When university professors decide to get involved as volunteers in primary or secondary schools, they do more than share knowledge: they create an enriching exchange that benefits everyone. This collaboration between universities and schools opens many doors for school students, teachers, and the university community alike.
For school students, one of the main benefits is direct contact with academic role models beyond their usual teachers. These volunteers can offer support to all students in their specific fields of expertise (such as science, humanities, or technology), for example, when working in interactive groups. This broadens horizons and sparks vocations, as students can see firsthand those who dedicate their lives to research and university teaching. For schoolteachers, the presence of university volunteers provides new resources that help them carry out their classes and reinforce the school’s educational work. For the university faculty involved, the experience is also highly enriching: it allows them to reconnect with the foundational stages of education, understand the real needs of the school system, and contribute to the collection of new scientific evidence that can improve other educational contexts.
Nowadays, it is essential to demonstrate the social impact of institutions, including universities, as required by the European Commission. Through university faculty volunteering in schools, universities gain social legitimacy and strengthen their public mission by collaborating with local educational centers. Moreover, this can foster long-term joint projects, including collaborations in which university students also take part as volunteers. Promoting these initiatives enriches school students, supports teachers, offers new perspectives to the university community, and strengthens the connection between universities and society.
Article translated from Periódico Educación
Assistant Lecturer at the University of the Basque Country