A Rota Adult English Literacy class in progress.
DOHA: A total of 155 cleaners, pantry staff and other support staff, recently completed an English language course under Reach Out To Asia’s Adult English Literacy (RAEL) initiative sponsored by Qatar Petroleum.
Fifty-two volunteers from Georgetown School of Foreign Service-Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Weill Cornell Medical College Qatar, Rota and Qatar Petroleum participated in the RAEL fall semester programme.
“Sponsoring Reach Out To Asia’s Adult English Literacy programme clearly demonstrates the strength of QP’s partnership approach in our corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives,” said Abdulrahman Abdulla M Al Obaidly, Manager for Public Relations and Communications of QP.
“In addition, it affirms QP’s commitment to the social development of Qatar as we contribute in empowering people with valuable skills that will surely make a difference in their lives”.
Inaugurated in 2009, the RAEL programme was created by Roata to teach English literacy and language skills to low-skilled migrant workers, in partnership with Al Jaidah Group and several Education City universities such as Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Carnegie Mellon University, Texas A & M University at Qatar and Weill Cornell Medical College Qatar.
“Receiving the support of Qatar’s most prominent corporation is testament to the success of Rota’s Adult English Literacy initiative,” said Roata National Programme Director, Mohammed Abdulla Al Saleh. “We are extremely grateful to QP for its assistance as the RAEL programme looks to continue teaching language skills that make a real difference to people’s lives”.
The RAEL programme provides both an educational opportunity for workers who may have had limited schooling in their own countries, and a valuable service learning opportunity for that gives students and volunteers new skills and an understanding of different communities and their needs.
Volunteers attend a two-day training programme to qualify as Literacy Trainers. The training covers practical information relating to teaching English, communication across language barriers, and the effects of global migration. At the end of the training the trainers are given a personal copy of the RAEL curriculum, in addition to lesson plans and activity sheets.
The trainers are responsible for teaching workers based in their university or organisation. The literacy classes have traditionally been delivered over a period of 16 weeks with a mid-course break after the first 8 weeks, which is planned to coincide with the December break.
The 2012-13 fall semester began in October and ended in December, while the Spring semester starts in February and finishes in April 2013.
The Peninsula
