TVET experts from Sudan visits UNESCO-UNEVOC Centre in Germany

This is among the information you will find on the home page of the International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training at UNESCO-UNEVOC in Bonn in Germany.

The October 28th visit of the TVET experts from Sudan is referred in an article in which you will also find a presentation of technical education in Sudan.

You will find Internet based communities like the UNEVOC Network of specialised technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, the TVETipedia which is an internet portal where users according to UNEVOC Centre can exchange information and share knowledge on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) issues; showcase good practice examples and lessons learned; collaborate on TVET projects and more.

The UNESCO-UNEVOC e-Forum is an e-mail list, a virtual community of TVET experts from around the world who share information and knowledge about different aspects of TVET.

You will also find a list of partners and other TVET institutions including a full UNEVOC directory (pdf 1,23 MB) which among others tells that the UNEVOC Centre Host Institution in Norway is Akershus University College.

The UNESCO-UNEVOC Centre issues a free news bulletin in Enlish and Arabic which you can subcribe to and receive via e-mail.

The direction is to be Student Centered Learning

We at Juba Technical Secondary School think that a Student Centered Learning approach enables the students to learn for life in a better way than the traditional teacher centered method. Therefore we will move step by step in that direction.

This was the conclusion of the teachers and the management of the school after having experienced an experiential, collaborative student centered learning environment while exploring the topic of Student Centered Learning.

Tuesday September 15th was the first of three days in a workshop arranged for the management and teachers at Juba Technical Secondary School by Upper Nile University in collaboration with Akershus University College.

The leadership and teachers of Juba Technical Secondary School experienced Student Centered Learning as students in their process of the initial molding of a shared vision of Student Centered Learning at their school.

The participants generated a set of Characteristics of Student Centered Learning. Each of them was then given five votes to prioritize among the characteristics.

The workshop participants soon were reminded that a word can have various meanings. A loosely, if at all defined concept like Student Centered Learning proved rightly to be understood vaguely. They learned that it requires significant efforts to obtain Student Centered Learning to become a shared vision. But that was not blocking them from taking on the job with eagerness and determination.

The real challenges came when the participants were invited into a process of defining what they regarded as evidence of the teacher’s facilitation of Student Centered Learning. It seemed that the actions of the teachers defined as evidence for the teacher’s facilitation of a student centered learning environment often were actions which could be performed by active and able students. Before they had defined what they regarded as evidence of the students learning in a student centered learning environment.

From a learning perspective it is my experience that it is usual that changing my behavior is not easy. I actually think most of us are likely to continue doing what we have been doing before. So did the teachers do when they defined their actions which they regarded as proof of them facilitating a student centered learning. They described their continued orchestrating in class with the focus on them selves more than the students. Their planned actions were often focused on them telling the students to participate, not allowing the students the space needed to take the initiative and to be active learners resposible for their own learning.

Most probably most of the students will also expect to be told by the taechers at school when that's what they through years have experienced that students are at school. It is probably so that both the teachers and the students at Juba Technical Secondary School will have to learn how to learn in a Student Centered Learning environment. And most probably they will find it to be hard work too, but that is what real learning sometimes is.

Juba Technical Secondary School is for the time being the only technical school in operation in Southern Sudan which size is twice the area of Norway and twice the population too. The school has a teaching staff of 21 and is offering three years programs for 259 students whom when graduating will be both holding technical vocational skills and Sudan Technical School Certificate allowing them to enter higher or tertiary education. The school has departments for building and construction, auto mechanics, auto mechanics, bricklaying, carpentry&joinery and metal work. The rehabilitation of the school was funded by Plan Norway through Plan International. Unfortunately there are yet no dormitories at the school.

Peace Cup in a peaceful Malakal

It is time for those having left Malakal to return and to show their skills.

This message was given by one of the organizers of The Peace Cup, a football competition finally won by the team from the South of town after penalties. The happily cheering crowds running into the field after the match was a joyful experience definitely not reminding any one of any tribalism. He desribed the Saturday experiences as a display of Malakal at peace and love and invited those who wanted to participate in he development of Malakal to join in.

After the sports events the artist Vivian Nyanchan and her band was giving a concert. We are very tired from fighting and war and we have been waiting for peace for a long time and now peace has come, was her message.

Late warm African evenings in peaceful coexistence, fotball and concerts at the stadium was the Malakal experience during this week end. A team of Egyptian engineers building a technical school and a hospital in Jongilei here together with Fatin and Trond "under the tree" at South Sudan Hotel in Malakal.

The last two weeks Fatin and Trond has been in Malakal after a flight by Sudan Airways not easily forgotten. Malakal is the town where the new college of technical vocational teacher education at Upper Nile University is to be located. Saturday Johan arrived by WFP. The preparations for the start of the NUCOOP-TVET Bachelor's Program no doubt requires hands on.

Earlier this year the people of Malakal has experienced some incidents among others a clash between some militia and the SPLA. Malakal now appears to be peaceful and calm. While shopping at the market we met some American and Australian UNMIS police officers working with capacity building. They confirmed the impression given by the UN security reports and told that they had received no information about any security risks in Malakal.

Joining The NUCOOP Technical Vocational BlogSphere

Most of the instructors at the Multi-Services Training Center in Juba, which is supported by JICA and SAVOT have now joined The NUCOOP Technical Vocational BlogSphere.

The NUCOOP Technical Vocational BlogSphere is a network of bloggers whom are one way or an other connected to the Upper Nile University's and Akershus University's efforts to support the development of the techical vocational education in Southern Sudan. This is a pert of the NUCOOP program which is a USD 10 mill initiative to support collaboration and development within higher education in Southern Sudan and Norway.

The participants in the workshop from the MTC in Juba in front of the tuckles at Mango Camp.

Why have I joined this workshop?

On Monday March 23rd the questions were many at the opening of the workshop in Technical Vocational Teacher Development for the instructors at the Multiple Training Center in Juba.

The over all umbrella of the Technical Vocational Teacher Development program is the question How can I improve my practice?

Based upon each individual instructor's experience from his teaching questions like what is the most important area for me to improve? Is it my techniques, subject matter knowledge or do I have to work to improve the teaching and learning environment?

How can I improve my practice?

This is the guiding question which the 19 participants in the first workshop in the Technical Vocational Teacher Development program ask them selves. Monday February 16th they started on a journey of collaborative efforts of systematic improvement of their professional practice.

Each of the participants have created their own blog on which they intend to share accounts of their professional practice and their experiences regarding their efforts of improvements. The improvements planned by the participants cover different areas of teaching practice, as communications, drawing of technical models, community mobilization, demining, business skills, data collection, basic English grammar, surgical nursing, methodology of self improvement, introduction to carpentry tools to mention a few.


During the spring of 2009 the intention is that the Technical Vocational Teacher Development program will contribute to the establishment of a Southern Sudanese Technical Vocational blogsphere. This part of the program is partly inspired by the work of Jack Whitehead with Living Educational Theory at the University of Bath in England.

The Technical Vocational Teacher Development program offered by Akershus University College and Upper Nile University is a part of the NOK 65 million NUCOOP program for capacity building in Sudan partly financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via The Norwegian Center for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU). SIU is a public Norwegian agency that promotes international cooperation in education and research.

We learn through interaction with each other

Nasra, Atom, Nsubuga and Abraham in an eager discussion about the communication model and how a common interest in a specific subject matter might help to energize a dialog.

The Learning Group Dialog once again was said to be the most important activity for learning. The participants of the Teacher Development program taking place at Yei Vocational Training Center were quite clear – the Learning Group Dialog made them really to learn.

This is the feedback from many workshops and it is probably the truth regarding learning in class too.

The overall question for the program is:”How can I improve my practice?” Improvement involves change, and change often hurts for someone.

How can I improve my practice?

This is the major question which is framing the one week workshop for 19 instructors from the Vocational Training Centre, Mine Action, Agricultural Training Centre, Medical Training School as well as SPLM. The workshop started Monday February 16th and it took place at Yei Vocational Training Centre.

The workshop was officially opened by Paterno Legge. He is now working as the Investment and Development Advisor to the Governor of Central Equatoria. Paterno Legge has for years been an important part of NPA in Southern Sudan.

In his opening speech Paterno Legge, the Investment and Development Advisor to the Governor of Central Equatoria highlighted the importance of the focus on capacity building in Southern Sudan. “We have been at war for more than twenty years and in this period the people of Southern Sudan did not have access to education. Even during the war the Norwegian people were here together with us supporting us and they still continue to support us, now focusing on capacity building.”

The capacity building program in Technical Vocational Pedagogy in Yei was initiated by Ms Linda Thu at Norwegian People’s Aid in Juba. The capacity building is a part of the NUCOOP program focusing on supporting Higher Education in Southern Sudan.

The workshop is the first of its kind held in Southern Sudan. It is the first part of a full one year program offered as a part time program over two years in Technical Vocational Pedagogy. The program is offered by Akershus University College from Norway in collaboration with Upper Nile University in Malakal.

Vocational Teacher Education

Curriculum Development;
Vocational Practices at Training Centers
and Local Industries in South Sudan

Upper Nile University in Malakal is in cooperation with Akershus University College in Norway and Kyambogo University in Uganda forming a Bachelor programme in Vocational Teacher Education. The Vocational Teacher Education will be offered by Upper Nile University in Malakal.

Three master degree students in Vocational Pedagogy at Akershus University College in Norway are in the period Oct – Dec 2008 studying vocational practices and doing data collection among others in Juba, Malakal, Wau and Yei. The purpose of their work is to have a vocational teacher education in line with the needs of South Sudan.

They are going to document the work processes in the different vocational trades and how the learning of the vocational skills takes place both at the vocational training centers and at the workplaces.

We appreciate your kind cooperation and will do our best to provide you with access to a high quality vocational teacher education which is in accordance with the needs of the industries, the vocational training centers, the communities and the individual human beings of South Sudan.

Aidah Trevelynn Nganda Studies: Preparation, cooking, hygiene, safety, preservation and presentation of food. Interested in cake making for important occasions and cooking local& international dishes.	Daniel Ruben Ateng Instructor at Malakal Vocational Training Center Upper Nile and at St. Joseph's Vocational Training Center in Khartoum within mechanical production and Youth Entrepreneurship Development	Paul Tartisio Kenyi Instructor at Don Bosco Vocational Training Center among others in Wau within Auto Mechanics. Teacher at upper secondary school among others within mathematics.

To Whom It May Concern

Akershus University College is a partner in the NUCOOP Bachelor in Vocational Education Project in cooperation with Upper Nile University in the Sudan and Kyambogo University in Uganda.

The partnership is funded by SIU, Norway, and is about developing a bachelor program in Vocational Education at UNU in Malakal.

The participants in the NUCOOP program from Akershus University College are:

• Johan Houge-Thiis, project coordinator and research fellow
• Trond Smistad, project developer and research fellow
• Jan Erik Heimdal, educator and specialist in curriculum development for Technical and Vocational Teacher Education
• Roger Bakken, educator and specialist in electronics in VTE
• Egil Froyland, educator and senior advicer
• Paul Tartisio Kenyi, mastertsudent in Vocational Pedagogy and NUCOOP BVE-Project assistant
• Kwang Daniel Ruben, mastertsudent in Vocational Pedagogy and NUCOOP BVE-Project assistant
• Aidah Trevelynn Nganda, mastertsudent in Vocational Pedagogy and NUCOOP BVE-Project assistant

Sunday morning, but what time is it?

Is it 8 o'clock, 9 o'clock or even ten? We needed some time to figure that out to day - and the reason was that back home summertime was gone and cell phones automatically adjusted. We needed some time to mentally adjust to the correct local time which no more was one hour but now two hours ahead of Oslo.

Professor Faisal picked us up and we had some important discussions at Upper Nile University among others regarding how to get going with some workshop oriented study programmes in pedagogical change management.

In the afternoon we had the opportunity to say thanks to Ola, Shireen and Fasil at the embassy for their excellent and invaluable services. Without their help we could hardly have managed. Visa and transportation are vital to us.

Arriving Khartoum after hours of Lufthansa

Saturday afternoon Oct 25th approximately on time, meaning 17:15 we arrived at Khatoum International Airport and were met by Fatin and Sabet as well as the drivers both of the hotell and the Upper Nile University.

Fatin and Sabet both from Upper Nile University in Malakal are just starting their one year FK staff exchange programme going to Kyambogo University in Uganda and to Akershus University College in Norway.

They were both expressing their gratitude towards the kind and excellent services they have received at the Royal Norwegian Embassy and at the Embassy of Uganda in Khartoum. They expected to be allowed to leave Khartoum for Nairobi and Kampala Sunday aternoon.

Fatin's visa for visiting Norway is still not a hundred 100 % ready, but we both hope and believe that it will be ready in due time with the help of Helle and her colleag-ues at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kampala and with the good support from Ola and his team in Khartoum.

The evening was a very pleasant one which was spent together with Professor Faisal and the Danish speaking director of the hotel in a fascinating out door restaurant. Not surprisingly, the theme was the obvious needs of all kinds of vocational education in Sudan, both in the North and in the South.

How to make English the tounge of vocational learning in the NUCOOP Bachelor programme?

The teachers in the NUCOOP Bachelor programme in Vocational Education are beyond doubt expected to be using the English language when teaching. At the same time it is expected that not all of the teachers are used to teaching in English and that even a smaller part of the Sudanese bachelor students are feeling at ease when using the English language.

In some parts of the Sudanese upper secondary schools English is not taught at all. It is expected that some of the bachelor students are going to qualify for admission partially based upon their vocational merits.

Lazarus is worried that his computer training which he paid for him self is soon becoming useless because of his lack of acces to a computer.

Lazarus, a young man from Malakal told me how he had learned his English. By listening to others, picking up pieces of phrases and actively construct-ing his English language he has on his own obtained sufficient knowledge in English to be able to participate in social inter-action using the same language. Lazarus is beyond doubt a clever guy and he is called wise by his peers. He has in his own way managed to cope with the challenges caused by that his school did not offer him the opportunity of learning English.

The NUCOOP bachelor programme in vocational education will have to face the challenge of a student body supposed to be lacking sufficient knowledge in English by integrating intensive focus on language training in all of its activities.

One way might be to offer the students access to high quality soundtracks presenting readings of English literature as well as vocational texts. The individual use of technology supported interactivity enabling each student to record and listen to his or hers own pronunciation and intonation and to compare it with the sound tracks will probably contribute to an increased learning outcome.

Another approach might be to facilitate a systematic formalisation of the tacit knowledge often characterizing vocational practice by open reflection and sharing.

The big question of how to manage to make English the tongue of learning in the NUCOOP bachelor programme in vocational education in South Sudan still remains mainly open and ideas are welcomed.