Highland Teachers To Provide I.T. Training In Gambia
A group of Highland teachers leave Inverness on today (Monday 3rd April 2006) bound for the Gambia in West Africa to help train local teachers in computer skills.
The teachers are going to Gambia for 10 days to follow up a project that was developed there by The Highland Council, with their IT provider Fujitsu, which provides an IT training centre for participants in the Presidents Award (the Gambian equivalent of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award)
Last December, twelve 6th year Highland secondary school pupils went to the Gambia as part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme and they installed £20K worth of computers involving 17 main frames and 3 laptops provided by Fujitsu. The equipment was installed at the President’s Centre in the township Bakau. The project was featured last week in the Scottish Parliament at a reception for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
The Bakau Centre already provides woodworking and metalworking skills opportunities for the Presidents Award participants and the introduction of information technology was a welcome addition as this is not available in their mainstream schools programme.
The teachers’ visit is being funded by the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers (LECT) and while they are in Gambia they will train teachers and students in the use of ICT. They will also complete some additional technical work to the Centre and install 5 additional computers.
On their return, staff will have the opportunity to share their experiences with the wider Highland school community, via direct communication and through in-service and conference facilities. They will share this learning with other local authorities in Scotland and across the UK. There are also opportunities to develop international e-linking opportunities with schools in the Gambia and elsewhere.
Over £400 worth of course material has been donated to the trip by Leckie and Leckie. They have provided SQA PC Passport booklets that the Highland teachers are going to use with their Gambian counterpart.
Teachers going to Gambia include: Carolann Andrews, Nairn Academy; Shaun Foster, Charleston Academy; Lindsay Shepherd, Culloden Academy; Doug Morrison and Alistair McIntosh, Inverness Royal Academy; Valerie Maclennan, Dingwall Academy; Joan Guest, Wick High School; Thea Pallut, Grantown Grammar; and Gordon Milne, Kinlochleven High School.