Joon wrote:
EDIT: Just visited the LRTT Cambodia page. So, of course, it is in Siem Reap...
https://lrtt.org/fellowships/cambodia
Also telling that they got reviews from the Fellows who go there to coach but they don't have testimonials from the Cambodian teachers who are receiving the coaching.
They're going to coach teachers and yet there is no indication that they have the capacity to do so. The Guarian report states "A MIDDLEWICH
High School teacher wants to make a ‘permanent difference in a former war-torn country". No mention that he is anything other than a teacher himself.
Joon wrote:
My "grumble" is not aimed at his intentions but at the way he chose to present Cambodia in absolute words to make his summer holiday project sound more altruistic than it really is. White Savior complex is one of my most detested pet peeves.
Agreed.
Many NGOs inflate the sense of importance of what they are actually doing, and project a sense of self importance to prospective recruits that makes them think they will achieve far more than in reality is possible. In the end its nothing more than "development tourism" Play down the capacity of the target country and inflate the ego of prospective applicant. Then charge them for doing so
From LRTT site:
LRTT works with a small number of schools that are spread around the city of Siem Reap.........
The goal is to grow the capacity of teachers in the Siem Reap area so students have access to a better quality education. We deliver the LRTT course to teachers which introduces key areas of pedagogy and how to implement these in lessons. Each Fellow works with a small number of teachers, visits them in their schools, observe their lessons then give coaching on improvements to their teaching.
How does this interface with:
UNICEF supported the piloting of Child-Friendly Schools in six provinces.
Integration of this approach in the
pre-service teacher training curriculum at all 18 teacher-training colleges as well as training for school directors and teachers on child-centred education has enhanced the quality of learning for children. By the 2007/2008 school year, the Child-Friendly Schools Initiative had already reached its 2010 target of 70 percent of schools in six provinces, catalysing a national expansion to cover remaining provinces, along with the School Readiness
Programme, which is a “catch-up” programme for grade 1 students who missed out on preschool. Though the expansion and improvement of Child-Friendly Schools, children are getting a better education and making optimal use of their time in class. The Cambodian Government has adopted Child-Friendly Schools as a national education policy, working to ensure that all children across the country receive quality education.
By the 2009/2010 school year, more children than ever before received a head start to their education through enrolment in 932 community preschool classes that benefited 21,258 children between the ages of three and five, more than half of them girls, and home-based programmes that benefited 8,920 children in eight provinces. Enrolment in early childhood education programmes increased from 10.8 per cent in the 2004/2005 school year to nearly 26 per cent in the 2010/2011 school year.
https://www.unicef.org/cambodia/3.Education.pdf