Thank you very much for sending the Grade 4 materials. Your service is great and noble. Actually, you are great sir.....Thanks a lot.
I wanted to let you know that the letters arrived in Swampscott, MA. The students were thrilled. We were especially happy about the timing because we will be video conferencing with the South African school again this year for the fifth time! The U.S. Consulate & Salem State University help us to accomplish this. It is a very exciting day. Opportunity Education's help in keeping this letter writing going is so important and I want to extend a huge thank you from Swampscott. Have a great day!
Dear Mr. Joe Ricketts: The Community of Ilboru Secondary School based in Arusha -Tanzania -East Africa, would like to send to you a great appreciation and many thanks for the great support that you have given to our school.
Students, teachers and the school Management consider themselves as the most prearranged people with the great respect you have given them, something which is not common to many aspect in this world! We thank you so much for selecting our school to be among the pioneer school in this programme.
We would like also to congratulate and show our sincere appreciation on the way orientation of using the equipment was presented and arranged by Mbaki Mutahaba and Sandra Tetty. It was so lovely and well understood to everyone who attended the Orientation for Secondary Schools session.
To our school is a great opportunity, thus, we promise to take care of all equipment and make maximum utilization of them in order to reach the dream reality. On the other hand we would like to present the way materials were well arranged and well prepared in a modern advanced way. Hence, the materials will be useful to our school as it has simplified the teaching of all subjects.
We wish you all the best so that you make sure you reach to the great success of what you have planned in your wonderful programme. LONG LIVE Mr. Joe Ricketts and your supporting management.
Finally, the school management of Ilboru Secondary School would like to invite you and your team to visit our school at any time you wish to do so, since Ilboru is your home as to us Opportunity Education Foundation is our choice. You're warmly welcome at Ilboru secondary school. Karibu sana!
KingGreetings
Dear Shari: This morning I found letters from your school on my desk. I will send them today to Kapilvastu. Thank you so much for writing to the children in Nepal. At the moment it is very hot in the south of Nepal. Your sister school is located in a village and has a very nice atmosphere over it. To get to the village you have to drive or walk through a river. At the moment a bridge over the river is being built. Access to the village in the dry season was OK since the river isn't very deep then. When the monsoon comes, it is a different story altogether. The river swells and reaching the village becomes impossible.
I just want to congratulate for the service you decided to establish here in Tanzania! Previously I saw it as useless but as days goes I found that I was wrong due its positive influence! And da people that are receiving your aids are so anxious in such a way that they are not believing if those accessories are provided free of charge! I am among of the teacher in one of secondary school here in Tanzania and I also attended secondary orientation yesterday (April 27, 2013) on which we realized the benefit from it! We have nothing to pay back as the facilitator being telling us the only thing we can give back is our thankful hand is just to apply it in our daily lesson presentation just for awakening the sense of learning among our students! I promise I am gonna be an example on application of these materials positively as also giving back feedback how far will be goes on! By this few appreciation may I thank you again keep it up with such helpful heart and our LORD GOD will pay u back eternal reward.
The OPPORTUNITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION (OEF) Secondary Schools Program is a great initiative to support teaching and learning in poorly resourced countries.
The program has come very timely to Tanzania, when we are witnessing appalling students' performance in the secondary National Examinations. The highest record failure rate in 2012 was 64%. The biggest challenge Tanzania is facing is inadequate resources, in terms of teachers and teaching/learning material.
OEF has done a good job in blending the curricula of different countries and come up with such a programme. There is no doubt that the Program will enhance the quality of teaching and learning and as a result students' performance will improve.
South African schools have systemic examinations in Grade 3 and Grade 6. Based on the 2012 results, Douglas Road Primary School won awards for Significant Improvement in Numeracy in Grade 3 and for Numeracy and Literacy in Grade 6. The measurement is the percentage of students who pass. Grade 3 percentage went from 82% to 95% in Numeracy. In Literacy it increased 76.5% to 80.4%. Grade 6 Numeracy increased from 69% to 86% and Literacy from 58% to 89%. The school won prizes totaling Rand 23,000 (about $2,500) for these awards.
The OEF program contributed greatly to this success. We are VERY pleased with the program.
Thank you immensely for opening up to me and my institution, Standard English School. I hope as teachers we can together give the children in our hands a good education. While looking forward to full cooperation with you come September 2013, I'd like to let you know that my children, teachers and parents are so excited. They are so eager and interested in the Pen-pal programme for this will help improve writing skills.
We are pleased to announce winning a prize of Rand 20,000 (over $2,200) to honor excellent results and improvements in the Grade 6 systematic tests in the 2012 Western Cape Education Department annual language and math competition. The resources provided by OEF were a great help and made a significant contribution to the school's performance.
Enrollment has increased in our school this year due to the introduction of OEF program. Children were very active and lively as they enjoy the OEF material. The teachers are able to match OEF lessons with regular lessons.
The students and teachers at Maxey are very excited about our Sister Schools Upendo and Nuru in Tanzania. We have written and sent our letters after I brought back the letters from our new friends. I also shared a presentation about Tanzania and our schools. It was so cool-when the children at Nuru waved to us on my video, our kids waved back! Priceless! I am retiring this year from 37 years of teaching. I am excited for my new adventures, but sad to leave the children and staff I love. I will continue to work on our Sister School project and I hope to become more involved in Opportunity Education. Thank you for giving this wonderful opportunity to me, my husband and Maxey School. Easter Blessings!
We acknowledge the great support we get from the foundation aimed at improving the teaching/learning process. The professional development seminar held in Kampala was very good. Presenters really inspired and reenergized me.
I wish the seminar was to be extended beyond 3 days. However, in future when such a seminar is held, our education officers should be invited to attend throughout.
The school community appreciates the partnership with the foundation which is helping us to improve service delivery.
We have been unfortunate with the sister school program because it has not taken off. We write to them but they do not answer back.
We look forward to continued cooperation and support from the foundation this year.
We had a wonderful time in Tanzania and our visits to Upendo and Nuru Schools were highlights of our trip. It felt so great being with the teachers and students at these schools, really natural to me. It is refreshing and encouraging to see how eager and excited the children are to learn. They are so happy to be in school and LOVE their teachers, even me! Maxey Elementary is very excited to be Sister School to Upendo and Nuru and we have already exchanged letters. Thank you for helping these children learn and grow through Opportunity Education.
We thank you wholeheartedly for the wonderful gifts given to us. It was so kind of you to give us such valuable kits. It was just what we needed but never expected. You always know the perfect time to do. We are touched by your generosity, kind hearted and willingness to give out your way to help us. Thank you again and again for being thoughtful.
I was delighted to hear from you, though naturally saddened to know you will be spending less personal time here in India. Nonetheless, I believe you have accomplished something remarkable taking things from nothing to significant development over the past decade. It has been our good fortune to be able to play a very small role in helping to realize this vision. What you have accomplished is remarkable. You have done a wonderful job in grooming Rethish and I can see that you are leaving your work here in capable hands as you continue to expand the reach of Opportunity Education. Martin Malley visited Jiva the other day, though I was not here. He met with Rishi who said very nice things about him. I'll look forward to meeting him soon and to do my best to support your efforts here in whatever way possible.
Your friendship and association has meant a lot to us, and you should know that you will always be a Jiva Family member. You are welcome here to be and stay with us at a moment's notice!
All best wishes as you take things forward. You made a bold decision to take up this position years ago, and I can say that the world is a better place because of it.
Our last national systemic examinations our grade three achieved 91.9% for Mathematics and 80.6% for Languages and I`m sure that your material has played a role in us achieving these good marks.
Battswood Primary is a school that has a high percentage of non-English speakers, not just from predominantly Xhosa-speaking areas of South Africa, but refugees from other African countries. The English result is amazing.
I, YEEIKA JOHN TAN-GHAI, being the Opportunity Education teacher of C.S Binju most respectfully wish to thank the Founder, Executive Director and all the members of the Opportunity Education for the materials sent to my school. The arrival of these materials changed the teaching and learning methods, and at the same time caused learning interests to our learners. This also made me to have more interest in my work.
Accept my kind regards.
Opportunity Education curriculum is systematically designed to approach new students who begin to learn English language. Lessons are really successful. The students prefer to involve in doing activities in these DVD lessons and they like to use learning aids provided by OEF. In addition, the students are exposed to the outer world since the lessons are consistent with untouched areas for the Sri Lankan students.
I hope you are fine and doing splendid. This is to appreciate your earlier visit to Uganda with Maryann Bennett and others. Out of this visit, Maryann and her son identified a need for a water source for a Muslim founded school in our Catholic Diocese. A few days ago she communicated to me that her third grade class had so far raised 500 US dollars towards this cause. I am favorably impressed by this act of universal solidarity. May the Almighty God continue to bless their endeavors. May He also bless your work.
Just letting you know that the students wrote individual letters to the school in Uganda. Those were mailed yesterday. Because I teach Science and Social Studies to three rotating groups of fourth graders, I assigned one school per group. So, every week they ask if it's time to write. I told them we should wait until we hear back from the schools so that we don't overwhelm them with our correspondence. If you suggest otherwise please feel free to let me know.
Again, thanks for all you do and I thank God that you and your organization came into our lives. This is by far the best thing that has happened in my life as a teacher; aside from helping our children learn, of course. :)
Enjoy your day.
Again happy to inform you the results of the Tanzania Primary Seven National Exam 2012:
For the second straight year our school placed 1st out of 968 in the Region and 6th in the country out of 15,059 schools.
I want to inform you that Opportunity Education program support is giving us this big advantage to improve the standard of education at our school, Region, and country at large.
On behalf of me and my family, and our School Board, we are very appreciative to all at Opportunity Education Foundation. Thank you very much.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL
Mr. Materu, headmaster of Masama Kati English Medium School in Moshi Tanzania, told me that the book shipment is now in his good hands. He is making the books available both to the school children and his community, and he expects all the books will be used for many years to come. I hope to visit Masama at some point, and perhaps teach there.
I wanted to personally thank your Team -- for your financial generosity and your hours of labor, without which this never would have been possible. You brought another tremendous blessing to these people -- as you do with every shipment.
I'm writing to send our warmest wishes from SFS Primary School Tabora in Tanzania. I'm in charge of running the program here and I also run the library. The material you provide us with has enabled me to transform the library from a dull room with bare walls into an oasis of joy, excitement and inspiration for the children. They love coming here and do whenever they have got a chance. We use the TV and DVD player beyond the OEF lessons and have had fantastic music lessons with the kids singing from the heart with big smiles and their faces. They visit me daily...
Greetings from Uganda. I was so happy to see you once again in Uganda. Thanks for the good will you have for the people of Africa particularly Uganda! The teachers who attended your workshop from my school were very good and passed on what they learnt to the rest of the teachers. We are now well equipped with the modern methods of whole Brain-Teaching. Thanks a lot for this innovation in the teaching profession. Best regards.
Greetings from Nsambwe C/U Primary School. We are grateful for the Opportunity Education programme in our school. Teachers, parents and pupils are happy for the programme due to its unique instructional materials which are not in our Ugandan schools . Achievements so far reached due to Opportunity Education 1. Improved literacy and numeracy skills 2. Eased the teachers work making learning aids 3. Improved enrolment from 420 to 750 currently 4. Interesting lessons on DVDs and television 5. Wonderful seminar at Gaba in July 2012 6. School photo album on the website I beg to forward my appreciation to Opportunity Education Foundation.
I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the educational materials sent to us. They have very much assisted in the teaching of these infants. Pupils interests have been stimulated resulting in less absenteeism. Teachers are also challenged to improve on their teaching methods/skills and strategies. We are so grateful.
The Opportunity Education program has not only eased the teaching learning process in class but has boosted the learners, leading to serious competition in all fields of curriculum. We send our sincere and many thanks to your organization.
I would like to thank you for the assistance you have accorded to our schools. Your interest in making our children improve on literacy and number skills is simplifying our work so much. It is a good program.
We wish to register our deep appreciation to you for the generous contribution you have made towards our school. We greatly appreciate the gesture of love and sympathy you have shown. May God bless your efforts.