St Marcellin School at Vanga was established in 2006 to provide primary education for the local village children and the children of teachers working at St Dominic’s Rural Training Centre. Many will remember that a major impetus for this project was that we were in danger of losing young teachers from St Dominic’s because they would feel the need to leave the island to provide for their children’s education. Your funds provided the local contribution in a funding arrangement made with Kindermissionwerk based at Aachen in Germany. Construction is now in progress. A kindergarten building was completed in July 2006 and a double classroom block has about two weeks work. These developments are required by the students of St Dominc’s Rural Training Centre.

 

We are looking to provide Internships for ‘Teachers in Training’ to be employed at schools. If the internship was based at an Australian primary school there could be many advantages in terms of resources, follow-up support and connection with contemporary teaching practices.

 

Australian infant schools have offered to host such an internship and the selected teacher will also attend a Marist spirituality program such as “Sharing our Call” or “Sharing Champagnat’s Vision”. $2000 would be sufficient to fund this internship which includes a budget return airfare of $1200, accommodation expenses, course costs, daily allowance and funds for the purchase of teaching resources.

For students, they have been attending St Marcellin School in buildings constructed by the boys of the Rural Training Centre. In 2007 we will need to help them with desks, books and electric power.