Students and staff from St Mary’s and Stranmillis University Colleges recently travelled to India to work in schools as part of the Saphara project. The trip was organised as part of the Professional Learning in a Changing Society (PLiCS) Programme.

The team included six Year 3, BEd students from each university college along with two staff members. Participating students from St Mary’s were Anna Heaney, Cara McClean, Conor Kelly, Katic McArdle, Orla Higgins and Rachel O’Hanlon. Students were accompanied by Thomas Rogan, Senior Lecturer in Irish Medium Education, at St Mary’s, and Heather Lyle, Senior Lecturer in Education, at Stranmillis University College.

The students and tutors had the opportunity to shop for Indian clothes in Delhi, visit the Gandhi Museum and experienced the hustle and bustle of a shopping market in India’s capital city. On arriving in rural Northern India, students worked collaboratively to plan and deliver active and engaging lessons to pupils in Sneha Doon Academy and Kaplani High School. Some leisure time presented an opportunity for a trek in the foothills of the Himalayas, as well as a visit to the Taj Mahal.

For the student teachers, it was a powerful, often transformative experience. They reported that the experience was both inspiring and humbling in equal measure and a great example of Diversity and Mutual Understanding.