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Teachers in Calabar, Nigeria

Teachers for general subjects (or others able to help improve pupils' English) are needed for the Karl Peterson Memorial Academy, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria.

The Academy is based in Betem, a farming village about 1½ hours from Calabar, and they are looking for people to help improve the standard of English. They would love qualified teachers, but also any person of graduate level who is able to help children with conversational and written English. Good English is needed to get into secondary school, and this is the area in which they are felt to be weak at present.

This is a new request and we therefore asked a British doctor currently working in Nigeria to visit the project for us. He wrote:

"The Karl Peterson Memorial Academy is a secondary school with 300 day pupils and about 70 boarders in the village of Betem, Cross River State, SE Nigeria. It was established in 1997 by the Church of Christ with support from US church sponsors. Betem is in an area with a distinct language, but the major local tribal groups bordering them are Igbo and Efik. As with the rest of Nigeria, most people speak English, certainly among staff at the school. The school is independent, but is registered with the State Ministry of Education.

The school is unusual in that they do not charge the children fees. They have a strong ethos of trying to provide free education to those who would not otherwise have this opportunity. Their boarders particularly include children from very poor backgrounds, or where there is no adult in the family to provide support. Income for the school comes from their farm, and support from the US and local churches.

The main reason for wanting a volunteer according to Ernest Udom, the ‘Proprietor’ who I met, is that while their results are generally good, the students consistently score badly in English. They are therefore looking for an English Language teacher. I found Ernest to be very easy to communicate with. He has a good understanding of the needs that a volunteer may have, and is keen to help if necessary.

I must confess that I was initially a bit dubious about why an ordinary church secondary school should need a volunteer teacher. Having visited though, I do feel that they are doing something quite different. They are very well set up to accommodate a volunteer, and it could be a very interesting period for someone coming out."

The school wants people who alongside their teaching can also help children to mature, and/or who might also be able to counsel and help children in a moral sense. Teachers will be asked to keep accurate records, administer fair tests and keep lesson notes - this as models for other teachers. They would love people on medium term contracts but are happy to talk with people about shorter stays - which may be necessary because of visa/work permit issues. One term to two years would be considered.

Teachers will be responsible to the school principal, who will be able to give a briefing to newcomers. There are no age restrictions, but the school would prefer people with a little experience of working with children.

The school wants committed Christians (denomination not relevant though many Nigerians would be seen to be evangelical or charismatic in UK terms).

The school is Church of Christ, but it would be very acceptable to attend any one of the other churches in the village. These include Anglican, Presbyterian, Catholic, Apostolic Faith (and a large number of other Pentecostal ‘mushroom churches’) - many of them would be quite a change from a UK church experience. There are plenty of opportunities for involvement in local churches, varying from choirs to Bible study, work with youth, etc. It would be helpful if teachers were able to lead Bible studies in the school too. They had a volunteer from a non-Christian group a few years ago, but had to ask her to leave due to ‘low moral behaviour’.

Local conditions

Accommodation: A flat (above a new dining room/chapel) is available for volunteers. Or alternative accommodation can be provided in a very comfortable guest house (bedroom, lounge, kitchen etc). Water is plentiful from a bore-hole that supplies the school. No electricity at the moment, but a small generator. School hours: The school hours are 8am – 2 pm. Any extracurricular activities any volunteer wants to be involved with would be up to them, but there would be a lot of options, particularly with the boarders.

Out of school: The school is working on sports facilities, but little else in leisure facilities is available locally. People will need to be self-dependent, though there is plenty of opportunity for out of school activities for people concerned with environment or nature. Local salary: There will be a small local salary available in theory to qualified and longer-term teachers (if work permit formalities have been sorted out) - this is currently 13,000 Naira per month (about £58.00), which is adequate for local food purchase. Accommodation will be provided, with in-house water and electricity, but pit latrines. Telephone service is available. Time off: The school breaks for 2 weeks at Easter, 1 month at Christmas, and 3 weeks mid-year. This means there would be plenty of time to see Nigeria, even if not all this is taken off. Calabar is well connected by road to the South-East, and has a domestic airport. Food: A volunteer could eat with the boarders though the diet may be a bit basic. There are cooking facilities in the guest house, and basic ingredients in the village, so diet could be supplemented easily. Medical: There is a small private clinic, but it is run by a doctor from the teaching hospital in Calabar, so this should be OK. For anything more major, Calabar is very accessible.

Other information

Malaria and typhoid are the main heath issues but both are easily preventable for short-term visitors. There are good hospitals in Calabar, but good travel and health insurance will be needed (Christians Abroad can arrange this). The weather has wet and dry seasons The dry season, starting in November, is hot, but the rainy season (April - October) is cooler. The maximum average temperature is 31.7E in March (average for day 27E). Rainfall is 116" per year, with 64" of that between June and September.

Betem is a smallish village 1 hour from Calabar. Public transport to Calabar is easy (for example for a day trip) on a good tarmac road and they also drive there from the school twice a week for e-mailing, market etc. in the school bus. Calabar is a great city with many of the amenities one might need. It is the capital of Cross River State, with a population of around 200,000 (a small town by Nigerian standards) on a peninsula between the Calabar River and the Great Kwa River. On three sides, it is separated from the nearby high land area by rivers . It was a good natural harbour for the Portuguese, who were the first European traders to come to the area in the 15th Century. It is described in one guide as ‘pleasant enough, with a good market, a nice museum’, and with good access to the Cross River National park, which supposedly has a few remaining gorillas. It is close to the Cameroon border (an area sometimes still in territorial dispute but not an issue unless you attempt to cross) and one of the rainier parts of Nigeria.

The first appointed teacher would be asked to advice on how information could be improved and teaching be more relevant to local needs. The initial appointment might therefore be able to be more exploratory and shorter than later ones.

Contact
If you are interested in this opportunity and would like to know more contact us.

Look at our volunteer terms and conditions in how it works

We can also help you with...

Tickets and Visas especially if you can’t get to the Embassies and High Commissions in London. We use a travel agent that gives its profits to development work.
Travel and Health Insurance
National Insurance
Briefing or De-briefing