Description

In a country where ruthlessness and genocide once devastated the land, the Cambodian people persevere to rebuild their nation. For years, World Vision (WV) has been working alongside Cambodians in this process, equipping them with the necessary tools to achieve development and adequate living conditions.

In several areas in Cambodia, one of sectors that need most attention is education. The district of Koh Krolor in Battambang was considered to have the lowest standards of education in the province.

Most families in this district are from different parts of the country and many of them are returnees from camps (only about 30 to 40 percent have lived in this area for a long time). Many came to settle in the district when the Royal Government of Cambodia distributed land that has been cleared of landmines. It has now a population of approximately 25,500, of which 12,274 are females.

Due to government instability, the overall financing of the education system in Koh Krolor was heavily reliant on households' private contributions to both direct and indirect education costs.

Most community members confirmed that, in the past, parents, local authorities and even school officials did not pay much attention to the education of their children. There were no roads leading to the schools, buildings were dilapidated, stray animals were all over, and rubbish was seen littered in the premises. Classrooms were unattractive, and latrines were few and lacking water. Making matters worse, many teachers were not regularly teaching, since many of them were engaged in other income-generating activities to support their families.

In face of this situation, nobody seemed to be involved to resolve problems. The school director, local authorities and school support committees (SSCs) were not working together and the communities did not participate in school activities. According to an informant, they had even stolen the flagpoles from the school.

“We had a small school made of wood and a very small yard. Many students had difficulty during the hot season because the classrooms are hot and during the rainy season, it is submerged in water. The road to the school was very bad,” said a member of the Student Council in Toul Mate.

In an effort to promote active participation of community members in the education of their children, World Vision introduced the Citizen Voice and Action (CVA) methodology. In the year following the implementation of the project, considerable improvements in people’s attitudes toward education have been noted. As part of the CVA approach, the community was able to voice their opinions about issues related with school administration and quality of education in 10 primary and lower secondary schools in the six communes of the Koh Krolor district. CVA encouraged active community involvement, and strengthened accountability and transparency among school principals.

Currently, many people recognize the value of education and have expressed commitment to get more involved in school activities. Students are happier since their parents visit their schools more often and help them do their homework. In the first 12 months of the implementation of CVA, the dropout rate, particularly of vulnerable or very poor children and those with disabilities, has decreased by 45 percent. The report about the CVA approach in the area attributed this improvement to closer monitoring of students’ attendance and performance in schools.

“The most significant change is the positive change in the school environment - now the school is clean, teachers come to teach regularly, students like their teachers, there is a fence, a pond, classrooms are well decorated, no more rubbish, not much ‘forest’ as before, and students are hygienic,” said a village leader from Tanaut.

Within a year, project staff has worked with the school directors to establish eight SSCs and eight student councils (SCs) in eight of the primary and lower secondary schools in Koh Krolor. The mandate of these groups was shared with the wider community the following year. While not all these groups became effective immediately, some were involved in discussing education struggles in the communities and working on potential solutions, such as the hiring of a substitute teacher for when the regular teachers are absent or attending training.

“Before many students did not come to school because teachers didn’t regularly come to teach […]. Now many students come to school [especially] because of Teacher Leourt who pays a lot of attention to the students. Students and parents like and respect him so students are more encouraged to come to school. Some parents even cook food and ask their children to take it to him,” said a village leader from Tanaut.

Student Councils, while not yet being fully established in every school, have been effective in raising awareness of issues such as child protection, health and hygiene. They have also been providing feedback and support on school improvement plans and encouraging children to attend classes.

Since the implementation of the CVA methodology, there has also been a district wide education promotion campaign which culminated in a large education forum where challenges to education were discussed and ideas shared on improvements that could be made. The participation and enthusiasm for this meeting was an encouraging sign of progress.

The Deputy Governor of the area is very supportive of the CVA Approach, “With WV support, the people in the communities in the district, especially Hop, monitor their children’s studies, send their children to school, join the community meetings, call school directors if teachers don’t come to teach, because they know that the community has the right to interfere in education matters. This resulted from the awareness-raising activity that I participated in. I didn’t know that this project will end in September but before it ends, I hope WVC (World Vision Cambodia) can strengthen the school development efforts, especially Hop. I think Hop can function well even without WVC’s support. I trust the SSC there in collecting money to help school because they are transparent,” said a Deputy Governor.

Another commune leader said, “WVC provided training to SSC and teachers about learning and teaching so that schools will be child-friendly. Teachers have good cooperation with the local authority. In meetings, we discuss problems related with education, e.g. absenteeism of both students and teachers. One great success of the project is the transformation of the school. After the training, school officials held meetings with the community to discuss ideas how to improve school environment and the teaching. They showed us how to plant trees but we cannot do it because of lack of water. Now when teachers are absent, they inform the school and substitute teachers teach. Students now understand more about what quality education is.”

In spite of the challenges, the CVA approach has been enabling community members in Koh Krolor to take real steps towards better schools and education. Through sensitization and advocacy, children of the community have been enjoying their right to adequate education.