Updated 11 November 2008

The Zainabiya Child Sponsorship Scheme (ZCSS) is paving the way to enhance its schools in India. In mid October 2008, Terrance Ward, a retired Educationalist assisted the ZCSS schools to build capacity among the teachers and Trustees in India. This work has already begun in Gujarat.

During his recent visit to Gujarat, Mr. Ward was able to achieve the following:

• Had a lengthy and fruitful meeting with the Principal of Al-Mahdi School to discuss what progress was made after implementing ideas from a previous course he had offered in Bangaluru;
  
  
• He observed classrooms where he had an interesting meeting with Year 10 teachers afterwards to discuss recent test results.  This was well focussed and there were many ideas about how to target students to improve performance;
  
  
• The classroom observations continued for another couple of days to thoroughly see what was happening in the Gujarati Medium School, the English Medium and the new Kindergarten school.  The information gathered, then became the basis of a series of staff development workshops;
  
  
• A 2-day workshop was conducted for the principals from Mahuva, Teluga, Bhavnagar and Metha on issues about the role of the principal and how to improve staff performance;
  
  
• He then went to Mahuva and spent three days there observing classrooms and talking with teachers; here he was able to give some feedback at a short meeting before leaving for Teluga;
  
  
• At Teluga continued to observe classrooms and noted an improvement since his last visit.  On the first day of the holiday the teachers came in for a morning course that Mr. Ward conducted on issues around things he had seen during his visit. 
  
  
• On 30 October, he then returned to Bhavnagar to carry out a workshop for the Trustees of Al-Mahdi Foundation on their responsibilities and their role in school improvement.
   

Mr. Ward stated:  “I have rewritten a booklet for use by your schools on development planning and even had time to explore a little bit of Bhavnagar.  I have been given the most tremendous hospitality."



For more information, please email zcss@world-federation.org