From OECS

Wednesday, November 13, 2019 — A delegation of 15 student-teachers from Martinique and Guadeloupe successfully completed a two-week immersion programme as part of the INTERREG “Linguistic Exchanges and Innovative Learning through Mobility” (ELAN) project.

The group of future education professionals, from the University of the Antilles and the “Ecole Supérieure du Professorat et de l’ Éducation (ESPE)” (Higher School for Teachers and Education) of Martinique and Guadeloupe, welcomed the two-week immersion in Saint Lucia which enabled them to meet teachers from multiple schools and to attend classes as observers.

The student-teachers also attended classes at the Alliance française of Saint Lucia and Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. The participants concluded the immersion programme with an official visit to the headquarters of the OECS where they had a meeting with the team from the Education Development Management Unit of the Organisation (EMDU).

EDMU Reading Specialist Lisa Sargusingh-Terrance presented the projects which are currently implemented by the Organisation, and the challenges encountered in the area of education in Saint Lucia and other OECS Member States.

The meeting ended with a presentation on the observation period completed by the students in the Saint Lucian schools. The young professionals showcased a comparative analysis between the local education system and the standards of Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Student teachers Noémï-Marine Gaddarkhan and Goulwen Royer were honoured to participate in the immersion programme in Saint Lucia. They stated,

“We have been very well received in the schools, the Alliance française, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College and the OECS. I am happy to return to Guadeloupe after having met other education professionals. 

This experience enabled us to take a step back and compare educational practices and the standards of Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint-Lucia,” MBA student teacher at ESPE Guadeloupe, Noémï-Marine Gaddarkhan, said.

“For two weeks, we have been able to observe educational practices in various subjects in the schools of Saint Lucia. Apart from the similarities and differences, we mostly kept the best pedagogical practices in mind. This immersion was an excellent experience and I encourage our colleagues to do the same,” Student at the University of Antilles, Goulwen Royer, added.

Future groups of student teachers will benefit from the INTERREG ELAN project and will also complete a professional immersion in the course for the academic year 2020.

About the INTERREG ELAN project

The INTERREG “Linguistic Exchange and Innovative Learning through Mobility” (ELAN) project was launched in 2019. The INTERREG ELAN project is initiated by the Academy of Martinique and supported by the Public Interest Group for Continuing Education and Professional Insertion. The specific objectives of the project are, inter alia:

• Strengthening the skills of young people in the Caribbean basin;
• Facilitating professional immersion; and
• Boosting the attractiveness and competitiveness of the territories and countries of the region.

INTERREG ELAN is a two year project valued at 3 million Euros and co-financed by the INTERREG Caraïbes programme under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Development Fund (EDF). The project resulted from a close collaboration among multiple partners alongside the Academy of Martinique including:

• The Territorial Collectivity of Martinique; 
• The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS); 
• Campus France; 
• The network of Alliances Françaises of the Lesser Antilles; 
• The University of the West Indies;
• The Quisqueya University of Haiti; 
• The State University of Haiti; and
• The University of the West Indies and its campuses.

The project will be finalized in December 2020.

About the INTERREG CARAIBES 2014-2020 program

INTERREG CARAÏBES 2014-2020 is a programme of the European Union led by the Regional Council of Guadeloupe which assumes the role of Managing Authority of the Programme. INTERREG enables the French and European territories of Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Saint-Martin, to undertake regional cooperation actions with their neighbours in the OECS and the Greater Caribbean, which encompasses more than 35 countries from Mexico in the north to Venezuela in the South.