Schools for Children of Cambodia

Protractors and Globes and Textbooks, Oh My!

Marketing — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:22:00 GMT

Cambodia's classrooms are generally under-resourced. Cabinets or shelves -- if they exist -- are empty, walls are bare, and in most cases there are insufficient textbooks to accommodate all students.

In a Valuing Teachers survey conducted by Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) and NGO Education Partnership (NEP), 76% of responding teachers found the lack of teaching and learning materials an obstacle to their work, and 63% named this as a de-motivating factor (http://www.schools4cambodia.org/files/folders/schooldevelopment/entry282.aspx). There's no doubt that a lack of resources impacts the quality of education received by students.

Under SCC's Primary School Development Programme, we partner with communities to provide much-needed materials to teachers and students. At the beginning of the 2008-09 school year, teachers at both Phuom Stung and Wat Mon Thyean Primary Schools took inventory of their schools' resources and identified their needs. Based on the assessments, SCC has been working with school support committees to coordinate the provision of the much-needed, one-off resources to each school. Organized by the school support committees, the communities served by Phoum Stung and Wat Mon Thyean have made direct contributions to resourcing their schools. For example, the Phuom Stung teachers have hand-made some posters and flashcards, and community members pulled together US$25 to contribute to the purchase of other supplies. Considering a typical teacher’s salary is between US$30 and $60 per month, this is quite a bit of money for a community to contribute. Wat Mon Thyean also raised an impressive US$25, and the school donated an extra US$5 to the project. It is encouraging to see the communities and schools take such an active interest in the education of their children!

With SCC's contribution of an additional US$1,245, a range of materials - including globes, posters, maps, protractors, and photocopied textbooks - were purchased for the schools. Last week, SCC Programme Officer, Jay, made trips to Phoum Stung and Wat Mon Thyean to deliver the resources. Excitement was at record levels! For school support committee members, especially, it was the first time they had seen such materials. The resources were checked for quality and quantity by the committees, and then handed over to teachers to organize and put to good use. The school support committee and SCC will work together to monitor the schools' use of the new materials.

We hope that with this contribution of resources, teachers will be in a better position to provide quality education to their students.

Parents' Value of Education Will Grow Alongside Morning Glory

Marketing — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:50:00 GMT

During the last weeks of February, Wat Mon Thyean Primary School students were seen hauling bamboo shoots to school, just after the roosters started their morning crowing. The bamboo is the community's contribution to the construction of a fence that protects the school's new garden, where fourth and fifth grade students are learning basic agriculture skills.

As identified by the Wat Mon Thyean community, parents in the area tend not to place value on education, contributing to students' low school attendance rates. Parents, many of whom are uneducated themselves, don't necessarily see value or relevancy in the standard national curriculum.

Per the community-driven school development plan, SCC is supporting the Wat Mon Thyean school support committee and teachers to initiate a life skills class, which makes education relevant to life in Kok Russey Kang Cherng village, the community served by Wat Mon Thyean School. In the class, grade 4 and 5 students are learning to grow morning glory, a green stalky vegetable.

SCC has provided 10 truckloads of soil (shown below), seeds, watering cans, buckets and nails (for the fence) -- a US$67 value -- to support the start of the class.

The first crop of morning glory has already been planted and can now be seen growing in four nice, neat rows in the school yard. After the morning glory has been harvested by the students, it will supplement canned fish and rice (supported by the World Food Programme) to provide well-balanced breakfasts to students through the school's feeding programme.

Ultimately, the school support committee intends to help students start morning glory gardens at home, where parents can see first-hand the very valuable skills that their children are learning at school.

Stay tuned for more news on the class, students, and crops!

Teacher Training has begun!

Marketing — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:53:00 GMT

Teacher training is now underway! After our first two days of training sessions, spirits are high and participants have comments that the facilitators from the Provincial Teacher Training College seem to be doing an excellent job overall.

Despite the soaring temperatures and stuffy classroom, 31 teachers from Khnar and Svay Dungkum Primary Schools made the trip to Svay Dungkum on motorbikes and bicycles, one woman with a 16-month-old child in tow, all taking time out of their busy schedules to improve their teaching skills. Among the teachers sat the Khnar and Svay Dungkum school directors, eager to participate with their staff in the 8 hour training sessions last Saturday and Sunday. Even the District of Education Office managed to participate by assisting the facilitator with different tasks throughout the day. The facilitator captured his audience with an energetic presentation filled with interactive questions, examples and activities on how to write effective on how to write effective lesson plans. We hope that by the end of the teacher training program, classroom management and teaching methodology will improve in classrooms at participating schools. During a quick break many of the attending teachers mentioned how effective the session seemed to be going, which is exactly what we like to hear.

Fifteen teachers from Wat Mon Thyean and Phoum Stung Primary Schools also attended sessions held Phoum Stung, about 18km outside of Siem Reap town. SCC’s Programme Officer, Jay, commented on the facilitator being well-organized and running a tight schedule (unlike many schedules in Cambodia, which tend to be very lax).

While the training sessions are going well over all, we will need to continue pursuing funding opportunities to make the next training sessions a possibility. For this group of trainings alone, SCC provided $624.58 USD worth of materials, instructor payments, transportation subsidies, participant manuals and refreshments.

That said, the sessions seem to be off to a good start and we will be glad to see the teachers progress through the training. Classes will continue on Saturday and Sunday 7-8 March between 7:30am and 5:00pm.

Stay tuned for the updates!

School Support Committee Promotes Value of Education in Village Meeting

Marketing — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 07:51:00 GMT

During the mid to late 1970's, the period of the Khmer Rouge, and even during the following years of civil war, most Cambodians didn't have the opportunity for a formal education. The result is an entire generation who is uneducated and who puts little value on education for their children.

The School Support Committee at Wat Mon Thyean Primary School is trying to change that, at least in the village of Kok Russey Kang Cherng, their community of 125 families, which is serviced by the school.

On Thursday, 22 January, fifty-five community members (including five people from the neighboring village of Boh) gathered to attend a meeting hosted by the School Support Committee. Held at the school, the meeting's purpose was to promote the importance of education and to announce the School Support Committee's annual school development plan activities (created with the support of SCC).

There was a festive atmosphere as the community gathered for the meeting. Traditional music blared through a loud speaker and the children clapped and sang. The Village Chief, Assistant Village Chief, School Director, other School Support Committee members, and Jay, SCC's Programme Officer, spoke at the meeting. While the importance of sending children to school was the main theme echoed through the speeches, community involvement and participation in the school and the education of their children was also emphasised.

The success of the day can be attributed to the enthusiasm of the School Support Committee who had a friendly competition to see who could recruit the greatest number of people from his or her part of the community to attend the meeting.

The School Support Committe will follow-up this meeting with a second gathering in February, targeting those families who were not in attendance on 22 January. Furthermore, the committee will promote education awareness through monthly home visits to parents of students who attend school irregularly, have poor performance, or are at-risk of dropping out. In doing so, the School Support Committee is tackling one of their communities' top barriers to education.

School Support Committee formulates 2009 plan to improve access to and quality of education in Phoum Stung community.

Marketing — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:01:00 GMT

After three days of intense training and planning sessions facilitated by SCC, the School Support Committee (SSC) at Phoum Stung Primary School formulated their 2009 plan to improve access to and quality of education in their community. Participants included the village chief, assistant village chief, school director, assistant school director, a village elder and several prominent community members. The unique issues that the SSC chose to address in their development plan highlight the importance of understanding underlying community problems that affect education and the benefit of drawing on community-based resources to address such problems.

Phoum Stung Primary School and the community that it serves are the second group to participate in an SCC-facilitated development plan workshop. Both the School Support Committees at Phoum Stung and Wat Mon Thyean, where the first workshop was held, raised the lack of value parents place on education as one of the biggest problems. To address this issue, the Phoum Stung community will introduce a life skills class, in which students in grades 4-6 learn to grow fruit and vegetables. The students will be encouraged to use their gardening skills at home so that parents can see the practical benefits of their children’s education. The Phoum Stung School Support Committee also intends to call a village meeting in February to inform parents of the importance of education. They will also design and place signboards that depict the value of education in pictures (thereby catering to illiterate residents) in high-traffic areas throughout the village.

Domestic violence is common in Phoum Stung, and the School Support Committee is concerned about the impact that domestic violence has on students. In a PRA needs assessment conducted in the community in June 2008, both teachers and parents attributed students' irregular attendance and poor performance to domestic violence. As a result, as part of the school development plan, a community member will provide counseling services to students. Teachers will also call parents to meetings to discuss violence and the impact it has on children.

Lastly, the School Support Committee identified poor hygiene practices as on obstacle to education. Frequent illness prevents children from attending school, and prolonged illness often results in drop outs. Working with the Community Health Representative the School Support Committee will identify families with poor hygiene practices and invite the family members to a health and hygiene workshop. Follow-up home visits will be conducted to monitor the workshop's impact. This solution relies entirely on resources already available in Phoum Stung Village, highlighting the value of schools working closely with communities. And, from SCC's perspective, working together with communities ensures that we enhance, rather than undermine, their existing capacity.

SCC has been working with the Phoum Stung community since October 2007. By supporting the community to identify their unique education-related problems and solutions, SCC is helping to ensure that the community has the ability to drive change without SCC’s help in the future.

Construction Complete at Wat Mon Thyean Primary School

Marketing — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:05:00 GMT

The construction of four new classrooms and three new toilets at Wat Mon Thyean Primary School was completed last week and the keys will be handed to the community during an opening ceremony on the 21^st of November, a day chosen in consultation with Monks from the Mon Thyean pagoda. The opening ceremony will include speeches by the commune chief, the district governor and the school director as well as a blessing performed by the monks from the nearby pagoda.

SCC and the Kok Russey Kang Cherng Community planned the construction of the new classrooms after a comprehensive needs assessment in Kok Russey Kang Cherng Village and Wat Mon Thyean Primary School identified additional classrooms as one of the community’s top needs. Up until recently Wat Mon Thyean Primary School was unable to accommodate students through their final year of primary schooling., Because students had to travel long distances to study grades five and six, many dropped-out after grade 4.

The community was closely involved in the construction process from evaluating contractor bids and monitoring construction. They demanded changes when quality was not met and were proud of the result. The School Support Committee also participated in a two and a half month training course in construction and construction monitoring. The course included ways in which the community can be mobilised to ensure that the facilities are maintained into the future.

One of four completed classrooms

New Toilet Block

Wat Mon Thyean Construction – Week 17: Construction Delayed, but Community is Proud

Marketing — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:15:00 GMT

Marking the final part of construction of four new classrooms and three new toilets for Wat Mon Thyean Primary School, the purchase of 4 classroom doors, 3 toilet doors and twenty-eight new window shutters from a new contracting company was finalised on October 20th. A delay in the construction schedule occurred when it became clear that the quality of the shutters installed by the previous contracting company was not up to standard, particularly in relation to the materials used. Despite the community’s concern, the contractor was unprepared to replace the substandard doors and shutters. SCC advocated for the community and the contractor agreed to refund 70% of the cost and remove the substandard shutters. The community, including teachers and the members of the School Support Committee, were adamant that they would prefer the construction to take longer than to settle for poor quality. The new classrooms were due to be complete on October 13th but will take approximately five weeks longer than expected, as the new contractor completes the door and window woodwork. While the construction is completed, classes are being held in the old school building and the library. $2,691.50 has been refunded by the original contractor, covering the cost of the doors and shutters, ensuring that the project is still on budget. Until this school year, which began on October 1st, Wat Mon Primary School was incomplete only catering for students in grades 1 to 4. This year the school expanded, now welcoming students from kindergarten age to grade five. Once construction is complete, Wat Mon Thyean will be a full primary school allowing the existing year five students to move into grade six, the final year of primary school in Cambodia. Wat Mon Thyean has come a long way since its two wooden classrooms were constructed in 1997. As the number of grades offered by the school has increased, so to has the number of students. Last school year the school had approximately 135 students; this year 190 students, a 41% increase. It is hoped that the construction of the new facilities will help support the continued growth of the school and help provide a safe clean environment conducive to learning.

SCC Announces Programme Changes

Georgina McLaren — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:33:00 GMT

Over the past year, SCC has evaluated its programmes, refined its mission, assessed Cambodia's most pressing education needs, and researched the work of Cambodia's Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The result is an improved strategy designed to address current education needs and contribute to long-term, sustainable development.

SCC's improved strategy immediately impacts the charity's current School Adoption, Teacher Sponsorship, and Child Sponsorship Programmes. We hope you will find these programme modifications and improvements as exciting as we do.

From Primary School Adoption to Primary School Development

As SCC moves into its seventh year of operation, we are pleased to announce a NEW and exciting Primary School Development Programme to replace the current School Adoption Programme.

Since its foundation, SCC has adopted needy primary schools, provided them with essentials for education and been there to ensure that these are used well and that children go to school. Now, rather than continue this top-down adoption approach, we want the communities in which we work to be able to continue to develop and govern their schools long after we have left. We want to empower local people with the skills and confidence to tackle their own educational problems unassisted by charity.

We will talk and listen to communities and let them tell us what is important to them, what they can contribute, and what educational resources or activities they are willing to maintain, independently, without outside help. This requires an investment in people: in SCC staff to work with the schools and communities, and in the schools and communities themselves. We believe that this capacity-building approach will make a sustainable difference to the access and quality of education and is an exciting way for SCC to grow and take our work forward.

To learn more about the Primary School Development Programme please click on this link or access the document from the Downloads page.

Withdrawal of Teacher Sponsorship Programme

With implementation of the Primary School Development Programme, SCC will withdraw its Teacher Sponsorship Programme, namely supplementation of teacher and school administrator salaries. New strategies, such as teacher capacity-building and school resource provision, will provide alternative motivation to teachers and administrators while better catering to long-term sustainable development.

A Refined Student Sponsorship Programme

SCC is also pleased to announce a new Student Sponsorship Programme to replace the Child Sponsorship Programme. The new programme is designed to maximise impact and ensure the most vulnerable students from the most disadvantaged areas have the opportunity of a secondary education.

SCC is committed to continuing the sponsorship of students in the current programme for the duration of their secondary education.

New students to the SSP will be selected based on objective criteria which will include parental support, previous educational success and commitment. Sponsorship will initially cover lower secondary education but students will then have the opportunity to apply for a further three years of support for upper secondary school.

To learn more about the new Student Sponsorship Programme please click on this link or access the document from the Downloads page.

SCC awarded Goldman Sachs Fellow

Georgina McLaren — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:52:00 GMT

Goldman Sachs employee Andy Hill has been awarded a 2007 Goldman Sachs Public Service Fellowship. The Goldman Sachs Public Service Program is a global initiative which provides a unique opportunity for top performing employees to serve the public by working for a charity of their choice.

Andy will work for Schools for Children of Cambodia (SCC) for one year from December 2007. He will be responsible for developing a medium-term strategy to help SCC maximise their impact and address sustainability. This will include a risk assessment as well as developing a plan for mitigating expansion risks including an estimation of SCC's medium to long-term financial needs that will enable us to meet strategic goals.

Having previously supported SCC in 2006 by fundraising to build new classrooms for Khnar School, Andy is familiar with our organisation and its core aims. He chose to work for SCC as he is passionate about education and felt he would be able to make a lasting impression within the duration of his secondment.

Getting crafty in the classroom

Georgina McLaren — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:16:00 GMT

I visited Cambodia In October 2007 and went to Svay Dungkum (SDK) Primary School, as my son was doing some volunteer work there. The manger of Schools for Children in Cambodia (SCC) arranged for us to have a craft lesson with the children, we had taken over with us some stickers, glitter and pipe cleaner, very simple things, the children loved the stickers and pipe cleaners, we had some real fun, I made a pair of glitter glasses out of the pipe cleaner and the children went mad for them, so we had to go around the class which was full to the brim and make everyone a pair of glasses with these pipe cleaners, simple but the children had so much fun, just being children. These children are lovely they have nothing and ask for nothing, but they really do need our help in fund raising to get the simple things we all take for granted. If it was not for SCC these children would be working on the streets or in the fields and not getting an education, that we take so much for granted, and that everyone deserves. Please if you are visiting Cambodia, please get in touch with SCC to see if there is anyway you can help them, I assure you it will make you feel great.

Carole Duffy
October 2007

SCC schools open for class, with increased enrolment

Georgina McLaren — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:25:00 GMT

The week of October 1 marked the first week of school of the 2007-08 school year in Cambodia. To open the week, SCC hosted a ceremony at Svay Dungkum Primary School, re-introducing the organization to community leaders, villagers and students. Nearly 50 mothers, a few fathers and 150 students turned out to the event, where the village chief, PTA leader, head monk, school director, commune council leader and SCC staff all made addresses. Entertainment was provided by fifteen Svay Dungkum dance students who performed traditional Khmer dances that they have learned under dance instruction funded by SCC. It was a sight for all to enjoy, particularly the incoming first-graders who flocked around the performers so as not to miss a move.

On Tuesday, students donned their white-collared shirts and navy blue skirts and trousers and anxiously headed back to class. Bicycles once again filled the courtyard and the teachers' raised voices could be heard from outside the classrooms. The children are clearly joyful to be back in class after nearly 3 months of holiday. And, SCC is clearly happy to see more joyful children than in years past. Although the final 2007-08 enrolment numbers have not been tabulated, there is an obvious increase in enrolment -- nearly 4 more classrooms worth of students!

SCC seeks enthusiastic volunteers to teach English

Georgina McLaren — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:24:00 GMT

SCC is seeking enthusiastic and creative volunteers to teach English to primary school students at SCC-supported public schools in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. Our new and improved volunteer program, which launches January 1, 2008, provides opportunities for volunteers to stay with host families while teaching at schools in the countryside. For those more keen on having access to the conveniences of town, opportunities to stay in Siem Reap are available, too. SCC's volunteer program continues to be administration fee-free, although we do request a minimum commitment of 3 months. If you or someone you know is looking for a culturally-enriching and rewarding experience, this is the opportunity for you! Request more information by emailing volunteer@schools4cambodia.org.

SCC adopts its fifth school, Phoum Stung

Georgina McLaren — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:21:00 GMT

Eighteen kilometers outside of Siem Reap, on a flooded field stands two thatched roofs, serving as make-shift classrooms, butted up against a concrete block of 5 additional rooms. This is Phoum Stung Primary School, a school which provides education to over 500 students from four neighboring villages. Phoum Stung has a shortage of space and cannot accommodate all of the students who would like to study here. The school's six teachers work double-shift, spending eight hours per day on their feet in front of a class. The flooded school grounds present health risks and certainly are not an ideal playground. And, community leaders and villagers worry about the futures of their children, as many are forced to drop out of school to support the basic needs of their poor families.

In mid-September, SCC met with community leaders, school staff, students and villagers to better understand the community's education-related problems and to announce that Phoum Stung would come under SCC adoption in October. Under SCC support, the charity and community will work together to address the school's issues and improve the access and quality of education. The Phoum Stung community is eager to get started and even in our initial meeting, started drawing plans for a school grounds drainage system in the dirt. The school staff is equally happy, as SCC's teacher salary supplementation program will enable them to earn living wages for their work. SCC's adoption of Phoum Stung brings the number of SCC-supported schools in Siem Reap province to five.

SCC selects 23 6th grade graduates to sponsor in secondary school, bringing sponsored student total to 29

Georgina McLaren — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:20:00 GMT

Only 26% of Cambodian children who are of official age for secondary education are enrolled in school.¹ Although there are a variety of reasons why students may drop out, in the areas of Siem Reap where SCC works, the most notable reason is a shortage of money. For families who struggle to support their most basic needs, the cost of a secondary education is out of the question. School uniforms and supplies alone cost upwards of $30, and then there are monthly costs for exam papers and private-time² fees.

SCC's student sponsorship program helps graduates from SCC-supported schools continue their secondary education, providing them with supplies and monthly stipends for class fees. Students' attendance and performance are monitored in partnership with school teachers and students receive encouragement, which oftentimes their uneducated parents cannot provide, from SCC staff through regular home visits. This year, SCC is proud to support 29 students across three secondary/high schools to pursue their education - that's nearly four times as many students as the charity supported in the 2006-07 school year!

¹UN Human Development Report, 2006

²Private-time refers to classes that are taught outside of normal school hours, usually at teachers' homes or alternate locations in the community. Key lessons are taught during private-time, and students who do not attend often find it difficult to pass class exams. Private-time comes at a cost - typically $2.50 - $4.00 per month per subject - and it is a way for teacher's to supplement their low wages.

Jay joins SCC as full-time project coordinator (Sept 07)

Georgina McLaren — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 11:08:00 GMT

Jay Chea Lim, SCC's prized local staff member who has been with the charity since April 2006, has been promoted to full-time Project Coordinator. At a young age of 26, Jay has an unmatched passion for education and helping his country's children. In fact, when he's not supporting SCC school staff and students, he's running "Jay's School," a fee-free educational program out of his own home. Working alongside SCC's General Manager, Jay is instrumental in implementing and monitoring SCC programs and maintaining relationships between SCC, its schools, and Cambodia's Ministry of Education. Jay's promotion is a big step for SCC and aligns with the charity's announcement of stepping up its operations by adopting additional schools, increasing the number of sponsored students, and expanding its English-teaching volunteer program.