Students from the Masinde Muliro University were in Münster for 2 months for their internship.
The Internship targeted at university students undertaking a degree in “Education” was started by the Easy Come – Easy Go program.
The idea started after pupils from the Schiller-Gymnasium in Münster, visited Nambia in 2004. After that trip, the school aimed to be classified as a UNESCO-School. To be listed as a UNESCO School, the school had to be more international and intercultural understanding had to be a core principle. Not only pupils needed to learn how to interact with other cultures but also the teachers.
After an exchange in Burkina Faso in 2006, the school started an exchange program for teachers in addition to the one for pupils. This year 70 German teachers will be going abroad for an exchange program under this organisation. However, from Africa, they didn’t pick teachers but University students who plan to become teachers. This year they hosted 5 interns: 3 from Kenya, 2 from Namibia and another from Burkina Faso.
Among the interns were Sellah Owino and Lydia Adisa, both from Kenya. On being asked about their experience, both were quick to share their views on their internship at the Joseph-Haydn-Gymnasium in Senden near Münster.
“The school was quite different from those in Kenya. The students have a lot of freedom but they are amazingly disciplined. For example the students are allowed to smoke but only outside the school compound. I was shocked to see the students remain at the edge of the schoolyard without trying to smoke on the compound. However, the most shocking experience was seeing two class 6 pupils kissing in public, even in front of their teachers. I almost fell down when I saw that.
Teachers here also take their jobs very seriously, some even taking their work home to prepare for lessons. This shocked me but it has convinced me to love my profession” The 24 year old, Sellah said.
“In Kenya, a lot in the classroom depends on the teachers mercy and this makes students fear their teachers”, Lydia added.