Fabulous Friday: Sharing with you my exciting plans

So...this week; in between lesson planning, university, getting my head round some tricky Spanish phrases and attending a very poor theatre performance of 'Alien's Love Underpants'; I have been organising some rather exciting projects which I will be working on in June 2014. 

On Wednesday 4th June next year, I will be journeying over to Asia. There I will be teaching English as a foreign language in Hanoi, Vietnam. 

Education is something I am highly passionate about. I believe every child has the right to an education which develops their personality, talents and abilities to the full. I also believe primary education must be free for all children. It is something we take for granted in the UK, but elsewhere in the world 61 million children are still being denied their right to go to school (UNICEF, 2013). For others, poor teaching and facilities, or poverty, deny them the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Other factors excluding children, especially girls, from education include social attitudes and the pressure to work. For too many children who do go to school, it is not the positive experience it should be. Schools' should be protective environments equipped with trained teachers and adequate resources. 

Education is becoming an increasingly important issue in Vietnam. Traditionally, agriculture has provided jobs for the masses, but this sector’s growth has plummeted. Nowadays, international commercial trade governs the Vietnamese economy, especially in major cities such as Hanoi. This economic shift has created a greater demand for skilled labour and particularly a workforce that is multilingual with English being the main language required.

In recent years, access to primary and secondary education has risen significantly and schools have received increased levels of funding. Furthermore, there is a greater focus on physical, psychological, social and emotional growth, alongside general educational achievement. English language training was introduced into the national curriculum in 2010 as the government continue to recognise the importance of the ability to speak English to young people.

Schools’ in Vietnam really are grateful for any sort of input from a native speaker, whether just practising the alphabet with a small group of 6 year olds or holding a conversational English session, a bit of creativity and enthusiasm can make a difference and I feel I can really put my skills to good use.

For more information please visit my page:

http://www.gofundme.com/54n0do

Reference: United Nations Children's Fund (2013) Education. Available from http://www.unicef.org.uk/UNICEFs-Work/Our-mission/Childrens-rights/Education/ [Accessed: 8 November 2013].