One of Oundle’s new Classics teachers, Catriona Harrington spent three weeks of the summer break volunteering with Limited Resource Teacher Training (LRTT) in Cambodia, before beginning her new position at Oundle.
Her role was to work with a group of 29 other educators from the UK and the US to deliver a training programme for Cambodian teachers, many of whom had received little or no teacher training, and some of whom may not have even been able to finish high school, let alone progress to university.
Once Miss Harrington received the LRTT fellowship, she quickly learned why the Cambodian education system needs support: the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s killed off 25% of the population, targeting intellectuals in particular as a means of enforcing an ‘agrarian utopia’. As a result, an entire generation grew up illiterate, with no education. The country is still rebuilding itself and its education system after the horrors of the genocide.
During her trip, Miss Harrington visited and observed teachers with her observation partner in two NGO schools: FKC or Freedom of Khmer Children and Together for Cambodia.
During observations and conferences, the UK and US teachers aimed to deliver a condensed version of what they had learned during their own teacher training. Their sessions ranged from teacher reflection to classroom management and group work.
The training program aims for sustainable progress, with in-country participants owning and modifying the peer-training to fit their local needs. After each conference day, the fellows returned to the schools to observe the teachers implement some of the strategies that the fellows had taught them.
At the conclusion, what was satisfying for Miss Harrington was seeing how the teachers were motivated and driven to improve their own teaching practice and raise the quality of learning for pupils in their community.