If the teacher desires greater education, then they typically return to university fora higher degree. They said that only a few teachers actually got their Masters degree within the country, most get it out of country. If they desire to get a secondary degree it typically focuses in language and sciences. The goal is to grow in the area of sciences.
Because of the "free education" that the government provides, they have noticed a shortage of educators which creates a problem. They have a distance learning program in the mountains to help meet the needs of the individuals wanting to learn. The only struggle they face is that there is no electricity so they do not use computers as a resource.
While we discussed how teaching educators works in the college, a question was asked about how the 5 Curriculum Aspects which are the five big challenges that will help students learn appropriate adaptation concerns.
1. Awareness of self and others
2. Environmental sustainability
3. Health and healthy living
4. Effective communication
5. Production and work related competencies
Ok, so after the meeting on curriculum the head of the university told us that she wanted to bring us to the art room so that we could see some examples of Lesotho work. We started to walk through the university and it seemed a little odd, but there were a ton of people around and we jus happened to be walking towards them. The closer we got, the more I realized we were walking through what felt like a tunnel of screaming happy people with HUGE smiles on their faces singing and cheering in Sesotho. As I walked a little further through this wave of sounds and visual signs of joy and delight, I then realized that it was a tunnel to the front of a stage with about 500 people seated waiting for our arrival. The applause, the screams of excitement, the loud chanting, the singing ... it was incredible. They had literally planned this surprise out with hundreds of people and blew us out of the water.
Secretly,the head of the university planned a large celebration in our honor as visitors to the school. They prepared dancing, singing,and performances all in our honor. It was SO AMAZING !! Watching this performance was such an honor, I was filled with so much happiness that it's hard to put into words how special I felt.
There was part of the performance where you could walk to the from to drop a financial donation and the crowd would scream and chant as you approached the stage. The waves of happiness they had in respect for your donation was powerful. So duh, picture perfect moment, I grabbed a 100 Maloti and walked to the front. Instantly as I stood up, I felt this incredible vibe given to me by the people of the crowd. I knelt down for a brief moment and snapped a few pictures so that I could remember this powerful moment. God is good - this was a a great day :)
This picture doesn't even begin to show all of the people who were smashed anywhere they could be just so they could get a glimpse of the group as we paraded through the tunnel.
When everything was finished up we had a chance to visit the college art department studio which as awesome. As it was, it only took a short second for the tears to start falling down my face again as we were visited with hugs, smiles, and handshakes as we walked over to the studio. The studio needed mentioning though because it was sweet! They produce a lot of art through sell building of the students that they sell all over the globe. In fact, they mentioned that they even sell in America - go America!
They also gave each of us a magnet to take home which was such a nice gesture to complete this already overwhelming and powerful day. Here is a little picture of mine so you could see it for yourself.
I can tell you from my experience here in this short time that the people are what make Africa such a special place.
- With all my thanks :)
Location:Maseru, Lesotho
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