A Reason to Feel Thankful
Yesterday, I presented a talk on our (OUM) contributions to the Ministry of Education's efforts in providing tertiary qualification to our teachers in the Pedalaman (interiors) the Pan-Commonwealth Forum in Kuala Lumpur . Since then, I have been approached by several conference attendees from the African continent, North America and the Indian subcontinent. They were interested in our efforts.
I sat and spoke with them about the project. We exchanged experiences and information. As I listened as intently to them, I had to because some of their accents are not so easy to understand, I realised that in spite of the lacking that some are so keen to point out, we have so much that we need to realise.
Here, there is a real will to bring our folks in the interiors / pedalaman into the modern era. The will is not only lip service, it is backed by investment of billions and millions of man-hours.
This afternoon, I spoke to my friend from Sierra Leone. We discussed the situations in our respective countries and he told me of what his organisation was trying to achieve. I projected a map of Sierra Leone onto the wall in my mind and I dug up all information that I knew of the country. Then I realised the sheer immensity of his objective. I sometimes think that the things that I am trying to achieve are daunting but his gives me the shivers.
I feel humbled by the hurdles these educationists have to overcome. They told me of ambitious projects in places that I rarely hear, Rwanda, Nigeria, Pretoria, Canada's Norther Territories and a few others.
After talking to these new friends of mine, my job does not seem to difficult anymore.
I sat and spoke with them about the project. We exchanged experiences and information. As I listened as intently to them, I had to because some of their accents are not so easy to understand, I realised that in spite of the lacking that some are so keen to point out, we have so much that we need to realise.
Here, there is a real will to bring our folks in the interiors / pedalaman into the modern era. The will is not only lip service, it is backed by investment of billions and millions of man-hours.
This afternoon, I spoke to my friend from Sierra Leone. We discussed the situations in our respective countries and he told me of what his organisation was trying to achieve. I projected a map of Sierra Leone onto the wall in my mind and I dug up all information that I knew of the country. Then I realised the sheer immensity of his objective. I sometimes think that the things that I am trying to achieve are daunting but his gives me the shivers.
I feel humbled by the hurdles these educationists have to overcome. They told me of ambitious projects in places that I rarely hear, Rwanda, Nigeria, Pretoria, Canada's Norther Territories and a few others.
After talking to these new friends of mine, my job does not seem to difficult anymore.
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