SUCCESS & INNOVATION

PROVIDING BICYCLE TO POOR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR BETTER EDUCATION

Date : 2023-06-02
Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Addthis

Sem Thong, 16 ages, is a Grade 6 student at Chum Kriel Primary School. Thong is an orphan because his parents divorced when he was over one year old. He nowadays lives with his grandpa, poor farmer in Chum Kriel commune, Toek Chhou district, Kampot province. It is very difficult for Thong to travel to school where is more than 3 km away from home along a winding pathway and not safe on foot. From time to time, his grandpa took him to school, sometimes went with friends or on foot to school. His grandparents could not afford to buy a bicycle for him to ride to school. This caused Thong to be often absent and lates in school.

 

Before intervention through CO-SAVED providing   bicycle, Thong went to school late and irregularly, had to walk through the dikes in the rice fields. In addition, after cultivating rice, his grandpa went to work as a salt field worker to collect salts for a domestic vendor whereas his grandmother is a housewife and cannot walk far. Due to the small income, the grandfather is not able to provide enough support for Thong to go to school. Thong is poor at Khmer language and range in classification of 20 and weak in other subjects. He often missed his school. Sometimes, he did not want to go to school due to his family encountering difficulties. He lived with grandparents like his real parents.

 

After receiving a bicycle scholarship from COSAVED in 2022, Thong's study results have improved. He regularly goes to school. His scale rate increased and jumped to take place 16. Thong is very happy to have a bicycle as a convenient and less expensive way to go to school, especially to receive motivation from the project. “It is more extraordinary than before because I see the school repairing the concrete floors, preparing the library, and having teachers coming to visit my house. I now have a bicycle to go to school easily. I do not walk across the rice field to school anymore. I am happy and study hard. In the future, I want to become a policeman,” said Thong.

 

"The study result in the past was only 40% but in the present time have increased more than 80%. I am very happy because the project provided grandson the bicycle as partially eased my burden. I remind him to read lessons and do extra homework at home,” said his grandfather.

 

The class teacher and the school director always encourage Thong to work hard. “Thong is now back to school on a regular basis and not absent as he was. Thong is very happy because he is no longer difficult to travel to school like before,” said Mr. Chhim Ngeav, the director of Hun Sen Marico Chum Kriel Primary.

 

The outcome 2 of COSAVED has been being implemented by KAPE in collaboration with consortium partners through AeA with financial support from European Union/Educate a Child. COSAVED provides trainings to teachers, directors, librarians, supports parent meetings, school management committee (SMC), early warning systems (EWS), scholarship material and in-kind, school renovations, libraries, providing technical and financial support to community preschools, repairing and constructing toilets, and improving access to quality education for fisherfolk Children in CO-SAVED target areas., In result, increasing enrolment and improving quality of learning of children. Although living as an orphan, Thong struggles to study hard, needs much motivation and more material support.

42

Preschool(s)

172

Primary Schools

110

High Schools

6

Higher Education Institutions

120,831

Students

2,806

Teachers/Directors

1,496

Stakeholders