School time

Client Adviser for SENJIT at The British Council, Cairo, Egypt

SCABAL was appointed by the British Council in Egypt to act as adviser as part of an ambitious school reform programme that addresses school administration, teacher development and students’ opportunities in thirty schools of the Delta region.

Dominic Cullinan visited many state, experimental and private primary schools in and around Cairo in order to find room for making suggestions as to how the use of the school buildings might be improved without massive expenditure. All these schools are overcrowded and state schools have very limited funds to make improvement to the buildings. Corruption and lack of motivation are commonly recognised problems amongst teaching and administrative staff and lead to very poor working conditions for staff and pupils.

During the visit, Dominic developed a strategy approach towards improvement in three ways.

A Dialogue of ideas to foster workshops that could be held by teachers with pupils before the next seminar organised by the British Council planned to be held in autumn 2009, during which developed proposals will be made to the Ministry of Education. By using the curriculum, these exercises in the classroom are designed help illuminate the relationship between the school environment and educational attainment, ethos and learning style.

Small management and physical interventions to improve the quality of experience, sun path plotting and sun shading, outdoor learning and tree classrooms, corridor use and furnishing etc.

A bespoke Building Schools for the Future plan for Egypt, starting with the areas of greatest need.

The aim of this project was also to question the traditional teaching methods, organised facing the teacher, and how emphasis on a new cluster arrangement could improve pupil engagement and modify educational ethos.

Service: Client Advisers

Location: Nile Delta, Cairo, Egypt

Client: British Council

Cost: £tbc

Dates: 2012

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