Fortrose pupils to forge friendships in Africa
Thirteen pupils from Fortrose Academy are about to find out how accurate their own perceptions are on Malawi in Africa, otherwise known as the ‘warm heart of Africa’.
The pupils and three teachers will be going on a visit in the last fortnight in June to Mulanje Mission Community Day Secondary School. Fortrose Academy has had links with Malawian schools for many years, but this is the first time Fortrose pupils have ventured to Mulanje.
Pupils, Aileen Robinson, Robin Nelson, Kerry MacLeod, Alastair Macintosh, Donnie Harwood, Matthew Hulks, David Royan, Erin McLeod, Colin Bramwell, Heather Mayhew, Gladys MacRae
Emma Dove, and Sarah Macintyre will be accompanied by Head Teacher Douglas Simpson, English Teacher, Rona Macintosh and Geography Teacher, Alison Stewart.
The pupils said: “While we will be doing some of the ‘usual’ tourist activities, like going on Safari and swimming below a waterfall cascading down the side of Mount Mulanje (one of the highest mountains in Southern Africa), the main emphasis of the trip is to visit our link school.”
In August, the Academy will receive a return visit of 4 Malawian pupils and 2 teachers which will further develop their links.
Head Teacher Douglas Simpson said: “Huge amounts of preparation have been involved in the trip. The pupils have been involved in awareness raising - speaking at a National Conference in Edinburgh, a local primary school and Kerry Macleod addressed Her Majesty’s Inspectorate.”
In preparation for the trip the Fortrose pupils have created Powerpoint presentations, written articles, learned how to use a video camera, and how to cut up a pineapple of which there are an abundance in Malawi. They also raised money through coffee mornings, concerts, staff karaokes, and a car boot sale to support the return visit of their Malawian colleagues and to aid communication between the two schools by providing an internet connection for the Mulanje Mission. The inter schools link has also received funding from the British Council.
The pupils have also undertaken HIV/AIDS peer education training through Christian Aid which, clearly demonstrates the disparities in wealth between UK and Africa and the devastating consequences of that in Malawi. The training also encouraged them recognise what they have in common as young people. The spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Scotland is currently causing alarm. In Malawi, as a result of poverty, poor accessibility to education and to the necessary medicines, AIDS is scything through the country’s young. For both Scotland’s youth and Malawi’s, knowledge about these diseases is vital.
The pupils took part in a number of tasks which highlighted the nature of the HIV/AIDS virus and the problems it causes. They learned how the infection spread and the ways in which it can be prevented. They also learned how peer education can be used as part of the strategy to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS which is wiping out the working population of Malawi. The official statistics indicate that 14.5% of Malawians are HIV/AIDS positive, but it is thought by teachers in the school that as many as 1 in 4 pupils in a class could be infected with the virus.
This training has been undertaken as a result of the plans drawn up for curriculum development by the Fortrose and Mulanje teachers involved in last year’s preparatory exchange. Consequently, while visiting Mulanje, the Fortrose pupils plan to share with a few of their Malawian counterparts what they were taught so that they in turn can use the techniques to “peer educate” their classmates. On return visit to Fortrose, the four Malawian pupils will undertake a similar programme in Lifeskills classes with pupils here.
While at Mulanje, the Fortrose pupils will attend classes on similar topics to their own such as Maths, English, Science, Geography and History, however, there will be stark differences. Pupils stay in the same classroom, where different teachers come to teach them different subjects. Also, class sizes can be up to 140 pupils, though classroom sizes are much the same as in Fortrose where maximum capacity is generally 25 – 30. Textbooks will be few and far between with much learning being done by rote.
Research during the visit, will involve some Geography fieldwork – a climb up Mount Mulanje , a visit to a tea plantation, an examination of local farming practices, and an afternoon at the Mission hospital. On return, the pupils will produce reports which can be used in various courses, in a variety of subjects.
The Fortrose pupils hope to get some play in between their work and will be playing some sports with their hosts, including a Mufoto (Mulanje – Fortrose) team in a school football tournament. They will also participate in an inter school debate.
For the duration of their visit, each Fortrose pupil will be paired up with a Malawian pupil and through friendships they hope to find out much more about each other and their countries.
For further information please contact: Douglas Simpson, Head Teacher, Fortrose Academy tel: (01381) 620310.