Learning Centers – Page 15 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2011-04-132011-04-13

Goducate invited to help start Learning Centers in South Sabah

For the past 3 years Goducate has been helping poor communities start learning centers in the northern part of Sabah. Presently, Goducate has helped set up 14 such centers.

When a similar group in south Sabah heard about how we trained local mothers to teach the children in their own villages, they came to see some of our centers. This group had already started 2 learning centers but had experienced much trouble sustaining the enthusiasm of their volunteer teachers. When they saw the sustained enthusiasm of our “mum teachers,” they were convinced that this was the answer to their problem.

I was subsequently invited to visit their centers, and I too was convinced that we needed to involve the local community in teaching their own children, rather than use “imported” teachers.

Goducate soon hopes to expand its network of learning centers in southern Sabah —and eventually, throughout every part of Sabah where children are unable to get an education.

2011-04-112011-04-12

Goducate heading for 100 literacy centers in northern Sabah….and then?

Earlier this year, Goducate discussed our dreams with our teachers (who are the local mums that we have trained to teach their own people) and we came to the “conclusion” that we should aim for 100 centers in the north Sabah area.

At that time, it seemed like an impossible dream. However, when I returned to Sabah recently one month after that planning meeting – we had started another 7 literacy centers! 7 new centers in 1 month is not bad at all!!

Most of these centers are small – with about 50 to 60 children. Most of them are held in the “balcony” of a house or in the sitting room of a house. These premises are offered by kampong people who are keen that their kids get to learn to read and write.

For the time being, teachers from neighboring kampongs with established literacy centers are sent to teach. In a few months, local mums will be trained (on the job, and in our training program) to take over.

photo(30) — New school in sitting room of kampong's "rich" man's house

photo(31) — New school in "balcony" of house

Goducate hopes to move on to southern Sabah this year and repeat this dream to help needy people help themselves to read and write.

2011-04-082011-04-01

Sabah Literacy Centers latest resource – teenage teachers

Every time I visit Goducate’s Literacy Centers in Sabah, I am amazed by the quality of the teachers. They may lack the professional diplomas or the grasp of the intricacies of English grammar but they more than make up for these by their passion and love for the kids they teach.

When I see them teaching in the little run-down classrooms, using the simplest teaching aids, I am convinced that teaching is more a passion than a profession!

Because Goducate believes in helping the needy to help themselves, Goducate trains local mums to teach their own kampong children. This strategy has worked well thus far. Besides the passion that these mums bring to their teaching each day, this strategy is extremely cost-effective and sustainable.

After almost 3 years of developing literacy centers for the illegal aliens in Sabah, we have now discovered another rich teacher resource – namely, our former students who can now teach what they have learned from us!

Several of these students have already joined our “faculty” as assistant teachers and then moved on to being full-fledged literacy teachers, while at the same time continuing with their own schooling. Every time, I see one of these teenage teachers I am assured that Goducate’s philosophy of helping people to help themselves is more than a slogan – it is a reality.

On my most recent trip, when I was introduced to the new teachers I was pleasantly shocked to be introduced to a 12 year old teacher. Azmi was always an outstanding student and I was sure that he would be special but to see him join the “faculty” at the age of 12 was more than I could imagine.

photo(26) — Teenage teachers (Azmi 2nd from right)

Azmi is not a teenage teacher, he is a “child” teacher! Thankfully, it’s not child labor but a labor of love for Azmi to teach his fellow kampong mates!