Midland University, Opportunity Education Help Tanzanian Educators Earn Certificates
Through a partnership with the Opportunity Education Foundation, Midland University is helping educational leaders in Tanzania move forward in their professional development.
Midland and OE’s efforts were rewarded as 14 OE Tanzania team members earned certificates as educational trainers and coaches.
Rev. Martin Russell ‘86, serves as Director of Africa Operations for Opportunity Education. For the past nine years, he has focused on offering students across Tanzania a high-quality secondary education and the opportunity to gain the mindset, habits, and skills to create value for their families, communities, and country. “Our Tanzanian team is composed of exceptionally talented individuals dedicated to advancing Quest Forward Learning,” Russell said. “This opportunity for high-quality professional development in the areas of training, coaching, and active learning has allowed us to grow both personally and professionally. Possessing these certificates significantly enhances the value of our OE Tanzania team as it establishes international recognition.”
Dr. Cammy Romanuck Murphy, Director of Graduate Programs for Midland University, said Midland has worked with OE on other projects and was excited for the opportunity to assist in further developing Tanzanian educational leaders. “OE came to us with the idea of professional development for their team,” Romanuck Murphy said. “These educators completed a series of tasks, which were both rigorous and relevant, to earn their certificates. They were given more than three months to complete these tasks but finished in eight weeks. They were also given the option to pursue one certificate, but all 14 chose to complete both certificates because they loved it so much.”
“We leaned heavily on OE throughout this process because they know their students and teachers. They came up with an initial concept, and then we worked with them to refine and define learning outcomes and make this something measurable.”
Romanuck Murphy said Midland will be offering an Assessment and Feedback certificate in the fall, and eight individuals who completed the first round of certification are already enrolled for the fall. “It’s a fantastic program, and it was exciting for us to be involved,” she said. “When the summer session ended, the teachers started sharing some of the great work they were doing on social media.”
That great work included increasing active learning in the classroom, gaining a better understanding of student-mentor relationships, classroom management strategies, and improving the collaboration between teachers and administration.
Over the past decade, Russell has worked to increase opportunities for Tanzanian teachers and students. He is grateful for Midland’s support throughout the process.
“Midland University boldly defines its mission as equipping individuals to lead purposeful lives through education and leadership in our global society,” Russell said. “By certifying Tanzanian educational leaders as trainers and coaches in secondary education, Midland is directly contributing to the preparation of hundreds of teachers who, in turn, empower thousands of young Tanzanians with the skills and knowledge necessary to become valuable contributors to their families, communities, and the nation of Tanzania. This tangible impact fills me with immense pride, particularly as an alumnus of Midland.”
Through its partnership with OE, Romanuck Murphy said they will continue to look for ways to increase educational opportunities in Tanzania, as well as in the states. “Midland and Opportunity Education have been woven together as our priorities align with each other,” she said. “We have discussed more ideas and partnerships down the road and are continuing to support both Tanzania and U.S teachers for professional training.”
