M.P. Funds Teachers’ Seminars in Ukraine

Six Canadian teachers will travel to Kharkiv,Ukraine this summer after finding a generous sponsor in Liberal Member of Parliament Borys Wrzesnewskyj (Etobicoke Centre) and his family foundation.

The teachers have been designing, producing and carrying out summer additional qualification courses for Ukrainian educators for 14 years. Their programme was made possible with the help of funding from the Federal government of Canada. This year, federal financial assistance was not made available. The reason given was that very little new material was presented in the courses.

The teachers argue, however, that curricula cannot be constantly changed. The "newness" of each year's program lies in the fact that it reaches a different geographical region they say.

"Our courses bring into Ukraine a chance for local teachers to hear and experience Western European and North American classroom methodology and educational philosophy" said Bohdan Kolos, Vice-Chair of the Education Council of the Ukrainian World Congress.

"We have traveled to different cities in Western and Central Ukraine," he added. "Our seminars include sessions for primary school teachers and middle school teachers in literature, economics, history and we even have seminars for school administrators. I always tell teachers that they need to update their skills…add to their body of knowledge to make themselves better. Students are becoming more demanding and one cannot expect them to sit and listen to someone lecturing," said Kolos.

"When I heard that these teachers were at risk of not going,” said Wrzesnewskyj “I felt the need to save the project because I know Eastern Ukraine specifically needs more exposure to Western approaches. The Orange Revolution in Ukraine was a beginning and much work needs to be done in that part of the world. Canada cannot afford to sit idly by when others need our expertise. I’m in favour of making the world safer through education and sharing our values," said Wrzesnewskyj.

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