April 2008 - Posts

• A Piece of History on the Grounds of Wat Mon Thyean Primary School

  On April 9, representatives from Apsara Authority, the Cambodia's state-run organization responsible for protection of the country's Angkor temple ruins, visited Wat Mon Thyean (WMT) Primary School. At the school, the representatives surveyed the land and met with the School Support Committee to discuss plans for new classroom construction. The grounds of Wat Mon Thyean Primary School, which are officially owned by the local pagoda, are adjacent to an ancient dike which was used by the Angkorians to float stone from Kulen Mountain to the site of the Angkor temples. The new classrooms at Wat Mon Thyean will be positioned so as not to disturb what remains of the dike. Official Apsara Authority approval of the construction is still pending, but is expected later this month. Schools for Children of Cambodia and the local WMT community will work with Apsara to protect what remains of the dike and educate students about the rich history around their school. Posted Apr 18 2008, 02:30 PM by Andrea Messmer Filed under: scc news wat mon thyean new classrooms apsara authority

• SCC Equips Primary Schools with over 900 Textbooks

  For many students in Cambodia, textbooks are a luxury.  One book is often shared by three or more students in a classroom, and taking books home for independent evening study is generally not an option.   The Cambodian government struggles to provide sufficient textbooks to schools for various reasons, including lack of funds, long communication and supply chains, and the leakage of “not for sale” books into the market.   The directors of SCC-supported schools convened earlier this year and decided to share books amongst their schools.  Firmly believing that the availability of textbooks directly contributes to the quality of education that a student receives, SCC agreed to make up any remaining shortages.   Over the past month, SCC has supplied over 900 photocopies (so as to not contribute to a market for “not for sale” books) of grade 1 through grade 6 textbooks to its four supported schools.      Jay delivers a box of 2nd grade Khmer textbooks to Nuon, the Wat Mon Thyean school director:     Posted Apr 05 2008, 02:01 PM by Andrea Messmer Filed under: scc news textbooks primary school

• SCC and the Kok Russey Kang Cherng Community Announce Plans for New Classrooms

  Following a comprehensive needs assessment in Kok Russey Kang Cherng Village and Wat Mon Thyean Primary School, Schools for Children of Cambodia and the community have announced their plans to construct 4 new classrooms at the school.  The classroom additions will enable Wat Mon Thyean to become a complete primary school, adding grade 5 in 2008-09 and grade 6 in 2009-10.   Classroom construction has been approved by the Ministry of Education as well as the District Governor.  Final approval from Apsara Authority, a state-run organization that protects Cambodia's ancient ruins, is pending.   In preparation for the construction, which is scheduled to start in June 2008, SCC has mobilized a School Support Committee, including the school director, commune leader, village chief, assistant village chief, and three PTA leaders.  The School Support Committee will play key roles in evaluating contractor bids, monitoring construction, and ultimately, maintaining the school.    The community of Kok Russey Kang Cherng has committed to support 1,000,000 riel (~$250) to the construction of the new classrooms.    Jay provides training to the School Support Committee in the contractor bidding process: Posted Apr 05 2008, 01:58 PM by Andrea Messmer Filed under: scc news wat mon thyean classrooms school support committee