From Singapore to Bojoghari! Visiting Students Interact, Learn and Excite.
The 17th of March was the last day for the 22 students from Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) (FMSS), Singapore, who came to share experiences with the students of Bojoghari Secondary School. It was the end of a week-long interaction between two different approaches to life; two completely different lifestyles and two cultures that are poles apart. The teenagers who came visiting the Bojoghari School have very little in common with their host school students apart from their Mongolian features. The kids from Singapore study in an expensive school and they are not only familiar with but also conversant with the latest technologies, and, they had never seen a live chicken until their visit here!
The 22 students, accompanied by three teachers and a co-ordinator, visited the Government school at Bojoghari as part of their Community Involvement Programme. In the course of a year, FMSS students are expected to conduct such a programme in Singapore as well as overseas. As a part of their community involvement, the visiting kids helped in renovating a portion of a building in the school campus and also shared their skills in crafts with the Bojoghari students.
In fact, the students of classes eight and nine, as these classes were given the opportunity to interact with the visitors, have indeed had an excellent time. Esmile Chettri of class IX said that the experience of interacting with kids from Singapore has been very enriching. He has learned much by sharing experiences with the Singapore students, he says.
Nim Lhamu Sherpa and Srijana Chettri, of class VIII are also of the same opinion. They have in fact picked up a few words and phrases of Mandarin from their Singaporean friends and proudly rattled off some words in Chinese to me.
The staff members of Bojoghari Secondary School too seem to have an exciting week. Some were seen busy among the visitors; organizing and monitoring their students. The class room teaching experience too was something different for the teachers here. The students from Singapore study in a student-centric system, whereas here it is the teacher-centric system that holds sway; so the teachers taking classes with the visiting group also had to follow a more interactive method.
It was different, it was welcome, and it was invigorating – this is how both the staff as well as the students of Bojoghari will remember the experience.