Mongolia: Altai
In Mongolia’s vast countryside of seemingly endless green plains there is not much more to find than a few nomad family’s ger. Whenever you knock on a ger’s door, whether you know the family or not, you are welcomed into their home and they share their food and milk with you. Sharing and caring for each other is deeply rooted in Mongolian culture. Even if they do not have a lot they are happy to give whatever they have to help out. This generosity can also be seen by the behaviour of students from rural areas. They help each other out in solving tasks and share their pencils or books with others, who do not have any. Also, teachers have to be very generous as they have to pay for teaching material themselves, e.g. printing or even chalk for the blackboard. As teachers in Mongolia do not have the same level of education as in Switzerland the knowledge they teach is limited. Therefore students are eager to learn English in order to go to university and learn more.
In Switzerland we are privileged with our education system which gives everyone the same opportunities. In Mongolia students from rural towns have it more difficult to gain the same level of education as students from the capital in Ulaanbaatar. It is important to provide the students from rural areas, such as Altai, with opportunities to learn more. Not only does the project teach English to students, but also to English teachers. By giving them insights into alternative teaching techniques the project's goal is to have a long lasting effect.
In order for the project to take place again it is relying on your donation. The donation will be used to provide students from Altai with English learning materials and students from the university of St Gallen will teach English during a four week summer school program. This program is not mandatory for students from Altai, but past experiences have shown that the participation rate is still very high. With your donation the project can take place for the third time and improve the education of students in Altai.
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What will you do?
PIECES volunteers are teaching English in specially organized summer schools at the Khantaishir-Erdem School in Altai City. The English level of the students ranges from beginners to advanced (English teachers) and the age of the students varies between 10-35 years. In addition to the English teaching in the morning, the volunteers are organizing special activities with the students in the afternoon.
Where will you live?
The volunteers live at local host families, which introduce them to the Mongolian culture. The host families usually live close to the school. Although most Mongolians live in a ger, the host families usually live in apartments.
Logistics:
PIECES volunteers are teaching English in specially organized summer schools at the Khantaishir-Erdem School in Altai City. The English level of the students ranges from beginners to advanced (English teachers) and the age of the students varies between 10-35 years. In addition to the English teaching in the morning, the volunteers are organizing special activities with the students in the afternoon.
Where will you live?
The volunteers live at local host families, which introduce them to the Mongolian culture. The host families usually live close to the school. Although most Mongolians live in a ger, the host families usually live in apartments.
Logistics:
Project Times |
4 weeks in August |
Costs |
PIECES covers the costs for board and lodging during the stay |
Working hours |
Classes from 9-13 p.m., afternoon activities with the students, not on weekends |
Prerequisites |
Excellent English, adaptability, flexibility, creativity |
Our Partner
Anita Fahrni, Program Director, Swiss Program for Language Instruction and Teacher Training