Improving teaching standards
Because of it’s lack of resources, Ningxia has difficulties attracting qualified teachers. Our work in this area aims to improve teachers’ living conditions as well as the quality of local education.
IMPROVING THE STATUS OF TEACHERS
Because of the unequal distribution of students across Ningxia, there is an acute need for teachers in Tongxin. However, those who wish to become teachers are scarce due to their low salaries. As a result, many untenured teachers leave their jobs during the school year to find a better paid job as migrant worker.
Since 2007, Enfants du Ningxia has worked for the sustainability of teachers’ jobs in the school of Liumiao by financing a wage compensation programme for untenured teachers: their wage, initially paid over 9 months, has been increased and is now paid over 12 months.
宁夏孩子
宁夏孩子
IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF TEACHING
Following our visits to Ningxia, our discussions with the teachers and several meetings with local officials, we noted that teachers lacked skills in some areas, especially in English and I.T.
In 2007, a young British teacher working in Southern China called Maggie Dunlop spent part of the Summer in the new school of Liumiao. Her application was accepted by the local authorities. During her stay in Liumiao, Maggie gave English classes to the primary school children and trained a teacher to take over her classes.
Training teachers to use computers has both beneficial effects on the quality of teaching and gives a sense of responsibility to our scholars, as it is our former scholars or university scholars who give these training courses.
Training courses generally last a week and cover all the basics (Microsoft Office, and the Internet so that teachers can download teaching materials from the National Bureau of Education). These training courses take place in schools equipped by Enfants du Ningxia, and teachers are selected by local officials.
