An Interview with Joan McDonald - Part 4
Joan MacDonald has been collaborating with RESPECT International, coordinating RESPECT University (RU) courses to refugee students in Kampala, Uganda, since March 2007. As a RESPECT University field coordinator, she communicates with tutors, downloads lesson materials, and uploads the finished assignments. This article is the fourth and final part of an interview series with her.
Problems faced by the students
The most pressing problem is the sheer lack of capacity in the face of overwhelming demand, and the incredible amount of energy required to start a program from scratch with virtually no funding.
Work at the Refugee Law Project (RLP) is hampered by the fact that its seven-person department has only one rather slow computer! Fortunately, a fund has been established with the eventual goal of providing computer access to the refugees, but the department needs more staff access too.
RLP recently underwent renovations, resulting in more space available so that it can conduct two classes simultaneously – but its student body has also increased. It's not unusual to have students standing throughout the lesson because even if they had enough chairs, there's simply no room for them to sit.
Today's English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers rely heavily on communicative exercises and group work, but large classes, crowded conditions, and high student-teacher ratio make communicative exercises logistically difficult.
The students themselves have problems stemming from the past and continuing circumstances of their lives. Some suffer from emotional and physical injuries, making it difficult for them to concentrate. They might have to walk a long distance to class. Some can't afford to eat every day.
The time required to earn a living and take care of the children sometimes leaves little time for school. Difficult living conditions make them vulnerable to illness. All these factors contribute to a sporadic attendance record and high drop-out factor. Despite all this, every class has a core of regular attendees – a testament to the refugees' thirst for education.
When dealing with RESPECT University students, specifically, communication is a challenge. Not all of the RU students attend Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) classes, so the teachers must contact them individually when the tutors send new assignments.
Although many of the students have email addresses, they can't check their mail every day. Most have mobile phones, so that's the main means of communication.
The original intention was to have the different classes choose group leaders who would organize regular meetings to discuss the assignments, submit their completed assignments and receive new ones. In practice, however, the students generally work alone.
Some students are very slow to pick up and submit their work. Occasionally the tutors are slow to respond, which is very discouraging for the students. When the students receive feedback on their work, they appreciate it so much!
The one resource which RLP has in abundance is human capital. The refugee population contains some highly skilled and motivated people who would be invaluable additions to the FAL team, if it had the time to orient them to the program and the financial resources to compensate them.
You can learn more about RLP and view a short video on their website