21 June 2011

The Benefit of School exchange programmes

There are several challenges, the current eduction system in Uganda is facing. It is important to know that we are living in revolutionary times that demand new and different abilities.

These times need critical thinking and problem solving abilities, which have been components of human progress throughout history.

Therefore, for schools in Uganda to cope with these new challenges, they should embrace exchange programmes where schools in developing countries are linked with their counterparts in developed countries for purposes of exchanging and transferring knowledge and skills.

Usually these are funded programmes and they seek to link up schools in Uganda with their counterparts abroad for a symbiotic relationship of exchanging knowledge and skills.

Springs Alive children’s centre (SPACC) has reaped huge benefits from this programme.
This programme has seen the chief administrator SPACC visit their partner school, Whitkirk Primary School in Britain-(Leeds) UK.
This has helped SPACC gain a wealth of exposure in terms of skills, attitudes and values.

On the part of Whitkirk Primary School in Britain-(Leeds) UK , a teacher at the school, says the programme has changed the attitudes, perceptions and stereotypes their students had towards other people from different cultures, race and colour.

“I used to think that all Africans stayed in a jungle. I thought of poverty and disease. After meeting with them, I realized that I was wrong to judge them based on what I had seen on television. I realised that while they may not have as much material resources as we do, they make the most of the little they have,” remarked a pupil