In the final phase of SCC's School Adoption Programme, teacher sponsorship was phased out in February 2009 and replaced by SCC's Primary School Development Programme (PSDP). This is a more sustainable approach to improving access to and quality of education and is based on involving community members in the running their schools and the education of their children. We recognize that each community has unique needs, so the support provided will also vary, but may include teacher and director training, the provision of teaching and learning resources, classroom construction, and support for education awareness events.

Each of SCC's formerly 'adopted' schools was given the opportunity of continued PSDP support from SCC which included training and resources, but not the payment of teacher salary supplements. This is a big policy change and subsequent discussions with each school and community have resulted in mutually agreed and local decisions about how best to adapt and work the SCC into the future.

The Phoum Stung Primary School staff and community members have embraced the PSDP and are working toward implementation of their 2009 development plan. They have held village meetings promoting education awareness to parents, raised $25 to contribute to over $500 worth of new teaching and learning resources that are now in use, and designed a billboard that promotes the value of education, to be installed in high-traffic areas of their village.

Teachers at Svay Dungkum Primary School were also very interested in the benefits that PSDP offers to their school, but need to supplement their low salaries so are testing a school donation box into which community members can make optional and voluntary contributions to the teachers. The anonymity of a donation box takes away the need for students to pay their teacher each day, which could impact poor students' access to education. SCC is providing technical support to monitor the new solution for a period of three months, after which we will, together with teachers and the community, evaluate its success and make a mutual decision on the way forward.

Khnar Primary School is like Svay Dungkum in that it is near to Siem Reap town, where the cost of living is relatively high. Here, too, teachers and community members have agreed on a solution that works best for them, and students will pay teachers for lessons on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, this is inconsistent with the values of SCC, and so all parties have agreed, amicably, to SCC's withdrawal from the school. The Khnar school director, teachers and community members have expressed their sincere thanks to SCC and SCC donors for building classrooms, stocking a library, bringing electricity to the school, and for other infrastructure improvements and training opportunities since SCC started to work with the school in 2006.

At Wat Mon Thyean School, the impact of the teacher and community members' decision to receive continued support under PSDP is already evident. The School Support Committee, a group of eight community members and the school director, is far more active than they were before. They have led meetings in their village to promote the value of education, conducted home visits for students who have irregular school attendance and most recently, started a basic agriculture class to teach students skills that are relevant to life in their village.

Stay tuned to these web blogs to learn more about developments at Phoum Stung and Wat Mon Thyean as implementation of their 2009 school development plans continue through July 2009.