Worldwise News 2008
AN ADDRESS BY NTATE JAMES OBUA, COORDINATOR OF TWINNING PROGRAMME IN MORATE, ON THE VISIT OF WORLDWISE TO MORATE HIGH SCHOOL, 25/09/2008
Edited version
The linking of Morate English Medium High School with Pobalscoil Chorcha Dhuibhne could not have come at a better time than now. This is a time when we are striving tirelessly to expose our students to various aspects and topical issues that currently affect humanity and the world at large. Our linking project has no doubt motivated and inspired our students to learn more about Ireland as a country, and other nations as well.
This programme is pivotal in the task of uplifting our students, especially in areas of common knowledge and making them shift from the tendency to know and appreciate only their own surroundings. The linking programme stands as a strong tool which will help cultivate a serious interest in our students to learn more about the world, and to boost their confidence levels.
Our students will learn how nations like Ireland developed and how resources are used in economic and social development. Students from Pobalscoil Chorcha Dhuibhne will learn how a developing nation like Lesotho is attempting to cater for its populace in terms of education, social services and building infrastructure. Through cultural exchange, students from both schools will be able to draw parallels between their two cultures and possibly discover some hidden similarities in the culture of the Basotho and the Irish!
Constant interaction is one way of making our students develop an interest in researching and looking for information about their own country to pass onto their counterparts. Already, I am happy to report, our pioneering students have produced a booklet containing facts about the Kingdom of Lesotho, which we hope will be useful in giving a clear picture of the founding of this ‘Kingdom in the sky.’ We have also co-opted the school choir to help in traditional songs and dance, and their performance is excellent. Currently, we are in the process of compiling a book of poetry, written by students themselves. Our participating students have discovered their talents in writing short stories and poems, in song and dance. All of this could not have been possible without our linking programme.
Linking is already a source of tremendous inspiration, not only to our students, but also to our teachers. As teachers, we would like to learn how educational activities are carried out in Pobalscoil, and if possible adopt relevant areas that will promote learning here in Morate. This is a long-term process; we will achieve this goal through constant interaction. However, since our two countries have different curricula and systems of education, we will only interact academically on areas where we find commonality. We still have to discuss this with our counterparts in Pobalscoil to see if serious academic activities are feasible.
There are of course a few challenges and constraints that we face in this programme. Linking entails active participation of students in all project activities. One area which hampers quick exchange of information is a lack of efficient means of communication. Today the internet is the quickest, most efficient means of passing on information and of exploring global issues – but we are not yet online. If this handicap is overcome, we hope to train our students in the use of computers not only as a typing machine, but also as a means of sourcing information worldwide.
We thank very much the principal and staff of Pobalscoil Chorcha Dhuibhne for accepting us as friends and whose efforts and encouragement have watered and kept the spirit of twinning alive. God bless you all.
