Tuesday 21 June 2011

Sleeping on the job

I attended some training for teachers of KG (Kindergarten) today. It started rather late and was the first day of a 3 day course. The INSET was led by the Regional Director for Early Childhood Development, a very charismatic and engaging lady. She arrived in a car (almost all cars are open backed SUVs) with a tall pile of mattresses in the back. I was rather impressed, imagining a revival of afternoon naps for young children and teachers getting the opportunity to engage in some 1st hand experience.  I discovered, quite incidentally, that some of the teachers had traveled such a distance to get here that they would be sleeping here until Thursday. The reality suddenly dawned........These teachers are sleeping on the mattresses on the concrete floor of the Teachers' Centre for 2 nights running..........no water & no facilities. Again I find myself doing a comparison with the Teachers' Centres I have known & loved and considering sleeping there!
The course itself was interesting in a range of ways. A conversation took place about the use of the cane for one thing! As you will have appreciated by now, things are often different here.

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