On Thursday, 28 May, 70 community members gathered in the new Wat Mon Thyean classrooms for the second of two meetings organized by the School Support Committee to improve school-community communication and to promote the value of education.
Followed by a greeting from the School Director, the Wat Mon Thyean teachers presented some of their greatest challenges, including parents' pulling their children out of class to attend weddings and other village festivals. Teachers explained that repeatedly missing days of class can hinder children's learning and encouraged parents to send their students to school everyday.
A member of the School Support Committee showed the resources that were purchased using contributions from the community and SCC and delivered to the school several months ago. The new materials – including textbooks, posters, globes, rulers, scissors, etc – are helping to address the school's lack of teaching and learning resources.
The School Support Committee also discussed the recently-initiated agriculture classes for grade 3-6 students and the morning breakfasts supported by the World Food Program.
By far, the biggest highlight of the meeting was the attendance of 10 parents from a migrant community nearby the school. Students living in this neighborhood stay for only six months of the year, after which they follow their parents to Kampong Cham where they get seasonal work. The moving back and forth no doubt has serious implications for the students' education. Until now, the school had very limited communication with these migrant workers, so their representation at the school meeting was considered a big success.
Parents start to gather for the meeting. Note the well-docorated walls! Some are teaching resources handmade by teachers, while others are materials supported by SCC and the Wat Mon Thyean community.
School Support Committee members and teachers assemble for the meeting:
A crowded classroom! The School Support Committee was successful in getting 20 more parents at this meeting than the first, in Feburary.
