Community-based Teacher's Training

Training participants with Mr. Pedro C. Celso, the Managing Director of RD Tuna Canners, Ltd. and Vice-President of RD Foundation PNG, Rev. Alexander Ayop, Ministry Director of International Christian Alliance Ministry (ICAM), Mr. Kernie Fanagel, Program Manager of RD Foundation PNG Inc. and the Training Resource Persons Apelis Benson, the Principal of Madang International School, Mr. Francis Gem, Teacher In-charge of Alexafen Primary School and Pastor Camilus Bou, Associate Pastor at Madang International Christian Fellowship.

Community-Based Teacher's Training

March 28, 29 & 30, 2011

RDTC Training Room, RDTC, Siar, Madang, Papua New Guinea

We conducted Community-based Teacher’s Training as a support mechanism in equipping our teachers assigned in Nursery and Kindergarten schools in the Villages. As most of the community-based teachers have no professional teaching background, the training is deemed necessary for them to effectively carry their functions.

Community-based Teachers are individuals who voluntarily devoted their time teaching the children in their assigned Villages. RD Foundation through its Community Education program supported nursery and kindergarten schools in 8 Villages surrounding RD Companies. Currently, there are 506 children who are enrolled in the village schools and 17 community-based teachers are officially recognized by RD Foundation as community-based teachers under its supervision. However, in this training we have 33 participants as Teachers from the Alexishafen Primary School headed by Mr. Francis Gem as the Teacher-In-Charge particpated in the training. A teacher from Siar Primary School also join us.

The idea of coming-up with the concept of 'community-based teachers' sprung from the need to give the children an access to early childhood education. In PNG, young children have a very limited access to early childhood education. School facilites are limited and teaching force only few. The Education Department also left the responsibility to organize early childhood education to community-based organization. So, this is a development gap which RD Foundation willingly to take part with through partnering with village organizations. Organizing the 'community-based teachers' is a kind of empowerment strategy. Committed volunteers from the villages are taking care for the education of their young children and not relying solely from the outside services. RD Foundation's role is to facilitate development process through supporting villager's initiative.

As a community-based teacher one must at least Grade 10. Evidently however, in a professional level, the need to undergo training is necessary to truly understand the role of a teacher and to acquire needed skills, knowledge and attitude in carrying such responsibility.

Topics covered in this training includes Child Psychology, Lesson Plan Preparation, Teaching Aid Preparation, Teaching Strategies, Classroom Management and Spiritual Development.

Mr. Francis Gem, Teacher In-Charge of Alexishafen Primary School, Mr. Apelis Benson, School Principal of Madang International School and Pastor Camillus Bou, Staff of Evangelical Outreach Mission (EOM) joins us as Resource Persons.