Senate and House Education Chairs Put Weight Behind Digital Teacher Training
Schools have reopened for the 2021 / 22 academic year after political education leaders attended a national teacher training closing ceremony in Ganta. Over a thousand government teachers are heading into classrooms fully equipped and trained as digital teachers.
Teachers are returning to schools after two weeks of training in specific classroom management techniques, praise and technology based teaching methods to improve teaching and learning in schools across the country. The government is using a digital approach through its partner – Bridge Liberia – alongside improving teaching and learning the digital approach will help the government gather data in new schools joining the Liberian Education Advancement Program (LEAP) as the government works on its new 5 year education sector plan.
Both the senate and house committee chairpersons on education Hon. Prince K. Moye and Hon. Mariamu Fofana attended the final day of the training and the graduation ceremony.
The Hon. Mariamu Fofana highlighted that:
“I admire the level of monitoring and supervision I see in our public schools supported by Bridge Liberia. I let every other partner in education know that the same monitoring will be expected from you all and the Legislature will do everything in its powers to support the Ministry of Education and Bridge Liberia to ensure teachers are transformed to support our students”
says hon. Mariamu Fofana.
As a result of the training, all teachers have been prepared with specific teaching principles, techniques, and technological skills that a contemporary teacher needs for the effective delivery of learning materials in the classroom.
At the end of the training, teachers responded with positive feedback and commended the Ministry of education and Bridge Liberia for what they described as hands -on practical training that would change their teaching career and benefit their students.
Bouyanue Latahn, a government teacher from Karn Public School, explained how the ‘cold calling’ (calling on all children to answer questions in class) and ‘narrating the positive’ techniques taught during the training will change her classroom presentation and the way she engages with her students when she returns.
“I now know that as teachers, we should praise our students when they do good and ensure they are corrected in a way that is not negative and they can learn from”
Senate Committee Chair on education, Hon. Prince K. Moye speaking to teachers at training.
The teaching tablets, which became the highlight of the training, were issued to each teacher as an important teaching tool in the classroom. The tablets will enable teachers to track students’ attendance, and aid the process of lesson planning and delivery with daily lessons sent to the tablets for presentation. This technology also saves teachers and school administrators the process of searching for books to do research and lesson planning, considering the many challenges of assessing learning materials in the rural parts of the country.
Scholastic N. Wisseh of Kpanyar central high school in Sinoe county, puts it,
“this technology will save me the time and resources needed to plan lessons, that time i will now use to actually teach and follow up on activities connected to the school community”.
Teachers are appreciative that Bridge Liberia is supporting the government to improve learning for students.
As teachers displayed some of the skills acquired during the training at the closing and graduation program, both lawmakers seemed impressed and also commended Bridge Liberia for contributing to the development of Liberians in the education sector.
House committee chairperson on education, Hon. Mariamu Fofana certificating a teacher
For his part, Hon. Moye spoke passionately
“I challenge the teachers to return to the classrooms with new vigor and promised to continuously work in their interest as chair of the committee responsible to monitor and supervise education at the senate.”
Education is the future of the country, its success will drive growth and a stronger future. Stakeholders are committed to ensuring that teachers have the tools to continue to deliver the change that Bridge Liberia and the Ministry of Education has spent 5 years delivering.
