INSET Management for Anglophone Countries in Africa (Malawi) 8th February 2012

JICA conducts a variety of technical cooperation activities in developing countries in the basic, higher and technical education sectors.  In line with this, Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE) Project in Malawi, a program between the government of Malawi and Japan through Japan International Corporation Agency organized a four weeks customized training, INSET Management for Anglophone Countries in Africa for Malawi, for eighteen participants from January 21^st to February 23^rd 2012. The Training took place at Chugoku international Centre, Hiroshima International Plaza, Japan. Participants for the training included School Inspectors, Headteachers and Managers from the Department of Inspectorate and Advisory Services and the Department of Secondary Education respectively. The purpose of the training was twofold:

1.      Fostering of ownership and the creation of independent, sustainable training operation mechanisms for in-service training with a focus on concepts related to the achievement of student-centered lessons as keywords for the in-service training of mathematics and science teachers.

2.      Stimulate country-driven efforts that will encourage participants to “think by themselves” in the context of needs assessment, content development and monitoring & evaluation of INSET activities.  

The contents of the training included; Educational Administration in Japan, Role and Challenge of Board of Education, attending an open Lesson Study at Ayagaoka Elementary School, Educational Administration in Japan, School Visit at Waseda Jr. high School, Teachers and Teacher Training in Japan,            ASEI-PDSI, INSET: "Achievement and Challenge"        and others which were conducted by Proffessors from the Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University.  The contents were reported to be so inspiring,  one of the participant commented,

“I think we can only improve our education if we change our mind set, I take this as a beginning of the start of a new chapter in my career as an Inspector” after one of the sessions. This was in reflection to the words of one of the professors who said

“Look for not a magic stick which can solve everything but rather a way of looking at things from a different angle”

“Less is more than Much”

Management for Anglophone Countries in Africa (Malawi) participants  with Prof. Baba Takuya. 8^th February, 2012.