Shalom International School for Life-Long Learning in Teso
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SHALOM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL FOR LIFE-LONG LEARNING IN TESO VISION FOR A MODEL LEARNING CENTRE FOR TESO, UGANDA " Learning to Live and Living to Learn" "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for his life." SHALOM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL FOR LIFE-LONG LEARNING VISION FOR A MODEL LEARNING CENTRE FOR TESO, UGANDA " Learning to Live and Living to Learn" "Educate a girl and you educate the nation" "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for his life." IS THERE REALLY A NEED FOR A NEW SCHOOL ? Many new, independent schools are being built throughout Uganda, so why build another one? Is there really a need? How and why will this school be different? Conventional school buildings in progress Class of 170 children What are the problems generally in Uganda ? • Poor training and low standards of teaching • Little in-service training and development of teachers • Salaries are often not paid regularly • Teachers often work in more than one school & often do not turn up for all lessons • Lack of resources generally, especially for practical subjects • Learning by rote and from notes taken in class; little or no interactive or participative learning or personal research, or learning to "think outside the box" • Overcrowded classes - from 70 to 200 • Too many subjects and overloaded curriculum • Sleep deprivation due to compulsory prep (homework) until 10.00pm or 10.30pm and starting again as early as 3.00am in some schools (5.00am is the latest!). In most schools, they average only 4-5 hours of sleep every night, even at weekends. • Classes, tests, exams and compulsory prep even on Saturdays and Sundays • Holiday tuition - an extra two weeks of compulsory school attendance for most classes during holidays • Beating - although it has been banned by the government, nothing has changed. Children are beaten for the slightest misdemeanours, including failing tests, getting a Maths sum wrong, falling asleep in prep, wearing slightly worn shoes, making too much noise, forgetting a book in the dormitory. It is not unusual for a whole class or dormitory to be beaten - or even the whole school! • Bullying (by teachers and students) • Poor diet in schools - beans and posho (made out of maize flour) twice a day six and a half days a week, with no fresh vegetables or fruit • Little or no time for rest and relaxation • 80% of girls, especially in the rural areas where there is great poverty, drop out of school. One significant reason is because they have no sanitary pads to use during menstruation - they cannot afford to buy pads, which are imported. Another reason is that many become pregnant having been sexually abused. • Post Traumatic Stress and clinical depression is quite common but not recognised and treated - it seriously affects the children's physical health and academic achievements • Unaffordable fees for most families in Teso • Corruption at every level of Ugandan society: "Corruption keeps people in poverty" School matron with her stick for beating Overcrowded dormitories If and when children do well at school and get good results, it is usually in spite of the education they are getting, not because of it. These conditions, especially the serious lack of sleep, are affecting their physical and mental health and development as well as their academic achievements. And it obviously affects some more than others, depending on their personalities and physical needs. Most children want to change schools because they are not happy where they are. The sad thing is that it is the same in every school. THE VISION for Shalom International School for Life-long Learning in Teso The name of a school is very important and should state something about its vision and purpose. Shalom is a Hebrew word used in the Bible. It cannot be translated into English by one word only as it has many aspects and levels of meaning. It is to do with peace and wholeness. Peace means so much more than the absence of conflict. It is to do with being whole in every aspect of life which is only achieved by being at one (ie: at peace, in unity) with oneself, with God, with the community, with the land and nature (creation). It is about integrity. It is to do with people and creation being restored in Christ to live and become what God intended when he created the world and people. Shalom is the meaning of salvation, God's plan for humanity. The school will become a source of shalom which will flow out into Teso. International : It will not cater for children from other countries (as the international schools in Kampala do), but will be international in terms of standards, ethos and input. It will draw on the experience, best practices and resources from around the world. People in other countries who share the vision will be involved in a variety of ways, both from a distance and by visiting (both short-term and long-term volunteers), including teaching and training, and contributing resources and funds. School - a place of learning and of discovery. The original Greek word from which the English word "school" is derived also means "leisure"! Leisure will be an important part of the life of the school. The school will not have any limiting adjectives, such as secondary or high or vocational as it will be broader than any of these. Life-long Learning No-one should ever stop learning throughout life. Learning does not just take place in a formal environment. The school will be a centre for learning and leisure not just for the children boarding in the school, but for adults in the local community and throughout Teso, especially those who have missed the opportunity for a formal education. In Teso : Priority will be given at all times to the poorest and most deserving children of Teso. If it really is a model school with international standards, it will attract children from wealthy families all over Uganda. Whilst this could mean prestige and a good income for the school, this must be resisted so that it is always kept available and accessible for the poorest, deserving children of Teso. Teso is in north east Uganda Uganda THE AIMS The school will provide a holistic education, one that is concerned with the healthy, balanced development of every child in every aspect of their lives, enabling them to grow into mature, responsible adults of complete integrity - it will not just be concerned with academic attainment. It will therefore be equally concerned with, and provide for: • physical health and development, including a good, varied diet • emotional health, including specialist support for those suffering from post traumatic stress • rest and relaxation (students will be expected to sleep for 9 hours a night and weekends will be free for optional activities) • spiritual and moral development • intellectual development and learning • development of many practical skills, including sustainable agriculture • life skills, leadership and peace building skills, including conflict resolution • life-long learning, enabling learning for adults of all ages from the local community and beyond • developing a "can do" attitude where every achievement is recognised and 'failure' is never punished What will be important is that each child will be enabled to discover and grow into the whole, complete person God intended him or her to be - this is the meaning of shalom. They will be encouraged, helped and challenged to reach their full potential - emotionally, physically, spiritually and intellectually. They will be helped to discover and learn to use all the talents God has given them. They should become capable of serving and leading their families, communities, Teso and Uganda in ways that will bring blessing and peace and glory to God. Building up their confidence and self-esteem by giving them respect and affirmation will be vital. Appropriate forms of discipline, linked with encouragement and rewards, will be developed. Beating children or overworking them will not be allowed. Just as the Chapel will physically be at the centre of the school site, so Christ will be at the centre of everything in the school. THE TYPE AND SCOPE OF THE SCHOOL • It will be a community school, providing on-going life-long education (in its broadest sense) for the local community and the whole of Teso (eg: workshops, seminars and classes for adults in the community after the school timetable has finished for the day and at weekends and holidays for others living further away) • It will be a boarding school so that children from anywhere in Teso can attend and a full range of activities and opportunities can be offered outside normal classes • It will be mixed, for both girls and boys, for various reasons, which include: − learning about relationships in a safe, controlled environment − each gender will benefit from the different characteristics of the other gender − it is a more normal and natural environment than single sex schools − opportunity to learn to value and respect the other gender − less pressure and desire to rush into unsatisfactory and exploratory relationships when Boys & girls learning together at home during the holidays if they have not been deprived of the company of the other gender whilst at school • It will provide an all-round education without putting pressure on the children through over-loading the curriculum • It will provide education from P5 through to S6, both academic and vocational, for the following reasons: − it is desirable to offer a holistic education to children as early as possible − however, it is not advisable to send children to boarding school before P5 − it is important to provide full secondary education all the way through to 'A' levels in S6 as it would not be satisfactory to pass them on to other traditional Ugandan schools after S4 • It will recognise that vocational / practical / trade skills are as important as academic studies and vital to the development of Teso.