Aust International News

For the last four years, Robert Pereira has been invited to visit Seoul to work with ET-Korea to conduct advanced TET courses for graduates of Korean-conducted TET courses. He assists participants to apply the skills to contemporary school problems that teachers might be facing. Korean TET facilitators are also provided with ongoing training.

MALDIVES

Following extensive work by Lola Mavor over recent years (see below), John Lizzio has been asked to conduct a 10 day instructor training workshop for 18 prospective instructors starting early November. In the Maldives, Parent Effectiveness Training (PET) is a program supported by the government.

PET in The Republic of Maldives

BACKGROUND

When the Government of the Republic of Maldives signed the United Nations Declaration for the Rights of the Child, officials didn’t sit back and think that was all they had to do. The staff of the Unit for the Rights of Children, (URC) Ministry of Women’s Affairs & Social Security wanted to translate that to positive action for parents in the islands in all the atolls in the Republic.

Head of that unit, Aishath Shiham, contacted GTI who passed the request for training to Claire Henderson in Queensland. Trainer Lola Mavor Green was asked to respond. So in 2002, Lola conducted the first ITW in the capital Male’ for 12 staff of the URC. Since then, the Government has made a financial commitment for all parents on all the islands in all the atolls to have the benefit of attending a PET course.

DEVELOPMENT

Two further ITWs were held in 2005 and 2006 and a total of 56 instructors have been trained by Lola. In 2006, the training was also offered to staff from other Government Departments and other organizations. Two ITWs were held there at that time. These programs are now under the auspice of the Government Department, Ministry of Youth and Sports.

All these instructors are linked with ETIA Ltd as off-shore members. In 2007, an application was made, at Lola’s suggestion, for the Maldives to have its own Trainer and Aishath Rasheed was appointed. Aishath has since trained 25 other instructors. Instructors mostly work in pairs and Aishath Rasheed has overseen the translation of all the course material into Dhivehi, the local language for participants in many of the islands.

This year, 2008, Lola was invited to conduct a Refresher Training Course for qualified instructors trained by Aishath, and another ITW for new participants in Male’. Because of surgery during recent months, Lola is not able to travel. Trainer and SEO NSW, John Lizzio will conduct these events over three weeks in November on Lola’s behalf. Lola has already been asked to go again in 2009 for further development of the PET and other Effectiveness Training initiatives.

CONGRATULATIONS

The Government of the Republic of Maldives must be congratulated for its initiatives in supporting families in its country in this way and continuing to fund the PET courses.