Malawi visit was a lesson for local teacher

A LOCAL teacher will give a talk tonight about her experience of visiting one of the poorest nations in the world.

Maureen Miller, head teacher at Canisbay and Keiss associated schools, is to speak in Freswick Village Hall about her visit to Malawi in October of last year and the children and education system she encountered in Mulozo Primary School, which is situated in the south of the country.

Mrs Miller was among nine teachers from Scotland who spent the holiday in Malawian schools. The visit was organised by the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers.

Mrs Miller will tell the audience tonight that Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the world – a tea-picker there earns just 30p a day – and many of the children have lost one or both parents to AIDS/HIV.

Mulozo Primary School has over 1200 pupils. There are only 17 teachers and the classes often contain over 100 children.

The schools have virtually no resources and in the rural areas they have no electricity and just one tap to provide water for everyone.

In the primary classrooms it is often only the teacher who has a chair – everyone else has to sit on the floor.

With few educational resources, the children have learned to make the most of what they have. Some youngsters make their own abacuses to count on out of things like metal bottle tops. Many of the children use old 1kg sugar bags as school bags because they are just the right size for a jotter.

Speaking ahead of tonight's event, Mrs Miller said: "We heard really brilliant music made with guitars made out of plywood boxes and drums kits out of tin cans."

With money given by the pupils at Canisbay and Keiss, as well as from the Wick town schools, the teacher donated jotters, pens and other basic equipment, as well as leisure items such as footballs and a play parachute.

She also took letters by pupils from a number of primary schools which Malawian pupils replied to.

Mrs Miller hopes that the schools at Canisbay and Keiss will develop stronger links with their Mulozo counterpart. "There is so much we can learn from each other," she said.

Meanwhile, several teachers in local schools are becoming pen pals with teachers Mrs Miller met during the visit.

Mrs Miller is hoping she will be able to go back to a different part of Malawi for a longer visit this summer.

She said: "I would like to go back because I was really inspired by my recent trip but felt it was just too short.

"I am aware that a longer stay would be quite a different kind of challenge and I feel that there would be a greater opportunity to make a bigger difference.

"I also feel that the development of global citizenship in our Caithness pupils is of such great importance."