(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in honoring World Teachers’ Day celebrated each year on Oct. 5. The day honors the vital role that teachers play in the lives of their students. Since 1994, World Teachers’ Day has been held annually and commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has noted that the theme for this year’s World Teachers’ Day is “The transformation of education begins with teachers.” The day will address the commitments and calls for action made at the Transforming Education Summit, held in September 2022.

UNESCO will also hold a series of events showcasing how guaranteeing teachers’ decent working conditions, access to professional development opportunities and a recognized professional status is a first step toward more resilient education systems.

Teachers play an important role in the lives of poor youth in Salesian schools. Their work is vital to their students’ success both in and out of the classroom. Salesian missionaries educate more than 1 million youth in over 5,500 schools and youth centers and nearly 1,000 vocational, technical and agricultural schools in more than 130 countries around the globe.

“Salesian teachers rise to the challenges they face in some of the poorest countries around the globe,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Almost all students in Salesian schools have faced conditions of poverty or are marginalized in some way. Some were previously living and working on the streets, and others have faced war as child soldiers or become refugees in war-torn communities. Salesian teachers, who often come from similar backgrounds, meet these challenges head-on, providing education and hope for a brighter future.”

In honor and celebration of World Teachers’ Day 2022, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight the work of Salesian teachers and programs that support them around the globe.

ARGENTINA

Salesian Father Miguel Bonuccelli Institute of Higher Studies in Rio Grande, Argentina, graduates its first music teachers.

The Salesian Father Miguel Bonuccelli Institute of Higher Studies, based in Río Grande, Argentina, has graduated 32 new teachers who have taken courses in initial education, primary education and music education. The music program was first launched in 2017, and these are the first graduates of the program.

During the graduation ceremony, the new teachers each lit a candle to represent their dedication and responsibility to the teaching profession. Father Claudia Simón, rector of the institute, said, “We have dreamed of this program for many years, but now we have the first graduates of the training course for music teachers. As Don Bosco said, ‘A Salesian house without music is like a body without a soul.’”

In closing his remarks, Fr. Simón added, “As a community, we are pleased because the objectives set have largely been achieved, and the result is you the new teachers who leave this Salesian house today with the certainty that it will always be your home. Educators who take on the responsibility and commitment to exercise their ministry and their profession on the basis of an ethics anchored to human and evangelical values, eager to listen, respecting the reality of every boy and girl.”

Salesian Father Miguel Bonuccelli Institute of Higher Studies has issued certifications valid at the national level since 1979. After 42 years of work, it continues to train professionals committed to inclusive education.

CHILE

Teachers from the Salesian Institute of Concepción in Chile take part in continuing education aimed at strengthening their skills.

Teachers from the Salesian Institute of Concepción in Chile recently took part in continuing education to strengthen their skills. With a focus on teamwork, teachers participated in workshops and games centered on achieving common goals. In addition, teachers attended sessions to learn about the importance of protecting mental, physical and emotional health. The training wrapped up with an educational session on Google Drive tools, which will allow teachers to optimize their work and keep up-to-date.

KENYA

Salesians in Slovakia held a campaign to raise funds to help with a teacher shortage at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.

The Salesian-run SAVIO in Slovakia launched the 17th annual public fundraising campaign Tehlička (the Brick) to raise funds to help build new accommodations for teachers in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. The campaign started at the beginning of Lent in March and will run through October. In addition to raising funds, the campaign is helping to educate the public about the needs of people in the poorest countries around the globe.

SAVIO is working together with Salesians in Kenya to support their efforts among the local population and refugees living in the camp. The local Salesian school offers high-quality education, but there is a growing teacher shortage. Many teachers are afraid to move to this remote region. The goal is to build accommodations that will offer teachers a safe environment so they can focus on teaching young students.

NEPAL

Nepal Don Bosco Society provides training for staff who are teaching reconstructed schools.

Nepal Don Bosco Society organized a teacher training program called “Empowering Teachers” in the city of Manthali, Nepal. The three-day program provided training to teachers and administrators from 10 schools in four districts that were rebuilt after the 2015 earthquakes. The training team included Father Stephen Biswakarma, principal of the higher secondary section of Nepal Don Bosco School in Siddhipur-Lubhu, who shared life experiences in providing quality education to students.

There were 31 participants who came to learn how to revamp policies and strategies to provide holistic education to students. Session topics included child-friendly teaching, best practices of the schools, personality of the teacher, media impact on student life and back to nature. The participants and school authorities were appreciative of the ongoing effort of Nepal Don Bosco Society to support schools with such programs.

Twenty Salesian missionaries at nine different centers in the country’s eastern, central and far western regions are working to rebuild the educational foundation in Nepal. A host of relief and recovery programs were undertaken in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes and continue with the goal of providing quality and value-based academic and technical education in the country.

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Sources:

ANS Photos (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ARGENTINA: First music program teachers graduate

CHILE: Teachers strengthen their skills

KENYA: Funds to help with teacher shortage at refugee camp

NEPAL: Teachers, schools supported through training program

Salesian Missions

UNESCO – World Teachers’ Day

The post WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY: Salesian Missions highlights programs that support teachers first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in honoring World Teachers’ Day celebrated each year on Oct. 5. The day honors the vital role that teachers play in the lives of their students. Since 1994, World Teachers’ Day has been held annually and commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has noted that the theme for this year’s World Teachers’ Day is carried over from the theme for 2020 “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future,” and the day “provides another occasion to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide, take stock of achievements and draw attention to the voices of teachers, who are at the heart of efforts to attain the global education target of leaving no one behind.”

In a statement about the day, UNESCO noted, “The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly added to the challenges faced by already over-extended education systems throughout the world. It is no exaggeration to say that the world is at a crossroads and, now more than ever, we must work with teachers to protect the right to education and guide it into the unfolding landscape brought about by the pandemic.”

Teachers play an important role in the lives of poor youth in Salesian schools. Their work is vital to their students’ success both in and out of the classroom. Salesian missionaries educate more than 1 million youth in over 5,500 schools and youth centers and nearly 1,000 vocational, technical and agricultural schools in more than 130 countries around the globe.

“Teachers are the backbone of the Salesian educational system and need our support in helping to ensure their work is valued and respected,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Salesian teachers face many challenges educating poor youth. Many of their students have faced severe poverty and often lack basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. Some were previously living and working on the streets, and others have faced war as child soldiers or become refugees in war-torn communities. Salesian teachers, who often come from similar backgrounds, meet these challenges head-on, providing education and hope for a brighter future.”

In honor and celebration of World Teachers’ Day 2021, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight the work of Salesian teachers and programs that support them around the globe.

MOZAMBIQUE

Teachers in Maputo, Mozambique, attended technical training as part of collaborative effort.

At the end of July, teachers in Maputo, Mozambique, attended technical training as part of the “Technical Volunteering” project that is a collaborative effort between Salesians in Maputo and Pamplona, Spain. The training normally takes place every year in person, but due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, it has been done remotely online for the last two summers.

At the end of 1992, Mozambique was ravaged by civil war. The peace agreements signed in Rome put an end to 17 years of clashes, but the population faced hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of people who had been displaced, some having left the country as refugees who would never return. Many children lost years of schooling in the process.

In 1994, two Salesians in Pamplona reached out to Salesians in Mozambique, as well as state and local authorities and international organizations, to start talks about launching vocational training to help educate, and in some instances, re-educate a whole generation of youth. Initially, 12 members of the Salesian community in Pamplona traveled to Maputo to provide teacher training and help set up technical training centers for youth.

Five technical and vocational training centers have since been developed. The Don Bosco Higher Institute in Maputo has also developed a university center dedicated to the preparation of technical and vocational teachers. The Don Bosco Higher Institute is the only professional teacher training program in the country and provides training to more than 600 students each year. Partially funded by the Spanish Cooperation, it is also the only teacher training center in Mozambique recognized by the Ministry of Education for the training of teachers of professional schools.

KENYA

Online graduation ceremony recognizes graduates of course specifically designed to improve the quality of vocational training.

Salesian missionaries held an online graduation ceremony for graduates of the Salesian Technical and Vocational Training Center management course on Jan. 11. The course was specifically designed to improve the quality of vocational training and was divided into the four modules of organizational management, financial management, entrepreneurship, and green and sustainable approaches.

In delivering his congratulatory message on behalf of Don Bosco Tech Africa, Father George TJ, executive director, congratulated graduates for their perseverance and concentration. He expressed gratitude to the whole team of the International Training Center of ILO for their professionalism in conducting the educational sessions. Fr. TJ also thanked Don Bosco Mondo in Germany for its support and financing of the project.

The 33 participants in the training came from Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and South Sudan. On Jan. 25, 136 people started the course. This kind of training is important to improve the skills of those teaching in Salesian schools. Their work is vital to their students’ success both in and out of the classroom.

CHILE

In Chile, workshops and courses were made available to administration leaders and teaching teams from Salesian schools.

Salesian missionaries with the Provincial Department for Education in Santiago, Chile, strengthened the skills of teachers throughout 2020 with more than a dozen new workshops and diploma-based courses. The workshops and courses were made available to administration leaders and teaching teams from Salesian schools in the country.

Juan Pablo Vásquez, director of the Network of Salesian Schools, reported that this professional development initiative is the result of the strategic planning established in 2019. The workshops and courses were developed thanks to a relationship with the Silva Henríquez Catholic University and with other local institutions.

One of the most important diploma-based courses launched was in transversal management. The course was taught by educators from the Silva Henríquez Catholic University School of Philosophy and attended by 64 primary and junior high school teachers from Copiapó, Talca, Linares, Punta Arenas and Santiago. The first course ended in January 2021.

A meeting was held in early December 2020 for directors and principals to discuss the outcome of the transversal management course. The training went so well that participants expressed their intention to recommend the same course to other colleagues. One participant said, “Teachers must continually improve, and even more so the principals, whose role is fundamental in training people.”

INDIA

Don Bosco’s Prafulta Psychological Services, located in Mumbai, India, graduated 42 teachers who are now trained in basic skills in counseling.

Don Bosco’s Prafulta Psychological Services, located in Mumbai, India, graduated 42 teachers who are now trained in basic skills in counseling. The teachers took the training course from June to November 2019.

One teacher noted, “More than ever, our children today need our emotional support and understanding. This course has helped me to accept and understand the variety of children I encounter in my all-inclusive classroom and be present for each of them.”

Prafulta Psychological Services was started in 1998 and provides psychological evaluation and diagnosis, professional counseling, career guidance, remedial education, psychiatric services, and occupational therapy. The organization’s psychologists and other professionals offer these services to individuals, groups and families to help aid independent functioning and improve quality of life.

To help increase mental health awareness and meet the needs of children, Prafulta Psychological Services offers coursework and training for professionals, including teachers, to advance their skills in helping youth and their families in a school setting. The Basic Skills in Counseling for Teachers program was launched in 2005 and provides training to help teachers learn the skills to handle basic emotional and developmental issues of their students. To date, the program has trained 777 teachers from 133 schools.

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Sources:

ANS Photos (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS) 

MOZAMBIQUE: Teachers take technical training during summer break

KENYA: Teachers improve their skills

CHILE: Teachers strengthen their skills

INDIA: Don Bosco’s Prafulta Psychological Services graduates 42 teachers from Basic Skills in Counseling program

Salesian Missions

UNESCO – World Teachers’ Day

The post WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY: Salesian Missions highlights teacher training programs that support teachers around the globe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has noted that the theme for this year’s World Teachers’ Day is “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future,” and the day “provides the occasion to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide, take stock of achievements and draw attention to the voices of teachers, who are at the heart of efforts to attain the global education target of leaving no one behind.”

In a statement about the day, UNESCO noted, “The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly added to the challenges faced by already over-extended education systems throughout the world. It is no exaggeration to say that the world is at a crossroads and, now more than ever, we must work with teachers to protect the right to education and guide it into the unfolding landscape brought about by the pandemic.”

Teachers play an important role in the lives of poor youth in Salesian schools. Their work is vital to their students’ success both in and out of the classroom. Salesian missionaries educate more than 1 million youth in over 5,500 schools and youth centers and nearly 1,000 vocational, technical and agricultural schools in more than 130 countries around the globe.

“Teachers are the backbone of the Salesian educational system and have had to quickly modify how they provide education during the pandemic—not an easy feat for many Salesian teachers,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Salesian teachers face many challenges educating poor youth, and the pandemic has only exacerbated these challenges. Many of their students have faced severe poverty and often lack basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. Some were previously living and working on the streets and others have faced war as child soldiers or become refugees in war-torn communities. Salesian teachers meet these challenges head-on, providing education and hope for a brighter future.”

In honor and celebration of World Teachers’ Day 2020, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight the work of Salesian teachers and programs that support them around the globe.

GHANA

The Don Bosco Youth Network of the Salesian West African Province organized an educational session for trainers in bio-entomology.

The Don Bosco Youth Network and the Salesian-run International Volunteer Service for Development (VIS) are promoting the green economy and sustainable agriculture as part of a project for “Local Economic Empowerment for Women, Youth and Vulnerable Groups.” The Don Bosco Youth Network of the Salesian West African Province organized an educational session for trainers in bio-entomology to boost its campaign and promotion of organic agriculture as part of its commitment to Don Bosco Green Alliance.

The bio-entomology training brought together 30 participants from various Salesian disciplines and programs, including Salesian agriculture teachers and staff from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Ten youth who are mentor farmers also attended the course. Participants attended classroom lectures, field identification and preparation of botanicals, testing of efficacy of organic preparations, and control of pests in the greenhouse. The training was led by Professor Daniel Obeng-Ofori, vice-chancellor of the Catholic University College of Ghana, Fiapre.

The training provided an overview of methods for using plants and botanicals to control pests in farming and storage of crops. Beneficial insects and organisms were identified so that farmers knew what they were, their benefits and not to kill them when they are found on the farm. Parasitoids (organisms that feed on pests) were also studied.

In addition, the training educated the participants on various methods of preparing the botanicals and multiplying beneficial organisms. Other methods for preventing and controlling pests were part of the integrated approach without the use of inorganic pesticides. The participants finished the course learning the key effects and impacts on the indiscriminate use of pesticides on human health, sustainable production, beneficial insects, parasitoids and the environment.

INDIA

The Basic Skills in Counseling for Teachers program helped teachers in India better handle their students’ emotional and developmental issues.

Don Bosco’s Prafulta Psychological Services, located in Mumbai, India, graduated 42 teachers who are now trained in basic skills in counseling. The teachers took the training course from June to November 2019.

One teacher noted, “More than ever, our children today need our emotional support and understanding. This course has helped me to accept and understand the variety of children I encounter in my all-inclusive classroom and be present for each of them.”

Prafulta Psychological Services was started in 1998 and provides psychological evaluation and diagnosis, professional counseling, career guidance, remedial education, psychiatric services, and occupational therapy. The organization’s psychologists and other professionals offer these services to individuals, groups and families to help aid independent functioning and improve quality of life.

To help increase mental health awareness and meet the needs of children, Prafulta Psychological Services offers coursework and training for professionals, including teachers, to advance their skills in helping youth and their families in a school setting. The Basic Skills in Counseling for Teachers program was launched in 2005 and provides training to help teachers learn the skills to handle basic emotional and developmental issues of their students. To date, the program has trained 777 teachers from 133 schools.

KENYA

In Kenya, teachers at Don Bosco Boys Town participated in training to improve the quality of their students’ education.

In order to improve the quality of the technical training at Don Bosco Boys Town (also known as Bosco Boys), located in Nairobi, Kenya, 16 teachers participated in additional training, which was supported by Slovak Aid, a nongovernmental organization that supports community initiatives. After taking their exams, the teachers qualified as technicians and instructors in their chosen field. They acquired their provisional certificates and are already improving the quality of their students’ education.

The Don Bosco Boys Town program provides education and technical skills training to former street children in Nairobi and is currently serving more than 600 boys and girls in primary, secondary and technical school.

Students who complete their primary education are then assisted with secondary education or are advised to choose technical training in sister institutions. The secondary education is most often provided at Don Bosco Technical Secondary School in the town of Embu, northeast of Nairobi.

NEPAL

Teachers in Nepal are facilitating a new way of learning with community classrooms. Using 42 rented rooms, each class educates only 10 students.

Two Salesian schools in the Don Bosco Community of Bharoul in eastern Nepal are conducting educational lessons for 1,500 students using 42 rented rooms, each called a community classroom. Each class educates only 10 students at a time and strictly follows government restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. There are 46 teachers who are facilitating this new way of learning. The lessons began on July 16.

Schools in Nepal have been closed for the last three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, and there is still uncertainty when schools will be back to normal. School premises cannot be used to conduct lessons because the students cannot all come together to learn. To continue reaching students, Salesians rented rooms to conduct lessons in nearby villages, educating smaller subsets of students. This method was preferred over online lessons because of the financial restrictions on many students.

The local government educational department has given Salesians the authorization to carry out the lessons this way. All regulations must be strictly respected, such as the use of masks, social distancing and frequent hand-washing.

Currently, lessons in major subjects such as English, Nepali, math, science and social studies are being taught. Students, parents and teachers are all in support of these new lessons. From the first day lessons started, 95 percent of students were in class.

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Sources:

ANS Photos (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS) 

GHANA: Don Bosco Youth Network and VIS provide green farming training for teachers and youth mentors

INDIA: Don Bosco’s Prafulta Psychological Services graduates 42 teachers from Basic Skills in Counseling program

KENYA: Salesian teachers take additional training to improve the quality of education at Don Bosco Boys Town

NEPAL: Two Salesian schools provide education to 1,500 students with rented rooms to allow for small class sizes

Salesian Missions

UNESCO – World Teachers’ Day 2020

The post WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY: Salesian Missions highlights education and support programs for teachers around the globe first appeared on MissionNewswire.