GVS News
New GVS session: Winter 2023
GVS Winter 2023 session starts on January 27 and it is scheduled for 10 weeks. Students in 9 countries, 20 centers, are registered in the General ESL program in 3 different levels: A2, B1, and B1+/B2. GVS is working with CIEE TFEL and with World TESOL Academy to provide volunteer TESOL trainees to teach in the program. 19 new teachers and one teacher from the Fall session are ready to meet their students. More information about the centers and the courses can be found on the Winter 2023 page.
Fall 2022 session final exams
GVS Fall 2022 session ended on a high note: students in both A2 and B1-level courses successfully passed their exams. The average for the entire Fall ’22 cohort is at an all-time high of 92%. Congratulations to all the students, who worked very hard for this achievement; to our volunteer teachers, who did such an amazing job; and to our collaborators on the ground, who coordinated the classes, the recruitment, and the final online examinations. Below is a photo of Afghan who studied in Tajikistan, at the our partner centre in Vahdat, who went by bus to sit their exams in Dushanbe.
WEF-GVS Partners with Bridge Education Group
English Language Skills Training for Teachers is an initiative of Worldwide Education Fund of The Dallas Foundation (WEF) USA in partnership with Bridge Education Group. Bridge is sponsoring the training of 8 teachers currently engaged with WEF’s English Language Labs programs in local schools in Booni, Chitral (Pakistan). The three-month, self-paced, tutor guided, online Micro Credential TEFL certification will help the local ESL teachers develop their skills and apply the newly acquired knowledge when teaching in the language labs.
WEF provides the learning platform and technology support to the teachers enrolled in the course, who otherwise would not have been able to follow the course. To ensure active and effective engagement with the course, WEF organizes discussion sessions. The teachers meet once-a-week and share their understanding of the module and discuss the course material.
The teachers will conclude the course with a practicum and submit a comprehensive assignment based on their understanding of the course. WEF will provide the practicum opportunities for the teachers at their In-School Language Labs to put theory into practice.
This is the first phase of a collaborative project that will benefit teachers in remote areas of the world. The aim is to expand the impact and scope to 40 teachers in 2023.
ABOUT OUR PARTNERS/SPONSORS
BRIDGE EDUCATION GROUP:
Bridge offers affordable, internationally-recognized, and accredited online TEFL/TESOL certification for both new and experienced teachers.
Bridge Education Group is accredited by ACCET, U.S Department of Education Recognized Agency and the courses are accredited by AQUEDTO, College Credit Recommendation Service. For more information please visit: https://bridge.edu/
FOUNDATION TO EMPOWER STUDENTS (FES), PAKISTAN:
Foundation to Empower Students (FES), Pakistan is a public limited company under the Companies Act. 2017, with the primary objective to provide scholarship to students and grant aid including supply of books, stipends, medals, prizes, grants, awards, medicines, educational career support, bursaries and other incentives to needy and deserving students for advancement of knowledge, education and literacy.
New GVS School Year 2022-23
GVS has started its virtual classes in 7 countries, 19 centers. hundreds of students from modest backgrounds are currently enrolled in two ESL programs: levels A2 and B1 on the CEFR. They are studying an American textbook series, American Headway, and are being taught by volunteer teachers from the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, and other countries. All the teachers have training and/or experience in teaching ESL online and are happy to work as volunteers and teach GVS students.
Our partners, who have provided GVS with the teaching staff that we need this year for the online classes are World TESOL Academy (https://www.worldtesolacademy.com/online-teaching-practicum/) and CIEE TEFL (https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/work/tefl). We owe them our gratitude!
More news to come about GVS plans and future classes.
Graduation Ceremony-2022 ECD Center Booni Chitral!
Global Early Childhood Center in Booni, Chitral in Northern Pakistan held a ceremony for the graduates of the Montessori class 2021-2022. WEF launched Global ECD Centre in September 2021 with a batch of 23 students between the age of 3-6 years. 12 of the students successfully completed their one year in the Montessori class under the supervision of two certified teachers.
The ECD Center continues to work and equip 40 children with the skills to be able to learn for the rest of their lives. By teaching them a method of analytical thinking, we believe they will be able to be independent thinkers and be high performers in their chosen careers.
Global ECD is an initiative of WEF and its project delivery partner is the Foundation to Empower Students (FES) in Pakistan. The aim of this collaboration is to establish and promote Early Childhood Development programs in the marginalized communities around the South and Central Asian countries where the educational systems have been unable to nurture such developmental needs of children under the age of 6.
New cohort at MGA Karachi
GVS has started its virtual classes at Muhammadi Girls Academy (MGA), Karachi Pakistan since September 19, 2021. MGA is an amazing boarding facility that caters to girls for underprivileged and marginalized backgrounds. 19 MGA boarders attended the session. WEF is collaborating with MGA to provide English language learning skills program for the students living in the facility under the WEF Global Virtual School Program that aims to expand and improve access to English Language Skills Training for deserving students around the globe. Another attribute of the program is Global Competence. Lastly, the cultural exchange that GVS has been able to provide is outstanding. The program provides an amazing opportunity to the learners and virtual volunteer teachers to interact and deepen their understanding of their cultural and social differences, but more importantly, their similarities. Put simply, GVS is acting as a bridge between countries, creating a cross cultural environment of learning, understanding and tolerance.
Fall 2021 Opening of GVS in Pakistans
On September 18, the 6 Lincoln Corner locations joined WEF in the opening ceremony of a GVS program virtually via the Zoom platform at their respective locations. The program was successfully piloted at 2 Lincoln Corners earlier this year in partnership with the Lincoln Corners Pakistan. For those of you who may not know, the Lincoln Corners are part of a global network of more than 600 American Spaces that bring together Pakistanis and Americans. Around 100 Pakistani students joined the kickoff of the Lincoln Corners Pakistan’s new session of Global Virtual School (GVS), an online English language and American culture program through the Worldwide Education Fund of The Dallas Foundation (WEF).
The program was moderated by Monica Davis, Regional Public Affair Officer U.S.Deputy Counselor for Public Affairs William A. Tarver encouraged students to take advantage of this opportunity. Kamal Daya CEO and cofounder WEF presented the welcome remarks. Asma Zafar, Program Manager WEF, highlighted the administrative details of the program.
GVS Early Childhood Development, Booni
Worldwide Education Fund of the Dallas Foundation (WEF), USA inaugurated its first Global ECD Centre in Booni Upper Chitral in Northern Pakistan on August 25, 2021 and opened the space for classes on September 1, 2021. Global ECD Centre is one of its kind in the region and will cater to 25 learners in the first phase.
The program envisions to promote Early Childhood Development programs in the marginalized communities around the globe where the educational systems have been unable to nurture such developmental needs of the children under the ages of 6 years, particularly in the mountainous communities of South and Central Asia.
GVS Early Childhood Development, Bartang
Our Global ECD Play Spaces in Bartang opened for classes on September 1, 2021. The ECD Play Space was inaugurated in the presence of teachers, parents, community members and the students in Bartang Tajikistan on August 31, 2021.
WEF signed an MoU with Aga Khan Education Board (AKEB) for Tajikistan with the aim to educate marginalized students in Bartang, Tajikistan.
Global ECD Play Spaces is a children’s play and education program that offers a series of parent/child programs devoted to the physical, emotional and social development of children. The activities are designed to improve balance, coordination and other sensory stimuli while reinforcing good social skills in a group play environment. Children 3 year through 6 years will enjoy learning, singing and dancing while getting their first taste of different musical beats and rhythms.