VVOB in Uganda is currently hosting a delegation of six board members from Belgium, who are visiting the country to gain insights into the implementation of VVOB's programs in early childhood education, primary education, and secondary education. This visit is aimed at strengthening existing partnerships and creating new ones.
The delegation comprises of high-ranking officials, including Julie Bynens, Secretary General of Flanders Chancellery and Foreign Office; Ann Verhaegen, Secretary General of Flanders Education and Training; Hannelore Goeman, Member of Parliament of the Flanders government; Marc Vandewalle, Director General UCLL University of Applied Sciences; and Stefaan Van Mulders, Chair of the Board of Directors. They are accompanied by VVOB Director General Sven Rooms, based at the Brussels Office.
During their visit, the delegation will make courtesy calls to key government officials and Belgian actors in Uganda. In addition, they will visit Northern Uganda, where they will observe the ongoing programs in ECD, primary, and secondary education. In Gulu, they will witness how the Learning through Play methodology is being integrated into pre-primary teaching by ECD teachers who have undergone training under the IT'S PLAY project. The delegation will also visit the ECD resource center at Gulu Core PTC, which has collaborated with VVOB on a four-year project to strengthen the capacity of government and institutions to enhance the delivery of emergent literacy and numeracy.
At Ocer Campion secondary school in Gulu, the delegation will witness how newly qualified teachers are implementing project-based learning during their school practice. These students have graduated from NTC Unyama, where they have benefited from two of the VVOB DGD-funded programs: Teaching Agriculture Practically and now Learning Entrepreneurship and Agriculture Practically (LEAP). In TAP, investments made at the college enabled lecturers to deliver their agriculture lessons more practically, and the student teachers have been able to take these skills with them. Within the LEAP program, the colleges are preparing student teachers with the relevant skills that enable them to interpret the lower secondary competence-based curriculum, specifically focusing on project-based learning.
The delegation will also interact with district education officers and observe the delivery of a TaRL lesson in a primary school in Adjumani district. This school is one of 28 that benefits from a LEGO Foundation-funded TaRL project that aims at promoting the playful nature of TaRL as an important element in boosting the socio-emotional learning of children.
Before returning to Belgium, the delegation will interact with the VVOB staff and partners in Kampala to reflect on their role in implementing VVOB's Learning Unlimited strategy and gain inspiration from the board's strategic direction.
Follow us on Twitter @VVOBinUganda and Linkedin @VVOB in Uganda for all key updates during their visit
