June 2008 - Posts

• Professionals Encourage Secondary School Students to Stay in School

  On Sunday, June 15 more than twenty of SCC's sponsored secondary school students convened at Svay Dungkum Primary School where they were addressed by a panel of three professionals – Rathana, a lawyer; Bunrith, a construction engineer; and Moeurn, a university-level English teacher. Each of the panelists shared information about their careers, reflected on how education helped them realize their career goals, and provided general advice to students. The students, although initially very shy, asked questions of Rathana, Bunrith, and Moeurn during a group lunch following the panelists' talks. For many students, this was their first exposure to professionals in these fields, as most of their parents are farmers and day laborers. SCC hopes that the panel discussion helped to broaden students' awareness of the options that are available to them with secondary and tertiary educations.   Rathana, a lawyer, shares her experience and advice with students: Posted Jun 17 2008, 02:29 PM by Andrea Messmer Filed under: scc news sponsored student panel discussion career

• Wat Mon Thyean School Support Committee Hosts Bid Opening Ceremony for Classroom Construction

  On Friday, June 13, representatives from the Saut Nikom District Governor's Office, the District Office of Education (DOE), the Dan Ran Commune Office, and three construction companies convened at the Wat Mon Thyean Primary School library for a bid opening ceremony hosted by the School Support Committee. The school director opened the ceremony with a presentation, followed by talks by the DOE representative and the SCC general manager. Following the addresses, with much anticipation, the school director opened the sealed envelopes, containing the contractors' bidding documents. The bid values, as well as other relevant information about the companies' work plans, available equipment, workforce, etc, were posted on a white board for all to see. Once the information was made public, the contractors and local authorities left the School Support Committee and SCC to evaluate the bids and select the winning contractor. The result is expected to be announced soon. The open bidding process adopted by SCC is designed for transparency of contractor selection.   The Wat Mon Thyean school director opens a contractor's bid, while the School Support Committee, local authorities, and contractors look on. Bunrith, SCC's construction engineer, prepares to post the contractors' bids:     Posted Jun 17 2008, 02:25 PM by Andrea Messmer Filed under: scc news wat mon thyean construction contractors open bidding school support committee

• Wat Mon Thyean Community Participates in Construction Training

  The area underneath a stilted home adjacent to Wat Mon Thyean Primary School has been converted into a temporary classroom. You won't find ordinary, young students in this classroom, though. Starting the week of June 9, community members – including men and women, literate and illiterate -- and the Wat Mon Thyean School Support Committee convene here twice per week to learn about construction, specifically, construction of schools. With ground-break for the new Wat Mon Thyean classrooms scheduled for the end of June, SCC's construction engineer, Bunrith, is preparing the community to communicate with contractors, manage contracts, and monitor construction. Some community members will be hired by the contractor as laborers to build the new classrooms, while others, specifically the School Support Committee, will play a key role in ensuring that the school is built to specification. SCC's approach of engaging the community in the construction process helps instill the community's sense of ownership, which is necessary for long-term sustainability of the school.   Bunrith talks to community members about the elements of a contract in one of the first sessions of construction training: Posted Jun 17 2008, 02:23 PM by Andrea Messmer Filed under: scc news wat mon thyean construction training community participation