Work with Education in Sub Saharan Africa!

The Teacher Training Colleges (DNS) Africa Movement
The DNS Africa Movement comprise 17 teacher training colleges - 7 in Angola, 9 in Mozambique and 1 in Malawi, and One World University. In September 2006 there are 3.650 students

One World University - with the official name Higher Institute for Education and Technology - was created to provide all these teacher training colleges with one of the most essential elements of the training: the teachers, or the instructors. The participants prepare themselves for a Bachelor of Education, which qualifies them to become instructors at a teacher training college. Many of them have completed a full course at one of the ADPP teacher training colleges in Mozambique or in Angola, some have been teachers in primary school for some years, and others come from other education institutions, where they have fulfilled the Grade 12 entrance criteria. The Bachelor of Education course at OWU is a 3 year program of which 1½ year is based at the University, and 1½ year is spent in 2 practice periods at teacher training institutions. During the first year the participants get a foundation of knowledge and understanding of natural science, educational science and methodologies of teaching and learning. All along the participants confront their newly acquired knowledge with the society around them, with the reality of life that people face. They prepare public presentations of what they have learned, translated into forms that people from different walks of life can use. They hold their presentations in schools, workplaces, at meetings with parents or at events at the University. During the second year the participants combine the further studies with production of teaching materials for the teacher training colleges and primary school. The contents are broad-spectral, and they try out various teaching methods during the period. In the middle of the second year they move to one of the ADPP teacher training colleges, or a government college, for a 6 month practice period. Here they add to the operation of the colleges with new ideas, inspiration, more knowledge and fresh attitudes. The third year is a combined practice and research period. The practice at a teacher training college combines the theoretical knowledge and skills with the practical everyday life at the teacher training college, close to the primary school reality. Each participant also carries out a scientific research project related to primary education as an action-research project. This means that not only will the research identify and analyze a problem, but it will also include trying out solutions to the problem. In this way yet the studies become a practical and theoretical tool to be used in the research project.