School Outreach Program Starts in Somaliland, Awdal Region
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- by Cheetah Conservation Fund Canada June 8, 2024
Youth is the Future Conservationists of Africa (FCA). CCF Namibia has developed and implemented programs that enable local and international students, and educators to gain the knowledge they need about ecology and the importance of conservation. Allowing them to learn how they can contribute to maintaining biodiverse ecosystems and sustain a healthy planet. Now that CCF operates a field centre in Somaliland, research was conducted in the Awdal region for many months to learn about communities’ challenges and perception as well as their constrains for a better livelihood. The knowledge gained by the research combined with CCF experience in the delivery of the FCA program, curriculum and educational materials were updated and translated for delivery in Somaliland.
by Abdirizak Warsame
Training for teachers to teach school sessions started in late April and will continue until June, before school holidays begin in early summer. Some students will go to rural areas of Somaliland for their summer vacation. Introducing them to cheetah conservation subjects is best delivered to students before they depart for summer vacation.
Tireless support from different levels of the Somaliland Ministry of Education and Science made possible the continuation of training and teaching sessions for both teachers and students in large cities where numerous schools accommodate countless students across different school grades, including secondary, upper primary, and lower primary.
During the training, teachers learned the relevant topics of cheetah conservation to deliver to school students at various levels. The teachers, both male and female, are certified and registered with the Ministry of Education and Science. All of them were selected by the Regional Education Office of Awdal, where they are employed permanently as school teachers and principals.
Supervisors and district education officers, along with Regional Education Office staff members, also received FCA teacher training to have the same knowledge and be on the same page with the selected teachers. The trained number of teachers was 50, but more than that require the same training to equip them with cheetah conservation topics. Selected teachers from public schools in Borame City included four teachers from each school in the first round.
The target of twelve public schools was selected in the first round to deliver teachers’ FCA training and school student sessions. Most schools were well prepared to receive the cheetah conservation knowledge and related topics that CCF prepared in advance. In the training and sessions, all related training materials, including visual aids, reference books, teachers’ guides, and video clips, were presented where school facilities had overhead projectors and electricity.
The timing of sessions for teachers and students was convenient and organized in advance by the Regional Education Office in collaboration with CCF staff and field educators.
The sessions were of special interest to all participants, featuring concise and selective subtopics that sustained their interest. Visual aids and other training materials were also selective, allowing participants to understand easily in a short time.
The provision of Somali language translated teachers’ guides and students’ handbooks was part of the training material, facilitating easy communication. These materials were presented in a pleasant manner, enabling every participant to read quickly and understand easily.
Feedback during and after the sessions was very positive, showing that the level of understanding of the topic improved for both teachers and students. Questions and requests to visit the Geed-Deeble center to watch and see cheetahs were raised in every class and each school, with students especially eager to visit the Geed-Deeble center during their upcoming summer vacation.
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