Learning together and supporting quality education as partners in development
The Link Schools Programme is Link Community Development’s initiative to bring together schools in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, South Africa and Uganda with counterparts in the UK, Ireland and the USA together to learn from one another and to support quality education – as partners in development. Link Community Development has been supporting school partnerships and school improvement in Africa for over 10 years. In this time we have seen how school partnerships can support our wider aims, and we have gained the expertise to support you to make a success of your school partnership.
What are the benefits of global school linking?
A school partnership can be an exciting and valuable educational experience for pupils, teachers and everyone involved with the school. By bringing a global dimension to teaching and learning, linking can enrich the curriculum. School partnerships can:
• Be a source of new ideas and thinking;
• Stimulate enthusiasm and motivation to learn;
• Inspire a desire to make a difference locally and globally.
By addressing some of their key challenges, school partnerships can really benefit African schools too. Your support and partnership can inspire a school’s community to take notice of the school and to support them to deliver a better quality of education for all children. This may be by building accommodation for teachers, ensuring their children are in school, improving classrooms or developing a sense of pride in the school and a desire to do better.
How does it work?
Promoting global learning through the curriculum is the foundation on which to build a successful and sustainable partnership. Link’s dedicated staff support you to do this by providing:
• regular facilitated correspondence between partner schools to ensure your letters and projects arrive safely. Internet communication may also be possible through our new Solar Connect project.
• a set of resources to help your pupils get involved in joint projects with your partner school on issues such as the environment, health, and education.
• a Link Schools Programme website where you can see photos, videos and more information about life in rural African communities and schools.
• training about best practice in school linking and the opportunity to showcase your partnership and share ideas at a Link Schools Programme conference.
• support to foster an understanding of shared rights and responsibilities among everyone involved in the partnership and opportunities to take action to
make a difference e.g. through advocacy and fundraising.
With these foundations in place, opportunities become available for teacher exchange visits between partner schools to develop partnership activities, taking your link to the next level and helping to develop lasting friendship between the two schools.
Funding from the European Union has enabled us to improve the Link Schools Programme through our project Partners in Development to focus on raising awareness of global issues and supporting your schools and communities to take relevant and appropriate action to address these issues locally and globally.
Find out more about the Link Schools Programme in England & Wales, Ireland, Scotland and the USA.
The Link School Programme is part funded by the European Union through the project Partners in Development
Promoting global learning through the curriculum is the foundation on which to build a successful and sustainable partnership. Link’s dedicated staff support you to do this by providing:
• regular facilitated correspondence between partner schools to ensure your letters and projects arrive safely. Internet communication may also be possible through our new Solar Connect project.
• a set of resources to help your pupils get involved in joint projects with your partner school on issues such as the environment, health, and education.
• a Link Schools Programme website where you can see photos, videos and more information about life in rural African communities and schools.
• training about best practice in school linking and the opportunity to showcase your partnership and share ideas at a Link Schools Programme conference.
• support to foster an understanding of shared rights and responsibilities among everyone involved in the partnership and opportunities to take action to
make a difference e.g. through advocacy and fundraising. With these foundations in place, opportunities become available for teacher exchange visits between partner schools to develop partnership activities, taking your link to the next level and helping to develop lasting friendship between the two schools.
Funding from the European Union has enabled us to improve the Link Schools Programme through our project Partners in Development to focus on raising awareness of global issues and supporting your schools and communities to take relevant and appropriate action to address these issues locally and globally.
Find out more about the Link Schools Programme in England & Wales, Ireland, Scotland and the USA.
The Link School Programme is part funded by the European Union through the project Partners in Development
