Many young people in Tanzania do not have access to a quality education. The education system limits their opportunity to learn English in the elementary levels. This is especially true in rural areas. Mercer’s work helps to address this need. The program will work with a teacher’s college to help train elementary and secondary teachers. This project will also provide the opportunity to work directly in elementary and secondary schools to improve the overall quality of education.
In partnership with Village Schools International located in Tanzania, Mercer students will work collaboratively with college students from VSI schools to enhance teaching strategies and develop culturally appropriate teaching tools and activities. Students and faculty will work with future teachers at Teachers College in Tanzania to help prepare them to work in rural and under-resourced schools. By respecting and integrating local traditions, values and educational needs, the partnership will aim at sharing expertise, planning and disseminating materials, and, consequently, empowering both Mercer students and VSI college students.
This Mercer On Mission program will foster collaboration between Mercer and Tanzanian students, encouraging them to share ideas and strategies that can be applied in their respective classrooms. Mercerians will also teach, work and learn with elementary and secondary students in local communities. Mercer students and VSI college students will seek to provide sustainable solutions that enhance the quality of education, fostering a future where all children, regardless of their background, have access to relevant and meaningful learning experiences and materials.
Having worked in schools in Tanzania on three separate occasions, I can say each experience has profoundly transformed me. This program offers you the opportunity not only to make a lasting impact on the schools in Tanzania but also to be personally impacted by the community around you.
Students are required to sign up for six hours of credit. The registrar will enroll you in courses for your program, including one class from each of the program's faculty.
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