ID :
10646
Tue, 06/24/2008 - 09:42
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/10646
The shortlink copeid
UNICEF lays foundations for education with child-friendly school in Lao
(KPL) The residents of Ban Donge in Xieng Khuang Province are accustomed to the foreign tourists who drop by to have a look around their village.
However, the most recent group of visiting foreigners was welcomed with a
grand spectacle that included local students performing Lao and Japanese
dances, a gymnastics demonstration and even a recital by a famous Japanese
violinist.
These events were part of an inauguration ceremony for a series of new
child-friendly schools in two provinces of northern Laos. The schools are
meant to improve access to basic education, and to symbolize the rebuilding
of communities in an area once devastated by war.
"The old school was dusty and cold during the winter, and the latrine was
dirty because there wasn't enough water, so nobody wanted to go to school,"
says student Sipha Dabouddy, 11. "The new one is more comfortable and has
more learning materials."
In Ban Donge, the single-story cement structure has been designed to meet
the standards required by UNICEF's child-friendly schools initiative.
This entails, among other things, the creation of sufficient space for groups of
children to work together in class, the installation of a safe water source,
the construction of separate toilets for boys and girls and the provision of
quality school materials.
The schools, built under the supervision of UNICEF, were made possible by
funds from the Japanese Government, the AEON Corporation of Japan and the
Japan Committee for UNICEF (JCU).
"I hope children attending the new school building use this as a first step
for making each of their dreams come true. It is my sincere hope that this
school will be a centre for this community and will be filled with the
bright smiles of the children," said AEON President Motoya Okada.
Together, AEON and JCU have provided $3.4 million for schools in Laos.
The partners were able to construct 30 schools in 2007, bringing the total
number of AEON and JCU-supported primary schools in Lao PDR to 62.
At the event, UNICEF Representative in Lao PDR Laila Ismail-Khan remarked on
the critical role played by the local community in creating child-friendly
learning environments that are participatory and creative.
The child-friendly schools concept is being adopted as part of a national
education strategy in the country. Teachers are being trained to design
curricula using child-centred learning approaches, with a particular focus
on multi-grade teaching and hygiene education.
"Every child has limitless potential, and education draws out and nourishes
that potential," said JCU Executive Director Ken Hayami. "It is the children
gathered here today that are the future of Ban Donge, Xieng Khuang Province
and Lao PDR. They represent the hopes of this community."
However, the most recent group of visiting foreigners was welcomed with a
grand spectacle that included local students performing Lao and Japanese
dances, a gymnastics demonstration and even a recital by a famous Japanese
violinist.
These events were part of an inauguration ceremony for a series of new
child-friendly schools in two provinces of northern Laos. The schools are
meant to improve access to basic education, and to symbolize the rebuilding
of communities in an area once devastated by war.
"The old school was dusty and cold during the winter, and the latrine was
dirty because there wasn't enough water, so nobody wanted to go to school,"
says student Sipha Dabouddy, 11. "The new one is more comfortable and has
more learning materials."
In Ban Donge, the single-story cement structure has been designed to meet
the standards required by UNICEF's child-friendly schools initiative.
This entails, among other things, the creation of sufficient space for groups of
children to work together in class, the installation of a safe water source,
the construction of separate toilets for boys and girls and the provision of
quality school materials.
The schools, built under the supervision of UNICEF, were made possible by
funds from the Japanese Government, the AEON Corporation of Japan and the
Japan Committee for UNICEF (JCU).
"I hope children attending the new school building use this as a first step
for making each of their dreams come true. It is my sincere hope that this
school will be a centre for this community and will be filled with the
bright smiles of the children," said AEON President Motoya Okada.
Together, AEON and JCU have provided $3.4 million for schools in Laos.
The partners were able to construct 30 schools in 2007, bringing the total
number of AEON and JCU-supported primary schools in Lao PDR to 62.
At the event, UNICEF Representative in Lao PDR Laila Ismail-Khan remarked on
the critical role played by the local community in creating child-friendly
learning environments that are participatory and creative.
The child-friendly schools concept is being adopted as part of a national
education strategy in the country. Teachers are being trained to design
curricula using child-centred learning approaches, with a particular focus
on multi-grade teaching and hygiene education.
"Every child has limitless potential, and education draws out and nourishes
that potential," said JCU Executive Director Ken Hayami. "It is the children
gathered here today that are the future of Ban Donge, Xieng Khuang Province
and Lao PDR. They represent the hopes of this community."
