August 2022 Update

A message from VESA President Bruce Gregory

If you think all is quiet in Grand Cape Mount at The Betty Memorial Institute in August of 2022, you would be wrong.  Covid shifted the 20/21 and 21/22 academic calendars back a bit.  Graduating class 2022 has completed the WASSCE exams as of July 1 and are awaiting results.  Hopefully the academic calendar across West Africa will be back to normal beginning with the 22/23 academic year.   

The Farm Water Project is nearing completion and will pay dividends during the next dry season which commences October/November and runs through about April.  Agriculture Teachers Charles Dargor and Victor Kiazalou, shown in this picture, explain the components of the system.  They themselves are commercial farmers in the local area near BMI and are sharing their expertise in the Ag Department at BMI.

This year BMI VocEd Ag Department has planted two plots of rice; one of 10 acres, the other 18 acres. Director Varney states, “This will help with food in the coming academic year as well as seeding for the next rice plots.” 

With all the talk of food insecurity in Africa, this Agricultural initiative could literally turn out to be a life saver.  

A Teacher Institute August 24-27, 2022 will be hosted by Abednego Koon who teaches at the Booker Washington Institute.  The focus of this institute will be incorporating a unit of study in the Electrical Department on Solar.  VESA will provide the supplies and equipment for building this hands on solar training station along with a stipend for Mr. Koon.  

Africans teaching Africans!  This is the model VESA will cultivate and use at every opportunity.  

VESA’s next major initiative is to certify VESA Teachers.  In order to achieve this certification one must successfully pass through several stages.  We hope it becomes a type of “Underwriters Laboratory Listing” (UL) that really means something.  As it unfolds, watch for it.  Perhaps you would like to become VESA certified?  It won’t be easy, but it will be effective.  All VESA Mentors both African and NonAfrican who desire to help VESA equip teachers who can develop, deliver, and sustain regionally relevant vocational curricula will need to be VESA Certified. 

May God bless the work of our hands.