In-Set with a difference! r.keeling@newman.ac.uk

The following morning we were woken by the kids playing at the school adjacent to Alison's flat (at 7.30!!) But there we were, November 1st, and the kids, in short-sleeved shirts, were playing out in the playground; basketball, volleyball and football all happening simultaneously. This was a far cry from the teachers back home whose hearts sink every time someone declares yet again that it is a wet break.

However this trip had taken on a different complexion. The Embassy where Alison works had given some 486 PCs to some of the poorer schools in Southern Lebanon and suggested that I might like to go down there to show the teachers how best to use them. In a moment of weakness I said 'yes' - it was all due to be very low key. "By the way Dad, it's in the war zone" - Israel has annexed a 15 mile strip of Lebanese land to keep the Hezbollah guerrillas at bay but they keep having a go at each other.

Each time I spoke to Alison the low-key event took on a new twist:
"We'll take you down in an APC - just in case" (Armored Personnel Carrier - I didn't know what it stood for either), and then later:
"The two schools have now risen to six", and next time:
"The Ghanaian Commander of the UNIFIL Force (United Nations Implementation Force in Lebanon) will welcome you and take you to lunch" (warning bells - I normally only have a banana butty at lunchtime!) and so it went on . . .
"The six schools have now risen to twelve . . ."
"The press will be there."
"The 12 schools have now risen to 20 . . ."
"The TV may be there."
"It is taking place in the barracks but there is only one demo computer."
"Not all the teachers will speak English."
"We will have to leave at 6 in the morning to get there for an 8.30 start."

Stop! Stop! This is all getting out of hand. Time to press the panic button and abort the mission - but that may have reflected badly on Alison. Trapped!! I normally enjoy taking in-service sessions, but that is when I know what to expect. This is different. The language is different, the number system is different, books start at the back page, and text reads from right to left. What will they make of FD 60 RT 90 (Logo). Additionally, Alison and my wife will both be in the audience - now I don't mind lecturing to students and teachers but kith and kin are a different matter - rather worse than Ofsted. My only consolation was that I was as well prepared as I have ever been (but for those who know me that doesn't say a lot!). However thanks to Dr. Nakeeb I did have a couple of handouts translated into Arabic.

We left Beirut at 6 in the morning and were driven to the UNIFIL Compound in Tyre. The drive was uneventful if you forgot to count the checkpoints that we drove through. We were greeted by the Ghanaian Colonel of the base and the Indian Lieutenant Colonel who is the UNIFIL Humanitarian Officer. We also met two nuns (the first of the teachers on the course). The nuns taught very close to the Israeli border at En Naqoura in the occupied zone and had to be brought to Tyre by UNIFIL - the only way to guarantee their safety, but they walked across the compound to greet us and presented us with a warm breakfast (Lebanese style) wrapped in tin foil. Throughout the day we always found the same warm hospitality. The first part of the schedule was a visit to the primary school in Silaa. Problem - the Ghanaian Commander of the main base wanted to meet us first and this was a half-hour drive away. We drove up into the hills to a small village called Kfar Dounine which is where the base is positioned - a village of porta cabins etc. that the Ghanaians have occupied since 1978. In fact the UNIFIL force has comprised battalions of Ghanaians, Fijians, Nepalese, Finnish, Irish and Poles and has been there for nearly 22 years (so much for the concept of an interim force). However if the Ghanaian Commander wished to see us, who were we to argue - he has tanks!! We were given a warm welcome, the usual drinks, speeches, etc., before setting off again in convoy to visit the primary school, to whom the Embassy were donating a brand new printer. This was a village school of some 320 pupils set in the mountains. The pupils were smartly dressed in their uniforms and generally overawed by the presence of two British teachers, an Embassy delegate, four journalists, and at least 6 soldiers, two of whom were filming the whole event. But even here, in the mountains of Southern Lebanon in occupied territory, these children were learning English. In this part of the world this was quite unusual as children of this age usually learn French as their second language. Formalities completed,and amidst smiles and waves from a class of young children, we headed back to the barracks. By this time the rest of the teachers had arrived and were seated and ready to go. The army had, in fact, borrowed six computers from the desks of soldiers to make it a hands-on session and had set up a demo machine with an LCD panel on the OHP projector - but by the looks of it the OHP had a 40 watt bulb in it rather than a 400 watt bulb!

First problem - my laptop would not interface with their projector, or at least the top half of the screen would but not the bottom half. This did not look promising. However after some fiddling we managed to get started. But first there were more speeches. The Commander of the base was first, Alison, on behalf of the Embassy, went next and the UNIFIL Humanitarian Officer was next - the net effect of all this was that a 2-hour session was reduced to 1 hour.

I'll not bore you with the details of the course other than to say that we tried to cover some maths software and some programs to support the teaching of the English language. We did manage to run a hands-on session, but when you 'borrow' six PCs from the desks of officers, and then try to install software on to the hard disks without understanding the security that these officers have implemented to protect their own systems, suffice it to say that it is not without its frustrations. Lunch was in the Officer's Mess and was typical Ghanaian food (what happened to vegetarianism?) - however, the general hospitality was absolutely superb and everyone was most kind and helpful.

But what did the teachers learn? The problem with this type of initiative is that it requires two things to happen. One is a support person in the neighbourhood of the schools, particularly someone who can solve the technical problems, and secondly it requires the teachers themselves to form a self-help network - not only to exchange the solutions to technical problems but also to exchange ideas as to how they have used different programs. It is too early to say whether this will happen, but we did identify a couple of people who might be 'movers'.

After taking a few photographs, posing in UN gear, we were taken to a Palestinian Refugee Camp and taken round by a British physiotherapist who has been working out there for a couple of years. This is the most depressing place that can be imagined. These camps are not tented villages; they are generally brick built but with little sanitation and running water. They are virtually self-supporting in that there are shops, schools etc. but basically no opportunities. The residents are strictly forbidden from improving their homes - because they are only temporary residences (albeit for the last 40+ years) and employment chances are very low - and even when some do get employment, it is only in the most menial of jobs. Although the question of the Palestinian Refugee Camps needs to be addressed as part of the Middle East Solution, expectations of a better future are next to nil - just how do you cope with a homeless nation?

This is a country full of contrasts. Some Lebanese are very well off, as is evidenced by the cars they drive (although the way they drive them is an entirely different story!) On the way to Tyre we drove along ' our' side of the motorway, but as the opposite direction was congested (northbound) they simply swapped sides and started driving north down the southbound lane! At the end of the day we spent the evening in Tyre and dined in an open-air cafÈ right by the side of the Mediterranean. It was a warm evening and we could sit, drink wine and watch the fish. However we also sat there listening to gunfire and spotting the occasional flash in the distant hills. No one took any notice - probably bored soldiers trying to liven up their evening!