IPPN

Irish Principals Support Colleagues in Tajikistan

When Sean Cottréll, Director of the Irish Primary Principals' Network received a telephone call from Save the Children Fund, asking could IPPN help, the response from the IPPN office was "how, what, why, when and we will provide the who".

Sean Cottréll together with four other principal teachers, Carol Barrett, Grainne Duggan, Máire Fenton and Noel Brennan will be set off today (06-07-01) to travel to the Republic of Tajikistan in central Asia for six weeks. The purpose of this venture is to:

• Deliver a series of workshops to head teachers on school management, classroom management, appropriate curriculum development and how to address the needs of children with physical and mental handicap.
• Tajikistan, bordering Afghanistan is a former Republic of the Soviet Union independent since 1991. After five years of civil war the country suffered extreme drought which has resulted in the education system being ravaged by the negative impact of the market economy which has resulted in virtually no finance for public services
• The five teachers are going on a voluntary basis this summer with a view to providing an appropriate intervention to their counterparts in Tajikistan. The project is co-ordinated and sponsored by Save the Children Fund.
• Irish Primary Principals' Network is a professional association for principal teachers dedicated to their professional development and the advancement of their experience towards education policy. This is the first involvement of IPPN with principal teachers in a developing country.