Local teacher honoured for her work in Malawi

A LOCAL head teacher who gave up her summer holidays to help develop village schools in Malawi has been honoured for her efforts.

Maureen Miller, head teacher at Keiss Primary School and the former head of Canisbay Primary School, has been awarded a certificate of Professional Recognition in Global Education by the General Teaching Council (GTC) for Scotland during a ceremony held at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.

Her husband Roger Bamfield, an advisory teacher for the autism outreach service in Dingwall, was also among the 17 teachers who were recognised for their volunteering work in the African country.

The couple were the only teachers from the North to join their central Scotland colleagues for last year's Global Teachers Programme (GTP), run by international agency Link Community Development (LCD).

Maureen and Roger lived and worked in two different village communities – Namikango and Kanyama respectively – where conditions were basic with no running water or electricity. They worked with staff at their village schools helping to develop leadership and teaching practices as well as supporting areas of curricular development.

Speaking to the John O'Groat Journal this week, Maureen said: "It was really nice to have official recognition but what is even more important was the experience itself – what we were able to share with our colleagues in Malawi and what we were able to bring back to our schools.

"It was an amazing experience and I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

The couple were presented with their awards by May Ferries, convener of GTC Scotland and Karen Gillon MSP, co-convener of a cross party group for Malawi.

Roger explained: "It was good to have recognition that what we did is not just important for Malawi, but is important for children and teachers in Scottish schools and needs to be developed further.

"The experience of going was a real privilege and I think every teacher should think about it. We were fortunate that domestically we were able to go away – not everybody's got that freedom because of other commitments."

Professional recognition allows teachers to focus their continuous professional development in particular areas of interest and gain recognition for enhancing and sharing their experiences.

Cabinet secretary for education and lifelong learning Fiona Hyslop, who attended the ceremony, said: "It's vital that teachers here and across the globe continue to develop their skills so that pupils get the most from their education. It is good to see that Scottish education continues to make an important contribution internationally."

LCD's programme director Jim Aitchison added: "These teachers have each shown their commitment to education by giving up their summer holidays to support LCD's work of improving schools in Malawi.

"Over the five weeks they were each able to support positive developments in their placement schools, using their own skills as Scottish teachers.

"They have also gained a lot professionally from the experience, and we are very pleased that GTC Scotland recognises the contribution they are now able to make here in Scotland in the area of global citizenship."

Maureen and Roger will be giving a presentation, with photographs, on their experiences in Malawi at Keiss Primary School on Wednesday, February 20, at 7pm.

Maureen hopes to establish a formal link between the local primary and a school in Malawi.