Peace Corps recruits 01 Early Childhood Literacy Teacher
Peace Corps
Uganda
Early Childhood Literacy Teacher
COUNTRY
Uganda
REGION
Africa
SECTOR
Education
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
None
ACCEPTS COUPLES
Yes
APPLY BY
February 1, 2024
KNOW BY
March 1, 2024
DEPART BY
August 1, 2024
DURATION
2 years, plus 3 months training
Project Description
The Ugandan Ministry of Education has identified literacy as a national priority and is eager to improve the English literacy teaching and learning capacity in Ugandan schools.
As part of the Early Childhood Literacy Project, Peace Corps Uganda’s Education project seeks to support the Ministry of Education and Sports to realize its strategic objectives through focusing on interventions that aim to improve access to quality early childhood literacy. Volunteers will support teachers to increase knowledge and the application of effective techniques and methods for teaching reading and early literacy skills. Additionally, Volunteers will work with pupils to increase literacy levels and support the development of teaching and learning materials and resources that teachers need to provide high-quality literacy instruction. Finally, Volunteers will further engage parents and community members to encourage children’s literacy and to promote a reading culture within the community.
Volunteers will be assigned to serve as Early Childhood Literacy Teachers for pre-primary (preschool) and primary grades 1 to 3. The day-to-day activities of the Early Childhood Literacy Teacher include:
1. Work with teachers to build their capacity for literacy instruction by leading professional development workshops, model and co-teach, assessment and building communities of practice.
2. Support/guide Ugandan counterpart/host teachers in the use of techniques promoting gender equity in the classroom.
3. Develop resource rooms/libraries/computer labs that enable access and utilization by the learners.
4. Develop instructional materials using locally-available materials.
5. Implement school-based reading intervention programs for early readers.
6. Become involved in community and support school-based projects (e.g., working with schools to establish after-school programs, such as book clubs and readers’ theater etc.)
7. Engage parents and other community members in national-level literacy initiatives, such as national Drop Everything and Read Day, My Language Spelling Bee, and promote a safe and friendly school.
Peace Corps Uganda promotes gender awareness, girls’ education, and empowerment. You will receive training on gender challenges in Uganda, and you will have the opportunity to implement gender-related activities that are contextually appropriate. During your service, you will be expected to look for ways to work with community members to promote gender-equitable norms and increase girls’ sense of agency. As part of your work, you will also report on these efforts and their impact.
Following the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Volunteers will contribute to the global fight against COVID-19 by leveraging its unique structure and reach to complement interagency and host country efforts to enable children impacted by COVID-19 to return to learning safely and recover from educational disruptions. Some of the activities will include: Co-training teachers in effective distance and/or digital learning instruction to mitigate school disruption; teaching remedial groups or tutor students whose education has been disrupted by COVID-19 in literacy; guiding teachers to develop, adapt and/or pilot educational resources in the event of an emergency.
COVID-19 Volunteer Activities
As a Volunteer, you will be trained in how to best protect yourself from COVID-19 exposure and understand the impact of and steps to reduce stigma related to COVID-19. You may also have the opportunity to engage with your community on implementing or enhancing COVID-19 mitigation activities, such as COVID-19 prevention and risk reduction strategies including social distancing, hand washing, mask wearing, addressing myths and misconceptions related to these practices, and vaccine hesitancy. Activities will be tailored to address the COVID-19 circumstances in the communities where you will serve.
Required Skills
• Competitive candidates will have a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline and a strong desire to teach English
Desired Skills
Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in Preschool, Early Childhood, Elementary or Middle School Education
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with Elementary Education state certificate
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with 1 or more school year classroom teaching experience at the Early Childhood, Elementary or Middle School level. Montessori (full-time) teaching experience.
• 3 months, 10 hours/month, or 30 hours of English or literacy teaching/tutoring experience with primary, middle, or high school students, or adults
• Experience in the following areas: teaching literacy; teaching large multi-level classes; classroom management
Required Language Skills
There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position.
Trainees will receive 120 hours of training in the local language used in their assigned community. Each Trainee must attain an Intermediate-Low rating on the Language Proficiency Interview before swearing-in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Structured instruction and extended tutoring among other accommodations are in place to support each Trainee achieve the language proficiency needed for community integration and effective work. Each of the identified activities will require some level of language. Volunteers are therefore required to continue to improve their language skills throughout the course of their service. The set language benchmark at Close of Service is Advanced-Low rating, and the benchmark at Mid-Service Training will be established and communicated accordingly.
Living Conditions
Volunteers usually live in a rural or semi-urban community in accommodations provided by the host organization or a homestay. Housing conditions vary according to organization resources, though it meets Peace Corps’ housing standards with basic furnishings that may be supplemented with a modest settling-in allowance provided by Peace Corps. Most Volunteers living in rural areas are likely to have no running water and electricity, use a lantern or solar lamp for lighting and a stove for cooking. Outdoor bathing areas and pit latrines are likely in rural areas.
In addition to staying at the training center, trainees will also stay with host families for four weeks during Pre-Service Training (PST). Trainees will be provided with a room in the host family accommodation. The homestay accommodation provides an opportunity for Volunteers learn about the cultural norms in Uganda. The last week of PST will be spent in a designated hotel attending supervisor workshop, final PST assessment and preparation for swearing in ceremony. In addition, some Volunteers will also live with homestay families during their two years in their community.
Cell phone service is available across the country. Wi-Fi and internet are not common in rural areas and unreliable, if available. Cyber cafes and internet connectivity are available within urban areas. USB modems and smart phones are available for purchase and can be used for internet access in some places. Mail and post generally take a long time, but Volunteers can readily communicate through smart phones. Volunteers are encouraged to bring a laptop which will enable them to complete assignments offline and upload them later. Please note that tablets and smart phones are not an effective alternative.
Volunteers could be a 2-3 hours’ drive from another Volunteer in some areas, while others are much closer to each other. In their communities, Volunteers will get around by walking, riding a bicycle for about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) round trip, or using local transportation. Public transportation is available near most communities and allows for transit to and from the nearest urban areas or trading centers. Volunteers are provided funds to buy a local bicycle. Many of the community members also use this mode of transportation. Due to safety risks, Peace Corps Uganda prohibits the use of public motorcycle taxis by Volunteers.
Uganda is a very conservative culture and Volunteers are often heavily scrutinized. Living and working productively in Uganda means being able to adjust to different cultural norms, as that can deeply impact successful community integration and credibility. Ugandans are welcoming and open when they feel mutual respect and understanding.
Peace Corps Uganda provides support to a diverse group of Volunteers of various faiths, identities, and sexual orientations, etc. It is important to note that Uganda has restrictive laws that target certain sexual acts. Volunteers need to be mindful of cultural norms and country-specific laws and use their best judgment to determine how to approach topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity in their communities and host country. Please refer to the Local Laws and Special Circumstances of the U.S. Department of State’s travel page for more information on Ugandan laws https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/uganda.html
Peace Corps supports Volunteers as they adjust and adapt to their new cultural and physical environment. Volunteers find great satisfaction in their work, build meaningful friendships with host country nationals, and feel rewarded by their service.
Serving in Uganda
Learn more about the Volunteer experience in Uganda: Get detailed information on culture, communications, housing, health, and safety — including health and crime statistics — in order to make a well-informed decision about serving.
Couples Information
Peace Corps Uganda accepts couples. Your partner must qualify and apply for one of the following positions:
• Agribusiness Specialist
• Business Development Advisor
• Community Health Educator
• Community Health Specialist
Couples will live within the same host family and community during Pre-Service Training (PST) but can be separated for certain technical trainings throughout PST.
During service, couples can expect to periodically attend project-specific trainings, medical appointments, committee meetings, and other programming meetings separately as needed. Couples can be placed in separate schools/community-based organizations within the same/nearby community. However, they should also be open to the possibility of serving within the same school/organization with separate job assignments, as this does occur in some rare cases.
The Peace Corps works to foster safe and productive assignments for same-sex couples, and same-sex couples are not placed in countries where homosexual acts are criminalized. Because of this, same-sex couple placements are more limited than heterosexual couple placements. During the application process Recruiters and Placement Officers work closely with same-sex couple applicants to understand current placement opportunities. For more information please visit: https://www.peacecorps.gov/faqs/lgbtq/.
Medical Considerations
Before you apply, please review Medical Information for Applicants to learn about the medical clearance process.Postuler