Wide shot, outdoor classroom
19. Wide shot, Primary School 200 
20. Close up, boy writing on blackboard
21. Med shot, children clapping in class
22. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Maria Emilia, teacher, Primary School 61: 
"PAEP brought innovation to us in education. As you see, my students, being in the second Grade, they can already form sentences, they can already write words. Therefore it was very good."
23. Tilt down, Primary School 61 
24. Close up, kids sitting at Primary School 61 
25. Pan right, from tin school to building site
26. Wide shot, interior tin school
27. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Justino Jerónimo, Head of teacher training Ministry of Education:
"Today what worries us most is having the best qualified teachers.  If we want to have quality education, let's say. The question of inclusion has not been totally reached, but it is close to being reached.  Therefore, the current account in schooling fees has improved. Now we need to better the quality of the learning and to better the quality of learning we have to better the training of teachers." 
28. Wide shots, kids in outdoor classroom
29. Med shot, teacher in outdoor classroom teaching numbers
30. SOUNDBITE (English) Javier Puyol, Head of the EU Delegation to Angola: 
"Although they have a lot of financial resources, in terms of revenue from oil production and so on. But I think they need foreign support in terms of capacity building because the administration and even human resources in the private sector are still under-developed and under- trained."
31. Pan right, outdoor School
32. Close up, teacher at blackboard
33. Wide shot, outdoor classroom

STORYLINE :

Learning how to tell the time in a make-shift outdoor classroom without a watch.

Keeping these students of Primary School 200 focused, while many of whom don't even have a chair to sit on is no easy task.

And teaching under these circumstances is certainly a challenge. Teacher trainer 43-year-old nun Sister Cecilia Kuyelaan says there are better ways of teaching the principles of time. The problem is teachers need the right training to do so.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Sister Cecília Kuyela, teacher-trainer:
"The impression that I got in this classroom here, is that the methodology is not appropriate. The lesson could have been more dynamic. It lacks a bit of energy. Yes, for the children to become more motivated and to learn easier."

Around a third of all teachers in Angola have no formal teaching training. This is part of the legacy left behind after a 27 year civil war, not enough qualified teachers, not enough schools.

Sister Cecilia is one of 350 teacher trainers in seven provinces who travels from school to school helping teachers better their methods and improve their own education.

It's part of the government of Angola's Program of assistance to Primary Education known as PAEP, and the teacher training component of it is being supported by UNICEF and funded by the European Union (EU).

SOUNDBITE (English) Koen Vanormelingen, Angola Country Representative, UNICEF: 
"The EU has been supporting UNICEF to implement Child Friendly Schools. There are basically a couple of principles to make sure they have quality education in an incredible fashion with participation of the stakeholders. In education, the three main challenges are equity so to make sure everyone has access to schools, quality so to make sure kids can really read and write adequately at the end of the year and continuity so that we don't stop with primary school but that you continue to the secondary school. So the EU has really contributed to mainstreaming this child-friendly school principle."

The results of better resources and trained teachers speak for themselves.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Maria Emilia, teacher, Primary School 61: 
"PAEP brought innovation to us in education. As you see, my students, being in the second Grade, they can already form sentences, they can already write words. Therefore it was very good."

Years of peace in Angola and a race to meet its Millennium Development Goals has led to a massive influx of children into schools.

And while thousands of schools are being built, now the issue for the government is how to ensure these children receive quality education.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Justino Jerónimo, Head of teacher training Ministry of Education:
"Today what worries us most is having the best qualified teachers.  If we want to have quality education, let's say. The question of inclusion has not been totally reached, but it is close to being reached.  Therefore, the current account in schooling fees has improved. Now we need to better the quality of the learning and to better the quality of learning we have to better the training of teachers."

Fixing Angola's education challenges is not as easy as 1,2,3. It will take resources. And the most important it seems are its human resources.

SOUNDBITE (English) Javier Puyol, Head of the EU Delegation to Angola: 
"Although they have a lot of financial resources, in terms of revenue from oil production and so on. But I think they need foreign support in terms of capacity building because the administration and even human resources in the private sector are still under-developed and under- trained."

As the day draws on and breaktime looms, the hope is that Angola's oil wealth will transform these outdoor classes into protective environments."

And that these teachers, will be given the skills they need to turn these youngsters into the country's future leaders.