Nine Ugandan primary school teachers recently received Certificates in Global Education and School Partnerships from the British Council.

The teachers are involved with the DFID Global Schools Partnerships (DGSP) and were selected to participate in the course at Makerere University.

DFID Global School Partnerships programme, introduced in Uganda in 2007, is a two-way relationship between schools in Uganda and schools in the UK. It is funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and managed by the British Council.

The programme provides advice, professional development opportunities and grants to schools that use school partnerships as part of their curriculum.

According to the British Council’s project delivery manager in Uganda, Robert Sebalu, the aim of the course is to help teachers develop creative ideas that inspire lifelong learning. It is also a chance for teachers to reflect on global citizenship and learn more about adding a global dimension to the school curriculum.

‘The Certificate in Global Education and School Partnerships is an intensive 12-week course which is aimed at providing support for participants in Global Schools Partnerships.’

The course explores how to sustain learning partnerships between schools in different countries, and how to facilitate mutual respect for cultural, social and religious diversity – ‘thereby promoting understanding between the people of the global North and the South’, Sebalu says.

British Council’s project coordinator Katasi Kironde says the British Council identified teachers for the DGSP course from schools that demonstrated a willingness to learn more about incorporating the global dimension in their partnership and joint curriculum activities.

‘Therefore the selection criteria were the level of participation of the school in the DGSP programme and proximity to Kampala due to budget constraints,’ says Kironde.

For the British Council, awarding these certificates means equipping teachers to teach learners about global development issues.

‘They will do this through embedding the global dimension in the local curriculum while being able to make connections between their own localities.

‘We aim to increase the understanding of the global dimension within planning, assessment, pupils’ work and impact on school development,’ she says.

‘Participants should be able to make connections between what has been learnt on the course and their own experiences. We also aim to see better quality school partnerships. It means that teachers should be able to confidently adapt and embed their knowledge in the Ugandan curriculum.’

The next intake for the DGSP course will be December 2009.

To find out more about Global Schools Partnerships, click here. To read related stories, click here. To read more about British Council events and programmes, please visit this page.