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The Faculty of Education and its McGill International Institute of Education (MIIE) have been making an impact on society in Asia and Africa. MIIE specializes primarily in the professional development of educators through its global learning classrooms which are rich in diversity and are flexible and accessible.

Thanks to the progressive vision and generosity of two major donors, MIIE’s Director, Dr. Alenoush Saroyan, recently partnered with colleagues Dr. Tara Flanagan (McGill University) and Dr. Boris Vukovic (Carleton University, READ Initiative) on a special project to support teaching and learning at the St. Francis School for Able and Disabled Children, in Moshi, Tanzania.

St. Francis School is a privately operated residential elementary school under the administration of the Sisters of our Lady of Kilimanjaro; a Christian Diocesan congregation. The school population includes 310 students, 24 certified teachers, and numerous volunteers led by Sister Maria Benedicta as top administrator. The vast majority of St-Francis students are children with severe disabilities including albinism, hearing, vision, and physical impairments, and speech disorders. The school is also a residence for orphaned children, many of whom are abandoned by their families to avoid the stigma associated with disabilities in general and albinism in particular, both of which are highly pronounced in that region.

After visiting and conducting a needs assessment in 2019, the McGill-Carleton team developed a strategic plan that would ensure sustainability in supporting the teachers of St. Francis School and would meet the ongoing needs of students and student learning. The main pillar in this plan was to seek local partners and build their capacity to help St. Francis School and eventually other schools in the region. One such partner is nearby Arusha’s Patandi Teachers’ College which specializes in inclusive teacher education. Arrangements are underway to provide the faculty of this college with professional development opportunities that can then be extended to St. Francis School and its teachers. Plans are also underway to implement internship opportunities at St. Francis School for Patandi Teacher Education students. This mechanism will provide a continuous flow of support to the School and more importantly, will be a rich learning opportunity for future teachers of inclusive education. Furthermore, a team has been put together with McGill and Carleton faculty and graduate students, as well as faculty from Dar Es Salaam University, to work on practical aspects such as curriculum adaptation to meet the needs of students with disabilities. A plan to conduct concurrent research on these developmental activities and the potential of their scalability has raised interest from other organizations such as UNESCO, opening doors for new collaborations.

Believing that education has the power of change lives, Dr. Saroyan and team are hopeful that this international partnership can be a model for other educators working with vulnerable populations.