Lower Secondary School Development Program

Overview

A foundation of basic education and literacy expands an individual’s economic opportunities, helping them to acquire better jobs with higher and more dependable income so they can work themselves and their families out of poverty. Education can also be a powerful vehicle for improving awareness of health issues and the uptake of preventative health practices. For children to reach their full potential and countries to develop, the gains made in universal primary education must be replicated at the secondary level. According to UNICEF’s most recent statistics, only 29 per cent of boys and 26 per cent of girls attend secondary school in Cambodia.

The Lower Secondary School Development Program (LSSDP) is This Life Cambodia’s solution to the widespread structural problem of low school enrolments in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This program is focused on community participation and community led solutions and is designed to be long-term sustainable, rather than creating donor-dependency. The program is consistent with government education policy, supports the principles of Child Friendly Schools and reflects This Life Cambodia’s core values. This Life Cambodia uses the tools of organising and group decision-making, to build the capacity of community villagers to identify their individual needs and envision realistic solutions to their educational problems. At the conclusion of this three-year program communities will be able to solve—or determine the needed solution of—any educational problem by themselves.

While being innovative and creative This Life Cambodia also observes and supports the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
http://www.unicef.org/rightsite/files/uncrcchilldfriendlylanguage.pdf
and the Millennium Development Goal of Universal Primary Education.
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/education.shtml
and recognises key standards that define a relevant, quality education for all:

  • The shared belief that every child can be educated
  • Safe, clean and orderly schools; providing an environment conducive to learning
  • Educational content that is relevant to the lives of the students
  • Adequate books and learning materials
  • Ongoing training and development of teachers
  • Strong school leadership
  • Parent and community involvement in the education of their children and the running of their schools

Aim

The LSSDP centres on empowerment and community ownership. The ultimate goal of school development is to work with the community and to build capacity for long-term, sustainable self-sufficiency and improved access to and quality of secondary education in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Objectives

  1. Mobilise School Support Committees to identify the needs of the participating communities and schools.
  2. Assist School Support Committees in developing and implementing school development plans to address the educational needs of each village.
  3. Build the capacity of the School Support Committee to function effectively and independently in the long-term.

The LSSDP’s activities are needs based, and are therefore unique to each school. Focusing on one school in each commune creates a model whereby other schools within each commune can replicate the LSSDP. This leaves the objectives of the LSSDP open to a diversity of outcomes, determined by the School Support Committee, the school, the community and the This Life Cambodia-trained-and-employed School Development Officer.

The outcomes range from, but are not limited to, classroom construction to parent-teacher meetings and from procurement of school resources to home visits for students with irregular attendance. The essence of the LSSDP is to put educational problem solving tools in the hands of the local communities. This creates sustainable solutions beyond the three-year lifespan of the program.

For more information about the methods This Life Cambodia use when working with communities, please click here.

Lower Secondary School Development Program Projects

At This Life Cambodia we focus on developing projects that provide or enhance educational opportunities and directly benefit the lives of children and their communities in rural Cambodia. Our projects enable communities to develop the essential infrastructure, skills and programs needed to make positive change in their lives, and break free from poverty.

The LSSDP currently operates in two communities; please follow the links below to learn more about these areas.