Equipping rural teachers in China

Last year, the Spectris Foundation awarded a grant of £5,000 to Matchsticks NGO through the employee nomination grant program. Matchsticks NGO’s goal is to support Chinese rural teachers who face huge challenges with very little resource, and they were nominated by employees at Spectris China.

The grant enabled nine mathematics teachers, from rural primary and junior middle schools, to participate in a summer camp program this year. Many teachers in rural areas of China have had to use the same resources for decades and don’t get opportunities for training, so the teachers were thrilled to develop their skills and knowledge through the camp which covered topics such as AI generated content and its applications in education, adolescent mental health and action planning. The teachers’ wellbeing was also supported through topics such as mindfulness, self-awareness and coaching dialogues.

Matchsticks NGO also ran two camps for principals of rural schools, and as well as supporting camp activities, volunteers from Spectris businesses in Shanghai added significant value to the £5,000 grant by hosting an interactive laboratory visit for 30 principals.

The principals were offered a chance to see inside modern laboratories, where they were hugely impressed by the inspiring application of technology. They engaged in lively discussions with our product and application experts about the future of rural education, particularly in STEM fields. Key managers from the Spectris businesses also interacted with the principals, providing insights on topics such as sustainability, STEM education, business operations, and workplace culture. Additionally, two employees based in Shanghai, who originally came from rural areas, were invited to share their personal stories of career growth and development.

By the end of the visit, the principals expressed their deep appreciation for Spectris’ commitment to cutting-edge technology.

The Spectris Foundation and Spectris China are delighted to have been able to support the important work of Matchsticks NGO in equipping rural teachers in China. By empowering these dedicated educators, our charitable collaboration is contributing to students in underserved locations having access to quality education that prepares them for future success.

Thank you to everyone involved!

To find out more about employee nominated projects, click here: The Spectris Foundation – Employee Nominations