The educational system of any country or society is like a seed which sprouts into a tree, but only if taken care of responsibly by someone who also makes sure that its leaves are green and healthy. The EEQAP project is also like a seed anticipated to one day become a tree that provides knowledge to our children and capacity to our education system. Since the COVID-19 outbreak where every activity of life was disrupted, the most disrupted part faced by countries across the globe has been students and their studies. The EEQAP project is making sure to engage students and teachers in inclusive education via project based learning (PBL) even during the times of COVID-19. The EEQAP project teams are striving to approach students, teachers and parents to make sure that students will gain knowledge even while being stuck at home. One of the most successful portions of the project is the inclusive education (IE) training in which teams train teachers to follow inclusive education methods rather than traditional methods. It is reported by teachers that due to COVID lockdowns their abilities were adversely affected, symptoms of depression started scaring them and consequently they saw declines in their performance. While there were some online training programs also running, these programs had a lesser impact compared to in-person IE training sessions.
In IE trainings the EEQAAP team conducted activities around topics like economics (in which teachers had to prepare a small business plan), communication, hard and soft skills, types of resources, the difference between project based learning and traditional learning, the life cycle of a butterfly, and the environment that we live in. The trainings also included many interesting games which could be taken into the classroom and help children gain more interest in learning.
Teachers, while appreciating the trainings generally, stated that these activities boost multitasking abilities and now they are in a position to teach students through activities while enhancing creativity in children. Most importantly, teachers are able to gauge the true potential of their students and work for their betterment. The IE trainings have had a positive impact and ensured that teachers are now learning new and fresh ways to teach through project based learning (PBL) in opposition to the obsolete and ineffective traditional style of teaching.
Written by Sajila Yousaf & Bakhtawar Pasha
Edited by Mara McKown