We accompanied Saba during an afternoon at the Edrissis Center for Adult Education (CEPA) in Ceuta.
She is a 50-year-old student born in Morocco.
Accustomed to fighting against adversity, she maintains her purpose of obtaining the ESO Graduate degree, taking a Hairdressing FP Intermediate Degree and working in an occupation that she likes.
“Hungry for freedom and thirsty for dignity, coming from a patriarchal environment, hardened in all kinds of adventures to get her family forward (...) Saba has 'learned to unlearn', that is, to have an open mind to consider new ways of thinking (...).
She has learned from her experiences and from his mistakes.
She has developed her ability to reflect and express her own opinions, thoughts and feelings”, writes Jesús Canca, his English teacher.
In adult education, the teacher is not the only mediator, children and classmates collaborate in the process.
Saba's eldest daughter, an ESO student, helps her with her academic tasks, in a clear exchange of roles.
Peer learning is also used.
A student accompanies another in the domain of a subject or a skill in which she has greater competence.
Cognitively active learning, greater emotional balance and better social development are encouraged.
It facilitates understanding, due to emotional closeness and communication.
Sharing arguments, descriptions and certain mental frameworks allows deepening the meaning and application of the new knowledge.
Jesús Canca and students from CEPA Edrissis in Ceuta. JESÚS CANCA LARA
This afternoon they have two sessions of English Language and another two of Spanish Language and Literature, each session of 50 minutes.
They work in two languages (English and Spanish) other than their mother tongue,
Dariya
in the case of Saba.
Saba
,
following a usual routine, is working with two of her classmates on a project about a song in the English language (
My Song
).
Jesús Canca, his English teacher, explains the meaning and way of proceeding of the project to a small group of students, who could not attend the day of the presentation.
He comments and clarifies doubts about the guide on how to do the exercise;
available on the class blog.
The rest of the students are distributed in small groups and in pairs.
Saba works with her partner Fatima;
later, she will do it with José Antonio (assumed names).
He maintains a lively dialogue with Fátima, a young woman of just over 18 years old, who was bullied at school, dropping out last year.
Fatima brings a greater knowledge of the English language;
She for a time attended the Official School of Languages of Ceuta.
We observed a lot of activity, participation, motivation for the task and a feeling of progress in learning.
Fátima and Saba feel authentic protagonists.
They are aware that teaching and learning from others increases the quality of their own learning.
In the second part of the session, Saba works with José Antonio, a young man in his early thirties who wants to obtain his ESO Graduate Certificate in order to remain in the army.
He is skilled in the use of technologies and helps in the use of
online
dictionaries such as
Merriam-webster
and
WordReference
.
They look for synonyms and antonyms of some words.
We perceived cordiality, affection between the students and with the teaching staff, an improvement in confidence in the possibilities of learning and continuing to advance in dignity.
“Undoubtedly, Saba is part of that cast of women who today, in the 21st century, live in difficult circumstances for their full development and greater personal dignity.
The closest environments condition their lives and put obstacles to their dreams of autonomy and freedom”, says Jesús Canca.
These students are part of the “
nobodies
” that Galeano referred to, and whom CEPA Edrissis considers to be active subjects in the construction of their own lives and necessary collaborators in a more humanized society.
View taken by Raju Shivdasani, teacher and president of the Hindu Community of Ceuta, when making the video
You, what traces do you leave?
Worth this mention of posthumous recognition of his colleagues.
In Spanish Language and Literature class
The class is presented that afternoon with peculiar dyes.
Gloria María Vázquez, the teacher, has invited a poet to share the meaning and the process of creating one of her works.
The session merges with an informal education activity, organized by the Department of the Communication Area, within the cycle
An encounter with the Author
, in this case, María Jesús Fuentes, author of the collection of poems
Hebras de una hoguera
.
It is not just about bringing poetry to students, but working on the value of taking ownership of one's own life.
A concern of special relevance in the context of an adult center.
They wanted to show the problem of gender violence.
The collection of poems by María Jesús Fuentes (also a Spanish language teacher at the IES Siete Colinas in Ceuta) tells the story of a woman who suffers abuse.
Reading the text becomes an open door to hope.
Saba, along with the rest of her classmates, participates in the comments and reading of the texts selected by the author.
“(July 28) Maybe it was me who screwed up the trip.
/ We had planned it with such enthusiasm.
/ The caravan made him a bit nervous.
/ It had been a little late and the documentation for the car did not appear.
/ Getting up so early to prepare lunch and now the sandwiches and canapés roll, crashing, down the side of the hill, future pasture for deer or vermin.
/ It will be even worse when, on the way back, he starts to feel guilty”.
María Jesús Fuentes presents 'Hebras de una hoguera' within the cycle 'An encounter with the Author'.Jesús Canca Lara
The collection of poems manages to move the audience, invaded by the feeling of the victim;
to this, the lyrical language helps.
Poetry not only stands up to gender violence;
it becomes a tool of truth and relief.
From the first verse it invites reflection:
“
I never thought it would happen to me
”.
“(June 25) As I studied with a scholarship / I always harbored the possibilities / of a future without orchids, of a present without carpets / of a tomorrow without asphalt.
/ In my offer of varieties, / the game of contingencies alternated: / severe illness, premature deaths, / vintage work, shared room, / inaccessible suburbs, slights, / competitiveness.
/ I fought / with the banner carved on my forehead / and the posthumous seal on my chest, / for mistreatment, for childhood, / for the evicted, for the disadvantaged.
/ But I was wrong: / the pigeons / fly over the banks / and the perching branches / may be poisoned”.
The work brings to the fore a hot topic.
It is an example of the use of poetry as a teaching resource with strong educational value.
It shows, on the other hand, the value of this mixture of learning formats (formal, non-formal and informal) so common in adult education centers.
inspiring figures
Saba is just a sample.
We could continue illustrating the academic life itineraries of Rosa, Farah, Mónica...;
CEPA Edrissis students.
Rosa María de Terán Guisado, with a life experience considered "inspiring" by the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE), is a student who, at the age of 42, returns to ESO, prepares for the entrance exam to Higher Level training cycles , studies Social Integration and makes the leap to the University.
Now, she is preparing oppositions to the Ministry of the Interior for the Temporary Stay Center for immigrants in Ceuta.
Farah Mohamed, after completing his studies at CEPA Edrissis, finished Vocational Training, doing his internship abroad, through the Erasmus+ program;
At 42 years old, he works in a tax, labor and property management consultancy, from which he claims to be learning a lot.
Mónica Marín: “Today, I am enrolled in the Higher Level Training Cycle of Early Childhood Education.
I am really looking forward to continuing my training and with many projects in mind”.
And so, a long etcetera.
Jesús Canca offers a semblance of all these stories on the blog of the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe (EPALE), of which he is an ambassador for the Autonomous City of Ceuta.
In 2019, SEPIE awarded CEPA Edrissis the Erasmus+ Quality Award.
Jesús Canca comments: “It is a huge incentive to continue working with more enthusiasm in this line.
We are very interested in continuing to participate in European Programs and take advantage of their full potential”.