Exam Day at MHC

This past week, the Level I students of Mary Help College (MHC) were preparing for their mid-term exams.  Nerves were wracked all week as students and teachers worked overtime to ensure that they were well prepared.  Finally, early on Saturday morning, 90+ students arrived to the campus to take their exams.  The teachers were also present while the government assessors administered and supervised the exams.  One by one, the students finished their exams and waited eagerly for their results.  There were cries of elation when they found out their passing scores while only a handful failed to proceed to the next level. The camaraderie was amazing though as the students waited the entire morning for his/her classmate to finish their exam with the last student leaving close to 2PM.  The teachers, proud of their students’ achievement, were also at hand to congratulate them on progressing to Level II of their first year of studies at MHC

Courses offered by MHC.

MHC is a community college of around 160 students that offers two-year programs (Levels I – IV) in fashion design, secretarial studies and information technology. If the students pass all their exams at the end of two years, they receive a Certificate of Competency (CoC).  With the CoC, they can apply to the university but, more importantly, it also opens up many opportunities for them in the job market.   MHC is led by the formidable Sister Nestanet who, along with three department heads and 7 teachers, provide the educational training necessary for these students to obtain their CoC.  Many students have graduated from MHC in Dilla, and its sister campuses in Ziway and Addis Abeba, since its inception in 2012.

Sr. Nestanet and dept. heads spending
their Sunday planning for the week.

My role at MHC is to provide the students with additional training and practice in English.  I spent the first two weeks teaching the Level IV students who already took their mid-term exams last month.  I teach 3 courses per program so a total of 9 class periods. Starting this week, I will have an additional 9 hours of classes to teach since the Level I students have finished their exams. All of their learning material and examinations are administered in English so the additional classes will hopefully help them better understand the concepts that are being taught to them.  Suffice to say, my workload is slowly increasing so time to get my lesson plans organized for the week!