Busan National University Education Volunteer Group PNU-VIT, 6 Years of Passionate Education Volunteering in Africa

Educational Volunteer Work in Tanzania: Mathematics, Science, English, and Cultural Exchange
Hands-on Experiments and Activities for Local Youth and Prospective Teachers

Pusan National University students are warming up their winter vacation with global overseas volunteer work.

Pusan National University (President Choi Jae-won) announced that the 6th group of PNU-VIT (Pusan National University-Volunteer teaching In Tanzania), an educational volunteer group, conducted volunteer teaching activities in mathematics, science, and English for secondary school students in the Moshi area of Tanzania, Africa, for 28 days from January 6 to February 3.

The Busan National University Education Volunteer Group is conducting educational volunteer work in Tanzania.

‘PNU-VIT,’ which began its first activities in 2017, marked its 6th year this year under the guidance of Professor Seo Hye-ae from the Department of Biology Education and Professor Kim Hyun-soo from the Department of Ethics Education at Pusan National University. A total of 22 prospective teachers who completed teacher training courses from the College of Education’s Departments of Mathematics Education, Chemistry Education, Biology Education, Geography Education, English Education, German Education, Special Education, as well as the College of Natural Sciences’ Departments of Physics and Geological Environment Science, and the College of Arts’ Department of Arts and Culture Video Studies participated, along with two in-service teachers.

The volunteer group conducted major-specific classes and cultural exchange activities introducing Korean traditional culture such as K-pop, Samulnori (traditional Korean percussion music), and Jegichagi (Korean shuttlecock kicking game) at Moshi Technical Secondary School and Msandaka Secondary School in Moshi, a city near Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania. They also held a Science Open Lab for undergraduate prospective teachers majoring in mathematics and science at Mwenge Catholic University.

The volunteer group prepared teaching aids for subjects including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, and English, and operated various learner-centered inquiry and experimental activities for Tanzanian middle and high school students. Additionally, they attracted attention by opening a Science Open Lab for Tanzanian prospective teachers to experience Korean-style science experiments.

Professor Seo Hye-ae said, “Through this volunteer work, Pusan National University’s prospective teacher volunteers cultivated global educational competencies and enhanced their potential as global teachers expanding worldwide.”

This volunteer activity was supported by the budget from the Ministry of Education’s National Institute for International Education project and Pusan National University’s Comprehensive Teacher Training Center’s Glocal30 University project. The volunteer group also received donations of funds, various stationery, and teaching aids from educational institutions including Daegu Middle School and Gimhae Gaya High School, donation organizations such as Kakao Together Value, and individual donors including former PNU-VIT volunteers.

The PNU-VIT education volunteer group from Pusan National University is conducting educational volunteer work in Africa and taking a commemorative photo.