Linking and learning from each other

The traditional conch-shell was blown to announce the start of a new partnership that would link students and teachers of two distant and different lands and it was with much enthusiasm that the teachers from North Yorkshire, UK, tried their hand at it. The visiting English delegation looked to their partners in Hambantota to instil in their students values such as ‘diversity’ and ‘tolerance’, which we often take for granted, whereas the local teachers saw this as an opportunity to link their students with the outside world.

Since 2004, the British Council has helped Sri Lankan schools establish sustainable partnerships with UK schools through which they conduct mutually beneficial curriculum based projects. So far over 50 such links have been established in Colombo, Kandy and Galle with schools in Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, London, Cornwall, Nottingham and Northern Ireland.

Part of the DFID Global Schools Partnership Programme that supports partnerships between schools in the UK and schools in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the project helps students explore perceptions, recognize different cultures, perspectives and above all share experiences and knowledge.

Done in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in Sri Lanka, this particular contact seminar held from November 12 - 16 in Hambantota, brought together eight secondary schools from North Yorkshire and a similar number from Hambantota. The partner fair contained displays by the 16 participating schools: Thirsk School, Settle College, Stokesley College, Norton College, Ermystead’s School, Ingleton Middle School, Harrogate Grammar School and Settle Middle School from North Yorkshire as well as H/St Mary’s College, H/Zahira Central College, Rajapaksa Central College, H/Debarawewa Madhya Maha Vidyalaya, H/Theraputta National College, H/Vijayaba National School, H/Dharmapala Balika Vidyalaya and H/Walasmulla Madhya Maha Vidyalaya from Hambantota.

So why would a school from North Yorkshire want to establish contact with a school situated miles away in an area relatively unknown to most English students? It was no surprise that a 16-year-old student from Norton College raised this question, rather cheekily. Their teacher Ms. Theresa Huntley opened the topic for discussion and what came out of it was inspiring. “One of the students said, ‘if globalization is to benefit the world, then it is important that we understand how others live’, whereas another student said ‘people over there would be different to us, but different did not mean wrong’,” Ms. Huntley said.

“The words that came through most were globalization, tolerance and understanding. And of course, there was that other student who simply said ‘it’ll be fun’, which I think is an important aspect, because after all learning should be fun,” she smiled adding that prior to departure she created a website and encouraged her students to talk about Sri Lanka.

Elaborating on the benefits of such a programme, Gill Westaway Country Director, British Council, Sri Lanka said that it would help exchange ideas and different practices, enable students and teachers develop a range of skills. “English language could be improved, participants would be able to learn from each other and this would provide a good opportunity for children and adults to understand more about different cultures and values,” she said.

“We feel that British students are becoming more and more isolated in today’s world,” said Heather Newman, North Yorkshire Local Education Authority, “Therefore we want the British students to see the world through the eyes of other people and understand their way of life and culture. We want to broaden the horizons of our students,” she said. “Education is so valued in Sri Lanka, which is another message to our students,” Newman said adding that a large number of students in the UK drop out of school when they reach 16 / 17 years.

Choosing a suitable partner school can be a daunting task. There are many similarities, yet so many differences between the Sri Lankan and British education systems. So while each would try to build a partnership most beneficial to them, it no doubt calls for great evaluation and commitment on the part of the teachers.

“98% of the students at Harrogate are white,” said Trevor Burton of Harrogate Grammar School. “What we are looking for is a Sri Lankan school where the pupils are of diverse ethnic groups, as that would enable our students understand different races and religions. “We would also prefer if it is a school with a large number of students as Harrogate is relatively large and we also want a partner who would remain committed throughout,” he said.

Mrs. Rosa Ranasinghe of St. Mary’s College said that ways to improve the standard of English as well as developing IT skills would be some of the main aspects considered when choosing a partner from North Yorkshire. “Once we choose a partner, we would first introduce ourselves and learn about the students, their teaching methods and curriculum. Then we would gradually introduce their methods such as their English texts to our students,” she said.

Principal of Settle College, William Bancroft said aspects relating to technology and ways to further develop ongoing environmental projects at their school would be certain factors looked into when selecting their partner.

Once the partner is selected the schools can work on a range of projects and exchange ideas, experiences and teaching methods. The students of Bishops College, Colombo along with their teacher, in a case study presentation highlighted the benefits of their partnership with Limavady Grammar School, Northern Ireland. Talking about the project ‘cooking up a friendship’, the girls explained that they first exchanged questionnaires which dealt with cooking habits and food in the two countries, then exchanged recipes and later the visiting school representatives held demonstrations. “There was plenty of Irish food at our Irish day celebrations in school and many students even asked for the recipes,” one of the students said.

Education Ministry Secretary Ariyaratne Hewage said that such programmes provide an opportunity for Sri Lankan students and teachers, especially those living out of Colombo to improve English language skills and at the same time embrace the global village we live in. Over 9000 students from the Hambantota district are to benefit from this programme.

Today, the younger generation of Brits seem to know Sri Lanka for two reasons: cricket and the tsunami. The global schools partnership is indeed invaluable for both. As a student of Bishops’ College remarked, it is a programme that transforms you from an ordinary human being into a global citizen to whom the world matters.