The Gambia Teachers Union – GTU (a member of the Education and Solidarity Network) has partnered with the Canadian Teachers’ Federation – CTF (an affiliate of Education International) to develop and implement an empowerment project for Gambian women teachers.
On the African continent, the shortage of teachers is steadily increasing and particularly impacts rural and remote areas.
Having identified that female teachers face more gender-related social barriers when considering moving to these remote areas, GTU and CTF decided to set up a mentoring solution in The Gambia.
The aim was to support Gambian women teachers in working in rural areas on a long-term basis, by reducing their feelings of isolation and professional stagnation through the use of technology.
Mobile phones were provided, facilitating connection to professional learning communities (PLCs) that offered a variety of content via WhatsApp, Zoom, podcasts, and videos.
As a result of this initiative, 84% of the coached teachers reported that they were more likely to continue in the teaching profession in the long term (compared to 70% at the beginning).
Read more about this project here.
