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TEACHER EMPLOYMENT |
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Villa
Catalina and Santa Matilde |
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The Problem |
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Teachers in Nicaragua are underpaid,
even compared with other professionals in that country.
They work long hours, many in primitive settings, with a
shortage of adequate teaching materials. Most teachers
take on second or third jobs to feed their families and
provide their own children with the best educational
opportunities possible. |
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OUR Approach
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Amigos for Christ works with the
Nicaraguan Ministry of Education
to build primary schools and employ qualified and motivated
teachers. After 1 year, the Ministry of Education incorporates
these schools into the national education system and assumes
financial responsibility for the school, including teacher’s
salaries. However, their income is very little. We pay
teachers an additional bonus to work at our schools.
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Why |
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Working in the schools at Villa Catalina and Santa Matilde is
not easy. Teachers struggle with motivating students to learn,
something that is very important if we are to help these
children break free from the cycle of poverty in which they
live. We want our teachers to know that we value the effort
they are putting into their work. |
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The Plan |
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We
will continue to
subsidize deserving teachers,
by paying them a monthly bonus, based on measurable
performance standards. We want to enhance the tools that
these teachers work with each day. We also want to
attract and support specialized instructors at the
schools we are affiliated with. |
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Experience |
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We
have administered the teacher sponsorship program for 5 years.
We have found that the additional support has
improved
the academic performance
of the students and fostered a
feeling
of empowerment
among the teaching staff. |
