Culture and Education as a Bridge Between Uganda and Greece
The Ministry of Education of Uganda collaborates with Greek Higher Education Institutes
August 22nd, 2016
Vicky Milioti, CD News, CD News
Two young volunteers from Greece, Marilena and Konstantinos Maragkos arrived in Uganda in an attempt to promote collaboration between the two countries’ educational systems. They had meetings with the minister of Education and Sports of Uganda, the Rector of the University of Ndejje and various interactive workshops with Primary and Secondary teachers and students.
Two young siblings from Greece, Marilena and Konstantinos Maragkos developed the volunteer, autonomous and non-profit Project H-Ug: Help Uganda in order to support the residents of the village Monde in Uganda, specifically the students. The adoption of two children from the orphanage of Saint Antonios of Monde by Marilena, and the efforts of Father Antonios in the parish of Monde, were the sources of their inspiration for this project.
The basic objective of H-Ug: Help Uganda is to support the Ugandan educational system and to offer students the opportunity to study in Greece. For this reason, the target group was the Ministry of Education and Sports of Uganda, the Primary and Secondary Education teachers and the Higher Education System of Uganda.
Marilena and Konstantinos met with the minister of Education and Sports in Uganda where they had the opportunity to inform him about the Intra-Africa Academy Mobility Scheme. This is an attempt to reduce poverty in Uganda through providing a better quality of education. In particular, the Intra-Africa Academy Mobility Scheme aims at improving the students’ and teachers’ skills though establishing cooperation between higher education institutes.
The two siblings presented to the minister of Education the manual “Instructions of Admission of Foreigners in Higher Education in Greece” which they developed with the support of the State’s Scholarship Foundation and they discussed opportunities for Ugandan students to study in Greece. Moreover, there were meetings scheduled with the Rector of the University of Ndejje where there was a briefing conducted about Erasmus+ in which students from Africa can now participate. In addition, they discussed the prospects of establishing bilateral agreements between Ugandan and Greek Universities.
Finally, Marilena and Konstantinos visited various schools. Students along with their teachers welcomed the young volunteers with traditional songs and dances, they all participated in common activities and there were interactive workshops, games and training seminars to promote cultural exchange between Uganda and Greece. Through all these activities teachers had the chance to create networks with Greek schools in order to stay up-to-date with teaching methods.
The willingness for collaboration shown by the Ugandan Ministry for Education and the self-abnegation of the two Greek volunteers, Marilena and Konstantinos Maragkos are very significant examples of how education and cultural exchange can work as a bridge between countries, helping them to surpass difficulties and achieve their goals. It is hoped that this example will work as an initiative for future efforts.
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See more at: http://www.cd-n.org/index.php?culture-and-education-as-a-bridge-between-uganda-and-greece
