Global Connections and Exchange (GCE) students from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, the West Bank and the United States gathered online to celebrate International Education Week 2007. Youth from the five countries explored the meaning of education in their communities and the significance of international education through pictures and brief essays, which they exchanged and discussed on the web.

While many of the youth bloggers posted photos of their schools, classrooms, teachers and classmates, some shared snapshots of sports teams, art performances, computer and vocational training, as well as other extracurricular activities. The pictures and mini-essays point to marked differences in the youth’s learning environments, their teachers’ approaches to education, and their school activities. However different their experiences, the GCE students agree about the meaning and value of education and share common aspirations. The photos are a poignant reminder of the similarities among youth across borders: some of the students are poised and focused; some are thrilled to be around friends; while some are nervous about their assignments and exams; and all are bright-eyed and eager to learn.

Following are a few examples of the GCE students’ posts and conversations:

Meaning and Importance of Education

In one conversation, youth from Oroville High School in Washington state and their peers in Tajikistan agreed:

Oroville High School (United States): Education starts right from the first time you learn to take a breath until you die. We are always constantly learning. We are still learning even in our old age. With all the new challenges and technology that we face every day we are forced to learn how to adapt. Learning never stops, no matter how old you are.

ILC Sarband (Tajikistan): I agree with you that Education starts from your birth till you die.We are all learning in spite of our age, and learning is never stops. I think that in everywhere Education is continuous. Every community has schools and our town has a community school which teaches us to play many music instruments, any sport and drawing circles and others.

In a separate conversation, students from the West Bank and Tajikistan praised the power of education to bring people together across borders:

Hebron Community Center (West Bank): Hello I am Wajdy from Hebron community based learning center - I am member of student club. I think education is very important for everybody because it is very beneficial to increase our information and to build our personality. In addition to leading us to knowledge, education helps us build new friendships from all over the world. I am very happy for International Education Week, because it is a very good chance to celebrate and come up with new ideas to develop our community.

ILC Khatlon (Tajikistan): Hello Wajdi I am Olim from Tajikistan. I am a member of the Internet Learning Center in our town. I am agree with you too that education plays a very important role in our life. Via it we can make friendship and learn about other cultures .We also celebrated IEW here in our ILC. I had written an essay about it and told about it to other students. If you will leave your e-mail, I can send you my essay. Let’s write to each other.

Learning in the Classroom and Experiential Learning

Whether in the United States or abroad, education takes many shapes. The following photos and conversations highlight group work and test taking in the classroom, open-air competitions, vocational training and service-learning.

Group work in the United States and the West Bank

Olentangy High School (United States): In this group we talked about how education is knowledge and that learning provides future skills for a better society. Also in this group we talked about how international education can create stability and organization. To us education is life; without education we wouldn’t be able to survive on this earth.

Jenin Community Center (West Bank): That’s a beautiful writing and we…work as you …we work at groups and discuss an important things we send to you an information about as to know us better.

Jenin Community Center (West Bank): That’s right because in our center in Jenin we did like you and talked about education and knowledge and schools and if we don’t have education we will not able to talk and email you and like you said education is very very important for survival.

Exams, Competitions, IT and Vocational Training in Bangladesh

Yusuf M.T. High School (Bangladesh): We learn our class room in our school everyday. The teachers of our school teach us every subject. The teachers follow a class routine and teach us every subject individually. We learn English, Bengali, Social Science, Mathematics, General Science, Agriculture Education, Computer Education and Religion. We also attend practical classes. Students first do warm up activities. Sometime teachers divide students to work in groups or pairs. The teachers use blackbord, chalk, books, teachings, aids, posters, charts etc. After finishing one period, the teacher gives students some homework. We attend two terminal examinations and one annual examination. If we pass all the subjects in the examination, we get promotion to the upper class.

Oroville High School (United States): Here in Oroville we don’t learn about religions, but I have heard that in almost all other countries religion is taught. I think a class on religion could be very valuable and would definitely catch my interests. Judi

Oroville High School (United States): In Oroville we also have so what the same thing we have the final exam after each semester so we can get an overall grade that will go to our transcript for college. We also have required classes like you such as English, Math, Social Studies, Science that are required throughout out high school. Leslie

Gonobidyalaya School (Bangladesh): In general, education in Bangladesh is based mostly upon theoretical learning and doesn’t consider the real life situation of the people. Gonobidyalaya emphasises on keeping the education life-oriented by following the participatory method. The main characteristics and components of the GB education are: life-oriented; participatory; co-education; free from formal examination or competition; assembly; sramadan; income generating activities; stipend; teaching materials.

St. Mary’s Ryken High School (United States): Wow! What are the guys doing in this picture? It looks like they are constructing something, with a lot of wires involved. I wish they had a more “hands-on” course at our school, kind of like a Home Education course, but the closest thing we do to that is in our sciences classes. What course is this taking place in? Tarah

Gonobidyalaya School (Bangladesh): The course what are they taking in the picture is electronics repairing course. Those who get the course can repair the TV, VCD, tape recorders, sound systems and other electronics goods and equipments. Farhad

Hello, good afternoon. This is the computer laboratory of the Adventist International Mission School in Comilla. Now computer practical class is going on.

Hello, good afternoon. These are the AIMS students here. And this is the picture of an open air drawing contest among the students. They like the drawing very much. They have enjoyed.

Field trips and service-learning in Ramallah Community Center (West Bank)

We are Ramallah activists representing two private schools. One day we suggested to have an exchange with our fellows in Marda Village in Salfeet district (Near wall of separation and settlments) One major issue we discussed was their Schools and Education system. Students from private schools realized that not all the facilities that they have in their schools are available for other students from villages who study in public schools. “I believe that it is depressing for students to study in such schools which lack almost everything, can you imagine that they have no desks, no chairs, no labs, no computers, . They have no physical education equipments, no musical instruments, and no yards!!” said Do’a, while Aseel said: “It is amazing to realize how these students manage to study, moreover to get high grades under such circumstances. It is inspiring for us to appreciate what we have and to do our best to get benefit from it to make a positive change in our country”. All of the students visited one of the Public schools to see how the environment is where their fellows study. “I cannot believe how they can make it in winter while the ceiling lets water in!!” said Shaza. After a tour in the school students noticed how dirty the wall is, it was full of phrases written by political groups which was unhealthy for students, so GCEP activists decided to start the first step in “ School Make Over Campaign” that is by painting the wall. The 40 students took part in painting the whole wall of the school yard; they divided themselves into groups and started the work. Within 2 hours the wall was turned into shining white that is really attracting for sight.

Yamama said “it is really good for us to have our friends from private schools visiting us, we together discussed ways in which we can as students make the change, we analyzed issues that our schools suffer from, suggested solutions and proposed for projects”. Marda activists welcomed their guests by a tour in the old city where students saw for the first time how the old buildings are, how people lived in this area in addition to the main source of living; the greenhouses agriculture.

Education and Spirituality

Uttar Badda Islamia Kamil Madrassa (Bangladesh): Education is such a quality that creates morality, independency to a man. In another word education is such an indication that helps a man to buildup as an ideal citizen. For proper education need a suitable academic building. Our uttar Badda Islamia Kamil Madrasha is such a bullding.

St. Mary’s Ryken High School (United States): At St. Mary’s Ryken, religion is present in every aspect of our lives. Here in this picture, runners of the SMR Cross Country Team are preparing for a race. Preparing spiritually is just as vital as preparing physically and mentally. Praying before a race helps the athletes develop their strength in God as well as progressing in their religious education.

School Uniforms: In or Out?

Chowara Girls’ School in Bangladesh posted the following picture and an explanation of their school day:

“Here you may see we are doing group works at a lesson. Weekly our teachers try to make a group work to a particular lesson. Everyday it is not possible because our time period of a class is limited to 30 min. Teacher helps students to sort out the problems at group work.”

Olentangy High School (United States): Are you wearing uniforms? We dont have uniforms. We can wear mostly whatever we want and many people do just that.

Chowara Girls’ School (Bangladesh): Yes,we have unifrom for school for everystudents.And the uniform rule is very very strict.No one can enter classroom without uniform.This uniform gives us identity that we are school girls.
Chowara Girls’ School (Bangladesh): Why you don’t wear uniform?how people identify that you are school going?

Wiregrass High School (United States): Wiregrass High School doesn’t wear uniform either. Now that I think about it, not wearing uniforms is kind of unsafe. Any stranger could be mistaken for a school kid and end up on campus. But a lot of children don’t like uniforms because they like to have their own identity at school.