Dar Al Mouaalmine Saida AND CRDP (Centre de Recherche et de Developpement Pedagogiques) to train 25 teachers in Scratch
CG Fund provided solar power, the networking infrastructure and the training. A five-week TIKANA – SCRATCH TRAINING course was conducted from February 2025 at the Teacher Training College in Saida. 25 teachers from 20 schools worked with two main trainers who delivered the course while four other trainers were responsible to follow up with the teachers. Each week the teachers followed a self-paced module asynchronously on their pace to discover the content, solve the activities, and learn scratch features and do practice exercises. It included an online weekly meeting with the teachers (synchronously) to follow up and answer all questions raised. Implementation was postponed due to the current situation in Lebanon. These newly trained teachers will introduce Scratch to the students at the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. Schools: • Solar power and 20 computers for Kuwaitiya Public Intermediate School • Solar power and 10 computers for Ain El Helweh Public Elementary School • 20 computers for Islah 1 Public Intermediate School • Solar power for Marwanieh Public Secondary School • Solar power and 10 computers for Mieh w Mieh Public Intermediate School • Solar power and 10 computers for Mostapha El Zaatari Public Secondary School • 25 computers for Thuraya Fares Public Secondary School • Solar power and 20 computers for Anjelik Saliba Public Intermediate School • 16 computers for Maarouf Saad Public Intermediate School • Saida Mixed Primary Public Intermediate School • Dr Hikmat Al Sabakh Public Secondary School
CODE BRAVE to train 16 teachers in coding and robotics
CG Fund provided the training for public and semi-private school teachers in Saida, as well as • 16 computers for Maarouf Saad Public Intermediate School • Solar power and 20 computers for Kuwaitiya Public Intermediate School • Solar and 20 computers for Public Omaniya Public Intermediate School • 5 micro:bit kits for Semi-Private Makassed al Dawha Private School • 20 computers for Ajial Saida Semi-Private Intermediate School The 2022-2023 pilot project at Maarouf Saad Middle School gave 30 hours of training plus assistance from their trainers during their first 12 classroom hours to three teachers in coding and robotics. These teachers taught 210 students during the year. These are their comments: “When I entered the class and told the students that we were going to start learning coding, one of the students jumped over the chair because he heard about coding from neighbors and he didn’t have the chance to know it.” “I am so glad that my dream came true and someone looked at public schools’ teachers and students. I was always wondering why tech skills are kept just for private school students while public school students are the ones who also need more opportunities.” The pilot was such a success that it was followed in 2024 with a training program for 13 teachers from five public and semi-private schools in Saida: Kuwaitiya, Omaniya, Ajial Saida, Makassed al Dawha and Al Kayan. They had 36 hours of training followed by 13 live class coaching for 10 of the teachers who delivered an average of 20 sessions/student to 697 students, 51% who were girls, between Grades 3 and 8. The three LITE program teachers are estimated to have reached 600+ students. Code Brave’s curriculum included • Fundamentals of programming • Using block-based and text-based programming platforms to teach elementary and middle school students • Evidence based practices in K-12 computer science education • Integration of soft skills & internet safety Comment from a parent: “When parents in this area hear that a school like ours is giving coding classes and is competing with big private schools in Saida, and this is a free school, this gave a very big push for the school and the community around it. “ Comment from a student: “What I like most about Mrs. Sarah’s [coding] classes is that I’m learning new things. I’m very excited to find the solution to each thing.”