The classroom experience of many children in Vietnam leaves a lot to be desired. Instead of the happy buzz of varied activities, group working, and experimentation we’re used to in the West, Vietnamese children sit quietly, facing the front, and learn by rote. But a teacher-training programme in Tra Vinh province is set to change all that and bring a new child-friendly approach into the classroom.

The programme aims to improve the quality of primary education by introducing a new style of teaching – the Child Centred Method, known as CCM. Oxfam Unwrapped funded the travel costs and a living allowance for 344 teachers to attend CCM training. They learned about the principles of putting the child at the centre of the learning experience, and built up their practical skills to organise group activities and create their own teaching aids from cheap, locally available materials.

So now it’s all change in the classroom. Gone is the rote learning, and instead children are encouraged to ask questions and gain knowledge through experience. The teachers have become facilitators of their pupils’ active involvement in lessons and give positive feedback – and the seating has been rearranged into groups so children can work together.

But the turnaround doesn’t end with this group of teachers. They have organised sessions for sharing their experiences and ideas with others, and have set up a system of observing each others’ lessons to monitor classroom practice and ensure the continued quality of their teaching.