The University of Eastern Finland celebrated the graduation of 25 Namibian teachers from the two-year Master’s Degree Programme in Primary Education that started in 2017. The programme, commissioned by the Namibian Students’ Financial Assistance Fund through Finland University, was implemented in the School of Applied Educational Sciences and Teacher Education in the Philosophical Faculty at UEF, following a pilot in 2014-2016 where six Namibian teachers from the University of Namibia were trained to the Master’s level.
All 25 students did their Master thesis project on various aspects of Namibian education, from curricula development to the development of STEM subjects and classroom layouts.
“The graduates have increased their own competencies in teaching and pedagogy, having gained knowledge and skills that they can use to develop teaching in Namibia, adapting them to everyday work and also disseminating this to their teacher colleagues in Namibia. Their experiences can be implemented widely on an organisational and societal level,” Professor Sari Havu-Nuutinen from UEF said.
Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Esegiel Katjita thanked UEF for the support provided to their group and emphasised that they would be taking many lessons learnt back home to Namibia and they looked forward to making their contribution to education.
Speaking in the graduation ceremony, the Ambassador of Namibia to Finland H.E. Bonny Haufiku pointed out that all improvements and any development in any country starts with education. “Investing in education, even when economies slow down, is a wise step, and teachers are the key to development. With these 25 graduates, we have planted a seed that will bloom in the future.”
Former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari also sent a congratulatory message to the new graduates and urged them to commit to the values that have made the Finnish school system one of the best in the world. He emphasised that “Educating children is an important profession in any society. Our society is as strong as our children are; the future is in their hands. If we invest in children and offer them equal opportunities in life, our societies are more likely to remain peaceful. Equality is one of the building blocks for peace, and schools play a significant role in this.”
UEF has partnered for years with Namibians on research and education. The first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Namibia, Professor Peter Katjavivi and Dr Frieda-Nela Williams, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, in the mid-1990s, studied at the University of Joensuu. The current Vice-Chancellor of UNAM, Dr Kenneth Matengu, did both his Master’s and doctorate studies in Joensuu and was selected as UEF Alumnus of the Year in 2014. Furthermore, UEF’s Academic Rector, Professor Harri Siiskonen, did his PhD research on Namibian history.
“Over the years, we have had more than 40 Namibian students enrolled at UEF. With these new graduates, the number grows even larger, and we can now call Joensuu the northern Windhoek of the world,” Rector Jukka Mönkkönen said.
“The end is just a new beginning”, said H.E. Ambassador Haufiku at the end of the graduation ceremony. UEF and the Embassy of Namibia, together with the partners that have supported the programme, are now looking into working with the new graduates to disseminate their research results, their knowledge and skills and to continue the strong partnership that has been forged.
A report covering the experiences and lessons learnt during the programme, entitled Teachers of the Future: Finnish-Namibian Collaborative Teacher Education (available at URN:ISBN:978-952-61-2971-6) was also published during the graduation ceremony.
For further information, please contact:
Professor Sari Havu-Nuutinen, email sari.havu-nuutinen(at)uef.fi
Coordinator Roseanna Avento, email roseanna.avento(at)uef.fi