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September 2008 - Posts
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On September 25 and 26, six administrators and 32 teachers from SCC-supported schools participated in needs assessments to identify their top training needs. The needs assessment discussions were held at the Siem Reap Teacher Training College (TTC) and facilitated by Mr. Leav Ora, the director of TTC.
Preliminary results indicated that school directors could benefit from training in general school administration, community engagement, and processes for securing government funding. For teachers, the compilation of lesson plans and teaching methodologies were among the top needs.
In October, SCC will work in partnership with TTC to establish an annual training plan for administrators and teachers who participated in the needs assessment. This in-service training is expected to contribute to improved teacher motivation as well as improved quality of education.
School administrators from Khnar, Svay Dungkum, Wat Mon Thyean, and Phoum Stung Primary Schools stand with Mr. Leav Ora and the SCC team outside the TTC Director's office:
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As October 1 nears, students all across Cambodia are preparing for the start of the new school year. For many, that means a trip to the market to buy uniforms and school supplies. As such, this week SCC distributed 25 bicycles, 90 school uniforms, 45 gym uniforms, and 45 sets of school supplies (bags, notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers and compasses) to a total of 45 secondary school students.
Twenty-one of those students comprise the program's 2008-09 new intake from T'Nong, Roun Kang Th'bong, and Son Thai villages in Dan Run Commune, Sautr Nikom District, Siem Reap Province. Students, parents and grandparents alike gathered at the Dan Run Commune office to collect the supplies. All were very appreciative of the support and committed to attend school regularly and study hard this school year.
Students, parents and grandparents stand outside the Dan Run Commune office with bicycles and school supplies provided by SCC:
A mother and daughter check her school uniform for size:
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The rains tapered off this week, allowing more progress on the classroom construction at Wat Mon Thyean Primary School. Roof tiles were laid and more than 90% of the wall plastering was completed. The progress comes just before Pchum Ben, one of Cambodia's biggest holidays in which ancestors return to pagodas to collect food and alms from their descendants. For Pchum Ben, the Cambodian people, including the construction workers at Wat Mon Thyean, return to their homelands to participate in celebrations at their local pagodas. Workers are expected to return to the site on October 1 for completion of the school building.
Construction progress at week 13:
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SCC's new Student Sponsorship Program intake of 21 secondary school students braved the rain to attend a meeting with SCC staff at the Dan Run office on Wednesday. The group of sponsored students was finalized last week, after no appeals were made by community members in regards to the selection results.
At the meeting, students were briefed on the support that SCC would provide them, including bicycles and locks, uniforms, school bags, study supplies, and school fees. Students were also made clear of SCC's expectations for sponsorship, including 90% attendance at school, regular participation in SCC-coordinated events, and appropriate use of SCC-provided supplies. Contracts, which lay out these expectations, also define the roles of parents: not asking students to do work that will interfere with their studies, participating in SCC or school-coordinated activities about their children's education, and encouraging their children to study. Students and parents will return signed and thumb-printed contracts early next week, following a second review of the terms and conditions.
At the meeting, students were also measured for school uniforms, which, along with other supplies totaling $74/student, will be distributed next week.
The new intake of sponsored secondary school students:
Jay explains the students' responsibilities and SCC provisions, as laid out in the contract:
Andrea takes a student's measurements for his school uniforms:
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With the wet season in full swing, consistent rain has slowed progress at the Wat Mon Thyean construction site. With 85% of the construction complete, Bunrith, SCC's construction engineer, expects that if things continue at this pace, the building will still be ready by October 13. However, cleaning and preparation of the area around the new classrooms may remain.
This week, PHV Construction continued work on the roof structure, installing batons and rafters and laying the first of the roof tiles. They also continued work on plastering of the walls, which are nearing completion.
As construction continues, students are growing eager to start school in the new building. As Puma, age 7, and Rathana, age 10, played outside the school library, I talked to them about the new classrooms: “Next year, I will start grade 4. I am so happy that I will get to study in the new school. And, I'm even happier that once I finish grade 4, I can study grade 5 at my school,” Rathana shared. Puma, who will repeat grade 1 next year, was all smiles, too, as he talked about the new classrooms.
The community is equally excited. Residents gathered at the school last Friday when three trucks delivered new school furniture. Although SCC was not there to capture the community members' reactions, we heard their overwhelming excitement over the phone. Once the school support committee confirmed that the furniture met specifications, SCC processed payment of $2,608 to the supplier on behalf of the community and SCC.
Eager students, Rathana and Puma:
Construction continues:
New kindergarten furniture is in storage in the old classrooms, in preparation for completion of the new building. Printed on the desks are “Donated by SCC and the Wat Mon Thyean community:”
Teacher chairs and meeting table chairs:
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Classroom construction at Wat Mon Thyean continues to be on schedule, as the start of the 2008-09 school year nears. The upper beam concrete is in place and the first layer of plaster is being applied to the walls. Also in progress are the building's roof columns.
The School Support Committee continues to play a key role in ensuring that the contractor, PHV Construction, complies to technical specifications and constructs a high-quality building. Their approach is proactive; this week, they logged a warning with the contractor to ensure that rebar was installed before concrete was laid for the classroom steps. So far, PHV has complied.
The School Support Committee at Wat Mon Thyean will be wrapping up what's been a 2.5 month training course in contract management and construction monitoring. The final session, scheduled for this weekend, will teach members of the community how to perform maintenance activities, how to organize committees for school maintenance in the community, and how to effectively partner with NGOs to make improvements in their community.
Two members of the School Support Committee look on as work continues on toilets:
Classrooms take shape:
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Following a month-long application and screening process of forty-two candidates, twenty-one new students have been selected for secondary school sponsorship through SCC. The students live in Son Thai, T'Nong, and Roun Kang T'Bong villages, all about 35 km from Siem Reap town. These villages are among the poorest communities with the highest drop-out rates within SCC's target area.
The new intake of students have been selected based on three criteria:
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Student successfully completed grade six
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Student comes from a poor or vulnerable family
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Student is motivated to continue his/her education and his/her parents are supportive
The list of scholarship recipients was posted in the villages this week. Villagers have one week to appeal SCC decisions before the new intake is finalized.
The new intake will join the 26 sponsored students continuing their secondary education in the 2008-09 school year.
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This week, the Phnom Penh Post reported that despite widespread cheating fewer Cambodian students passed their high school exams this year compared with 2007. The newspaper went on to mention that allegations of widespread bribery during exams lead many to question whether the results reflect students' real capacity.
SCC-sponsored student San studied grade 12 this year, but he, like 29.3% of Cambodia's 55,178 grade 12 students, did not pass his final exam. San reported that 10 of his 25 classmates also failed. San is a hard-working, motivated student. He also spends his time teaching English to bring in an income that helps support his family. San was disappointed with his test results which were posted last week, but is highly motivated to repeat grade 12 in hope of passing the exam next year. San says he wants to complete his secondary education to make his mother proud and be a good role model for his younger siblings. San dreams of going to university and ultimately becoming a tour guide near the Angkor temples.
SCC's policy is to support students through the repetition of one grade level, if needed, for every three years of study.
San:
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Raksmey and Savada, university students who are on 2-month long internship with SCC, led students to initiate school mapping activities in five villages during the month of August. The activities, like those started in Phoum Stung village in July, are designed to build students' research skills and identify the key barriers to education in the communities where SCC is working.
On August 4 – 9, twenty-seven 5th and 6th grade students from Khnar Chas Primary School visited 167 houses in Khnar Chas and Bass Kralinh villages. Students interviewed residents about numbers of children in their household and the children's school enrollment. Although the village survey is not yet complete, the biggest barriers to education identified so far include lack of money for school supplies and the need for children to work to support basic family needs.
August and September's replanting season has kept many residents busy in the rice fields, making them difficult to interview. Surveying will continue in the coming months, when more residents are at home.
Getting to homes in Khnar Chas Village was not always easy. Here, students wade through flooded fields to reach homes:
Students reconvene at Khnar school after conducting home visits one afternoon:
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In July and August, Harpswell Foundation-sponsored university students Raksmey and Savada visited all SCC-supported schools to conduct education awareness activities with students and teachers. Raksmey and Savada, who have both overcome disadvantaged backgrounds to study in Phnom Penh-based universities, led activities and discussions to help students and teachers understand the value of education and overcome common obstacles that students face.
When talking about her sessions with students, Savada said “I showed them the benefits of being a good student: more friends, teachers like more, parents love, and they have more opportunities than the others. Moreover, the higher we study, the more money we can earn.” Savada also added “all jobs need education. If you want to be a teacher, you have to study. If you want to be a farmer, you need to study.” Savada and Raksmey's advice and personal stories were complemented with videos, karaoke songs and games that led the students to appreciate good, productive use of their time, including education.
In separate meetings, Raksmey and Savada advised teachers on ways to encourage students to study and remain in school. As an example, Savada said, we need to “make [students] understand that money is not a big obstacle to study. We can solve it if we want, like through working part-time.” Discussions with teachers helped identify specific issues that teachers face with student drop-outs, irregular attendance, and slow learners.
Students' are engrossed in a video that helps promote the value of education:
Students engage in an activity:
Raksmey and Savada enjoy lunch with Phoum Stung teachers following educational awareness activities:
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