A symbol of community participation
Education is a fundamental human resource in a society. It is a source of knowledge and ideas. The future well being of a nation depends on the quality of education imparted to the young. The environment for a sound basic education does not exist in Nepal. The educational environment is highly politicized. The discipline of students and the commitment
of the teacher has declined. The institutional infrastructures and physical facilities are in a sorry slate of disrepair. As a consequence, the quality of education in government schools are dismally poor.
Inadequacies in government schools has led to a mushrooming of a host of private schools. Some private schools are doing a relatively better job, but as they are run on a profit basis they are far too commercial and the poor simply cannot afford them. The existing educational system has widened the gap between the rich and the poor. This applies to almost 90% of the rural population.
CCODER has developed an innovative attempt to bridge this gap and provide sound education to the children. It is the Community School, which provides sound education through maximum local participation.
There are three principal actors in the community school. They are Parents, Teachers and the Community Development Committee (CDC), a village organization.
- Parents
Nothing happens until parents are truely committed to educating their children. We Must awaken the parents to the need,
value and importance of imparting education to the children as well as providing additional support to needy parents.
- Teachers
The quality of education cannot be ensured if teachers lack a sense of commitment and service. Teachers should be rewarded by the provision of financial security and other token rewards.
- Community Development Committee
The Community Development Committee (CDC) members must serve as guardians of Community Schools. Without their active initiative, supervision and control, the situation is bound to fall into disarray. They must make the community responsible towards its children's education.
Quality costs money. The administrative and
other costs of running a school has been
calculated and fees levied accordingly. A clear
criteria has been developed. Those who can
afford to pay will pay. Those who cannot will
have to be supported. A provision of
scholarship for the poor children has been made.
The families/children recieving scholarships
will have to enter into a contract with the school.
Special support will be provided to these
families to increase their income through loans
for income generation and training.
The problem is to support those who cannot
afford the schooling. You can become a part of this effort. There are many ways through which you can help!
- Sponsor a student:
Contribute just $10 a month. This will
cover school fees, books and medicine.
When you sponsor a student, you make a
commitment to a poor student's education,
for a period of one year or more. We would encourage
you to communicate regularly with us.
- Contribute Directly:
If you choose not to sponsor a student but
would still like to help, You may prefer
to make a contribution towards the
Community Schools Development Fund.
Your contribution will go towards
capital improvements and other school
activities, training and credit to those
parents who have received scholarship,
and training to the teachers. This will help
bring dynamizm to the community.
The Community School will also help to
bring dynamism to the CDC itself. It
will boost the CDC's income generating
activities, namely the Community Development Bank
(CODEB) and Community Development
Shop (CODES). It also serves a larger
purpose to help improve the living
standards of the rural poor as well as the
realization of local human potential. To
give to a worthy cause with a good heart
will not only help poor students and their
families but would also help to lessen the
gap between the have and the have not.
It will also help the whole community.
There are 4 Community Schools in
operation. There is a lot of enthusiasm
among all three partners. The
teachers are truely committed and have
done an excellent job. The vision and
commitment of the Community Schools
may prove to be a viable alternative to
imparting sound education to children in
the rural communities as well as to lessen
the gap between the rich and the poor.
