Teacher Training Workshop and Supply Delivery
Report of Travel and Findings – June/July 2006 - Afghanistan
Elsie De Laere and Marianne O’Grady

Who:
Afghan teachers from Kabul and Ghazni provinces arrived. Men and women, high school, elementary and college level teachers and instructors.

What:
Science Teacher Trainings
(Content and Methodology for Elementary School Teachers)

Lessons Included:

Kabul
Lesson Planning
Scientific Process Skills
Observation and Drawing
Microscopes/Magnifying Glasses
Animal Adaptation
The Five Senses
Human Skeleton

Ghazni
Observational Skills
Microscopes/Magnifying Glasses
Animal Adaptation
Delivery of Supplies

Where:
Mahmoud Tarzi School
Kabul, Afghanistan
June 24-27, 2006
AM session 8-10 am
PM session 4-6 pm

Also:
Teacher Training Institute
Ghazni, Afghanistan
July 1, 2006
2-6 pm

 

Why:
To conduct teacher-training workshops for teachers of elementary school science based on the curriculum of Ghazni, Afghanistan.

To deliver supplies donated to, purchased for teachers and students in Ghazni, Afghanistan. Director of Education in Ghazni – supplied the tin lockers and locks for the supplies to be delivered in.

The meeting with UN/NATO gentlemen was a good connection for gaining support for future teacher trainings in Wardak province and possible support for trainings in other provinces.

Visited Sayad Village in Bagram – approx 12 miles north of Kabul – to visit a boys and girls school and assess the needs of this small village yet large school serving the whole valley.

Meetings Held:

Malalai – Mahmoud Tarzi Cultural Foundation (MCTF) coordinator. Planning for trainings, follow-up on trainings, next steps for future trainings.

Director of Education Ghazni Province – For planning, debriefing on needs of teachers, logistics of teacher travel, during teacher training in both Kabul and Ghazni, logistics of travel to Ghazni

Joe– Special Forces – US Embassy – tour of Embassy, role of US in Afghanistan at current

Tim – Council of Public Affairs – Fulbright Scholarship for Afghan Teachers\

Beatrice– English Language Coordinator – US Embassy – Teacher training for Afghans for English language acquisition

Governor Sher Alam – Governor of Ghazni Province – Hospitality meeting and to show continued support of education in Ghazni

Princess India – Granddaughter of former King of Afghanistan – Discussed education situation and support of schools and education in Afghanistan

Omar – Founder of MCTF – Discussion of current teacher training and potential trainings in the future.

Zahir and Joe – United Nation and NATO – Discussed possible teacher trainings in Wardak Province. Saer is a good friend of the governor of Wardak.

Salahudin – US Army Special Forces – Took trip to Bagram Province to visit Sayad Village. Assessed what support the people and schools need.

Governor Assadullah Khalid – near miss meeting – He was busy and cancelled his meeting with Elsie. He was very helpful over the phone with airport security.

Zarghona – We met with her to give her money and photo album. Dinner was planned with her but due to late meetings due to bombings, our dinner plans had to be cancelled.

How

Very carefully. As a team of two, we traveled at all times together. Did not go out past dark. When not conducting teacher trainings or in meetings, we stayed indoors at the guest houses we were staying at. We kept a quiet and low profile. Traveled to Ghazni with Edriess Wafa and his guards. Went to Bagram with a friend from the US Army Special Forces and his colleagues. We did have to take taxis to the teacher training in Kabul due to lack of driver given from MCTF. Not advised in near future.

It is advised that any travel in the near future be limited to this type of travel. Short, quiet, sheltered trips. “Sight seeing” isn’t an option at this point due to security concerns. If staying at home - indoors weren’t something agreeable, then I’d say to wait to go to Afghanistan.

It was clear that our short visit to Ghazni was an important visit for several reasons. The supplies were delivered to the Deputy Minister of Education sent to the guesthouse by Fatema. The teachers of Ghazni saw/heard that we have not forgotten about them. Though we conducted teacher training in Kabul, we did also conduct a brief training in Ghazni – token though it may have been, we showed our support.

Future – thoughts, plans, ideas, follow-up

MCTF is interested in us conducting more teacher training sessions. The teachers at MCTF were engaged, eager, and received the program openly. The teachers at this school expect a stipend from the trainings. We did not give them one, but in the future if this type of training is to happen, MCTF could possibly support that part of the training. The facilities at the MT School were excellent. It is a school that is well equipped with some science gear and a lab, though it isn’t clear that any of it is used. We would like to be sure that a driver is provided by MCTF for daily transport to and from the trainings. Upon request by Malalai, we provided cookies for the teachers each day of the training. We did not offer tea.

There were several high school science teachers that arrived to Kabul expecting high school training. They were very disappointed that we were offering elementary school. They spoke up and shared their disappointment with the group and left early the first day. They did come back for the rest of the training. Clearly that group of high school teachers, one whom we interviewed in April 2006, would like a high school science teacher training. There were several other Ghazni teachers who were eager to participate in Kabul. They asked for support in travel and housing, we gave them cash for both.

We were clear with the Ghazni teachers that we had agreed in April to an elementary training and supply delivery. They were upset that we didn’t go to Ghazni, that we have forgotten about Ghazni, that security wasn’t that bad. We tried to reassure them that Ghazni was our first priority and that the Kabul training was a compromise. This is what began the process of investigating the possibility of going to Ghazni to show that our support of the teachers down there was sincere.

By the end of the training, the “upset” Ghazni teachers seemed to enjoy and might have even gotten something out of the training!! It isn’t clear if the information didn’t get to the teachers about the content, or that they misunderstood and hoped beyond everything that it was high school, or that the meetings in April confused them. Fatema came to the trainings on the second day and participated. As with administration and on the ground teachers in the US, the same tension exists in Afghanistan. The teachers had some things to say about Fatema and her follow through. Nothing we aren’t used to here in the US.

There was confusion about payment for the Ghazni teachers. We made several calls to Fatema about supporting the teachers. She stated that those that went would receive 15 days pay from Fatema. This should be followed up on to make sure that it happens! We do have the attendance list if those names need to be passed on to Fatema, though she knows who attended.

Fatema asked us to contact the Ministry of Education for help with getting supplies down to Ghazni – this was before we had thought about or made plans to get down there. This contact led us down a path, and 3 meetings later we were in an office with Director of Teacher Education Department (Teacher Training). He advised us to register with Teacher Education Program (TEP), which is a program of registered NGOs that are approved of and trained/educated about the Afghan curriculum. Registration occurs first with the Department of Economics, then they send a series of letters that state we are approved. TEP oversees the what, how, etc – methodology and content, so that all the teachers who are in trainings are receiving similar “approved” training. Supposedly the curriculum approved of by the Ministry is also given to the NGO. We did craft a letter, Pietro signed and delivered it to the Ministry of Education. Where the process is at, is not known by the teacher trainers as of July 14, 2006.

At the Teacher Training Institute workshop in Ghazni, the group of 30 teachers we taught asked for future training topics to cover – chemistry, microscope delivery, and plant lessons.

Kindergarten training, which we had hoped and planned for, did not happen on this trip. We are hoping to conduct this training in the future in conjunction with Fatema.

The teacher trainers would support Afghans For Tomorrow teacher training sessions.

Supporting the village of Sayad, Bagram, schools. The buildings boys and girls education is all set, but general supplies, equipment (science, sport, charts) is in desperate need. They could use a backpack drive – each pack filled with notebook, pencil, scissor, sharpener, colored pencil, etc. and then delivered to each student. The village itself could use general first aid supplies and training for hygiene for women and girls. The clinic we visited needs a toilet built for its patients and medicine. Skin disease and arthritis are 2 health concerns for this village.

AFN Board Follow-up:

Contact Wahid at A4T about more payment for staying at the guest house.
Follow up with Ministry of Education – TEP program
Debrief meeting with teacher trainers re: continued work and next steps
Can any support be given to Sayad Village in Bagram?

It is with great appreciation of your support as a board that we submit our report. This trip was only possible because of your willingness to say, “go.” We made it in and out, safe and sound, and are ready to go again!!!

Elsie De Laere
Marianne O’Grady
July 15, 2006

 

 

Supply List:
Ten kits prepared – 9 to schools and 1 to the Teacher Training Institute of Ghazni
Each “kit” includes but is not exclusive to the following

1 Mammal Chart
1 The Five Senses Chart
1 Human Skeleton Chart
1 Digestive System Chart
1 Nervous System Chart
1 Earth’s Crust and Rock Chart
1 Muscle System Chart
1 Epidermis Chart
1 Set of Human X-Rays
1 World Map
4 Microscopes
Set of prepared slides
Box of slides to be prepared
50 pippettes
20 Hand lenses
2 Dozen Pencils
3 Scissors
5 rulers
3 Thermometers
1 Demonstration Thermometer
10 Tweezers
2 Stopwatches
Set of animal pictures
Plastic eggs
Rubber bands
Large bag of Markers
Glue sticks
10 packs of Post Its
3 rolls masking tape
10 rolls invisible tape
10 spiral notebooks
15 folders
1 playground ball
1 jump rope
1 baggie of small plastic animals
2 boxes of paperclips
3 dozen pens

The Teacher Training Institute of Ghazni also received:

4 extra microscopes
set of animal charts
extra set of x-rays
more animal charts
extra consumable supplies