Every year the coordinators from the partnered schools in Ethiopia meet to discuss plans for the future, and ways to move forward within school partnerships. Most recently, two conferences were held, firstly at Bahir Dar on the 21st December with a second shortly after at Gondar on the 25th December. Not a strange day to meet as you might think; in Ethiopia, Christmas Day is on 7th January!
Chaired by Elsa (pictured below) and Abraham, the conferences focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the schools, as well as the twinning arrangements between them. Within schools a number of issues were identified, such as the need for stronger Link clubs in some schools, and a better exchange of ideas between coordinators about ways they could use their roles to improve education within their schools.
When the time came to discuss projects, some schools reported excellent results. These included several new classrooms being built, along with the installation of water stations.
Each year, twinned schools take part in the Link ‘Topic for Exchange’ global activity. This year the subject chosen for the activity was ‘My Playground and Sport’. The objective is for schools in England and in Ethiopia to both spend time working on the topic, with the aim of stimulating discussion, encouraging shared learning and generating an understanding of each other’s experiences in the subject.
Many thanks to Elsa and Abraham for chairing the conferences, as well as to all our Link coordinators for your hard work and collaboration.
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