Last mid-June 2021, the Rainbow Reading Gardens team held a meeting with the Department of Education and Culture of the Nagekeo Regency. Our plan this year is to expand the collaboration between the Rainbow Reading Gardens and the Department of Education and Culture to select 50 new schools in the district to be part of our new program. Our team was warmly welcomed by the Department of Education and Culture and they were happy to support our new program namely the “Technology-Based Fun Reading Activities” program.

TBP’s team first meeting with the  Department of Education of Nagekeo Regency

Two weeks after the first meeting, Rainbow Reading Gardens, assisted by a team from the Department of Education and Culture of Nakegeo Regency, was succeeded in selecting 50 new partner schools according to the criteria we had agreed. Then we continued to meet with the Department of Education and Culture to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and arrange a program orientation schedule for the 50 selected schools.

The Department of Education of Nagekeo signing the MoU together with TBP’s team

Program Orientation meeting for the 50 selected schools was held on 8 July 2021. The meeting was not only attended by 50 selected schools but also attended by the Head of the Department of Education and Culture along with his staff, as well as the supervisors of the Elementary School of Nagekeo Regency with a total of 170 participants. TBP team presented the general view of the programs as well as guided the teachers to create accounts on the literacycloud.org platform, which would later become the main source for the teachers to access good quality books for reading aloud.

The online orientation for DoE Staff, Headmasters, and Teachers from 50 Elementary Schools about the program.

The Orientation meeting went well. The teachers and the Department of Education and Culture were very happy and excited about the program and this new partnership.  These 50 schools were now our official new partners and they would be part of the big family of Rainbow Reading Gardens!

For this “Technology-Based Fun Reading Activities” program, there would be further training and mentoring activities for teachers and supervisors this year. Exciting times ahead!