The Multi Service Center (MTC) in Juba is one of the operational vocational training center in southern Sudan. The center has been established on 1976. Mr. Ohide is the director of the MTC during our meeting with him in his office he tell us about the different activities in the center. The center has been reinvented by the international labour organization ILO and after that all the activities are supported by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) beside the equipment donated.
JICA has played a big roll in creating the one year curriculum for the MTC with the collaboration Nakawa VTC in Uganda.
The MTC is running short courses training for one year in eight different trades companied into two big building, the workshop number one consist of four trades, metal sheet and fabrication, machine shop, Auto – machines, and refrigeration and air conditioning.
The workshop number 2 consist of four trades general electricity, plumping, building and construction, and carpentry.
We have been introduced by the deputy director for training programs to the head section of electricity department Mr. Taban.
After we inform Mr. Taban with our purpose for the visit, we asked him to allow us to attend the theory class.
The number of the students attended that lesson was 10 students out of 14 students. The instructor Mr. Joseph lauko was teaching the class planning of the electrical connection and materials cost estimate. During the lesson he has used many good illustrations to enable the students to understand what he was teaching them, he draw a room in the board and he show the right place to allocate the switch and the control panel.
The instructor was talking to the students the whole period of the lesson about 1 hour without giving the students a single chance to ask any question or to say what they know about the subject, during the lesson I make observation to the class and I found that three students in different corners of the class were sleeping, the two students whom I sited beside them were busy with writing another subject on their notes.
After the lesson the students went to the break and that was around 11:00 AM I used this chance to talk with the instructor about the lesson, I mentioned to him that the lesson was very will done and me personally I have understood what he was teaching in the class. Then I introduced my self to him and the purpose of our visit, and then he introduced himself to me.
I asked him Mr. Joseph how many students do you have in the electrical workshop, he said they were 20 students, 6 students leave the school for unknown reason, at the moment there are 14 students, four are absent, among the absentees 3 students are working and the other one takes his son to the hospital.
Then I asked him what was his intention for that lesson. He said he wanted the students to know how to calculate for the materials and be able to draw the plans for their work, to achieve this goal he present the lesson in the way that students can understand what is being taught to them that is why his using illustration form the surrounding to let the students imagine the real situation at the workplace.
Then he want on telling me that after he finish the O level (secondary school) he did one year course in the filed of general electricity in Nakaw VTC, Uganda.
I asked him to tell me what is the system of education that they have at the MTC, he tell me that the training period is divided into three terms, each term consist three month and half, Then in the second term the students go for industrial practice for a period of one month, according to him he feels that this period is not sufficient for the students to obtain good skills during the practice he think if the students are given three month for the industrial practice will be better.
I talk to group of students under the tree during the break, after I introduced my self to them they also tell me their names. Then I tell them that I want to learn from them they have to tell me what they have learned today. One of the students started talking this student is call Taban he told me that he learned how to setup a plan for his work, and he stated that without a proper plan I cant estimate the materials. Another one said “the instructor was over talking” then asked how do you want him to teach in the class, another one answered “he should give us a chance to express our self” then I said how. He want one saying “he should ask us if we understood the lesson or no”.
More to come in part 2 of this article
The MTC is running short courses training for one year in eight different trades companied into two big building, the workshop number one consist of four trades, metal sheet and fabrication, machine shop, Auto – machines, and refrigeration and air conditioning.
The workshop number 2 consist of four trades general electricity, plumping, building and construction, and carpentry.
We have been introduced by the deputy director for training programs to the head section of electricity department Mr. Taban.
After we inform Mr. Taban with our purpose for the visit, we asked him to allow us to attend the theory class.
The number of the students attended that lesson was 10 students out of 14 students. The instructor Mr. Joseph lauko was teaching the class planning of the electrical connection and materials cost estimate. During the lesson he has used many good illustrations to enable the students to understand what he was teaching them, he draw a room in the board and he show the right place to allocate the switch and the control panel.
The instructor was talking to the students the whole period of the lesson about 1 hour without giving the students a single chance to ask any question or to say what they know about the subject, during the lesson I make observation to the class and I found that three students in different corners of the class were sleeping, the two students whom I sited beside them were busy with writing another subject on their notes.
After the lesson the students went to the break and that was around 11:00 AM I used this chance to talk with the instructor about the lesson, I mentioned to him that the lesson was very will done and me personally I have understood what he was teaching in the class. Then I introduced my self to him and the purpose of our visit, and then he introduced himself to me.
I asked him Mr. Joseph how many students do you have in the electrical workshop, he said they were 20 students, 6 students leave the school for unknown reason, at the moment there are 14 students, four are absent, among the absentees 3 students are working and the other one takes his son to the hospital.
Then I asked him what was his intention for that lesson. He said he wanted the students to know how to calculate for the materials and be able to draw the plans for their work, to achieve this goal he present the lesson in the way that students can understand what is being taught to them that is why his using illustration form the surrounding to let the students imagine the real situation at the workplace.
Then he want on telling me that after he finish the O level (secondary school) he did one year course in the filed of general electricity in Nakaw VTC, Uganda.
I asked him to tell me what is the system of education that they have at the MTC, he tell me that the training period is divided into three terms, each term consist three month and half, Then in the second term the students go for industrial practice for a period of one month, according to him he feels that this period is not sufficient for the students to obtain good skills during the practice he think if the students are given three month for the industrial practice will be better.
I talk to group of students under the tree during the break, after I introduced my self to them they also tell me their names. Then I tell them that I want to learn from them they have to tell me what they have learned today. One of the students started talking this student is call Taban he told me that he learned how to setup a plan for his work, and he stated that without a proper plan I cant estimate the materials. Another one said “the instructor was over talking” then asked how do you want him to teach in the class, another one answered “he should give us a chance to express our self” then I said how. He want one saying “he should ask us if we understood the lesson or no”.
More to come in part 2 of this article
