Photo: Ala Kheir
Connecting Classrooms is a global education programme brought to you by the British Council in partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) implemented in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education and the Ministries of Education in the States of Sudan.
Connecting Classrooms offers training packages to give teachers the knowledge and approaches they need to integrate the six core skills
Developed by the British Council and leading education experts, the training packages introduce participants to new interactive approaches and techniques while helping them to develop practical activity plans for use in the classroom
“We have learnt new skills and got exposed to valuable knowledge which will have a great impact in the way we manage and run our schools”
Mr Rashid Hassab Elrasoul Abdalla, School Leader- Kassala
By developing and networking with thousands of teachers across the world, the British Council aims to help young people develop the knowledge, skills and values to live and work in a global economy
The Core skills, sometimes referred to as deep learning or 21st century learning skills, are the essential skills young people need to be fully prepared for life and work in a global economy.
1/ Digital Literacy
2/Communication & Collaboration
3/Creativity & Imagination
4/Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
5/Student Leadership
6/ Citizenship
“These core skills are very important for future generation as we can’t keep our heads in yesterday and what worked for us just doesn’t work for the students today. So it’s all about change .It’s the only thing we can count on”
Mrs Lona Louise –course book writer
Professional partnership
It offers you the chance to work with teachers and school leaders from the UK and benefit from their experience in applying the core skills in their schools. It also offers Sudanese counterparts a platform to share best practice and knowledge: British Council - SchoolsOnline website
It provides you with a free learning journey to improve your classroom practice and develop your ideas with like-minded teachers internationally.
To have access to the online six core skills courses and other relevant educational materials, please register here.
The project was launched in Sudan in December 2015 in a big event attended by 200 people from the education community and British Council contacts.
Developing Capacity
We have trained more than 5,000 teachers and school leaders from Khartoum, Kassala, Madani, Kadogli, El Damir, El Obied, El Gadarief, Sinja, Sinar, Aldalang, Dongola, Shandi, Abuhujar, Bara, Alrosseris, Um Rowaba, Alfashir, Alnuhood, Wad Elabbas, Alhassahesa, Alrahad, Aldinder, Aljienena, Portsudan, Elduiem, Kosti and Abuhamad.
“ For me personally many things have changed after attending the communication and collaboration course , I started sharing school management responsibilities with my teachers , assigning roles and delegating some of my tasks , I have moved away from an authoritative manner to a consultative and participatory style which will have a sustained impact on school functions “
Hussien Issa- School Leader – Gadarief state
This year we are planning to train 1500 teachers and school leaders in the six core skills, inclusive pedagogy, teacher as researcher, leadership and the use of ICT in classrooms and education in general. We will reach more cities in the various regions of Sudan to maximize the impact and reach of the project.
Thought leadership and Policy
We offer excellent networking opportunities for the policy makers to engage with counterparts from UK and globally to enrich their experience and enable them to benchmark their educational achievements and policies.
•World Education Forum in London: over the past three years several delegates from Sudan have attended the forum including the Federal Minister of Education, state education ministers and senior educationalists.
•A Special Educational Needs and Inclusion conference was held in Cape Town in March 2016 under the theme ‘Core Skills for All : Ensuring Access and Engagement’ attended by the SEN leads from Gazeera state and North Darfur state along with other representatives from 12 African countries in SSA
•Several meetings were held with the Federal Minister of Education and ministers of education in the states in which we operate and key educational officials at the central and state level.
All the above policy engagement related elements are to support and help align project objectives with the priorities of education in Sudan as well as enabling policy makers to tap into new development and practice in education and help achieve higher quality learning outcomes
System Consultancy
Through discussions with officials from the Ministry of Education, many areas and priorities have been identified which need to be developed further or enhanced e.g. Quality System for education, school Inspection , monitoring & Evaluation Framework , Science Technology English and Math( STEM ) in addition to Training Planning and Management.
We will work closely with the Ministry to address these aspects and ensure that best educational practice and expertise from the UK is shared with the relevant educational departments in Sudan to benefit the end user the student.
With the ever changing nature of the world as we know it, socially, economically and environmentally, it’s vital that young citizens know their place in the world. Teaching them about global issues is imperative.
Our global education programme for Schools, Connecting Classrooms, is specifically designed to help teachers do this.