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Schools See Oruj's Commitment
APRIL 2005
Godah School, Wardak province (student population: 118)
Noor Khel school, Wardak province (student population: 300)
Fatima Zahra primary school, Jalalabad (student population: 197)
Trilli School, Nangrahar (student population: 551)
Fatima Zahra School, Jalalabad
Ms. Basiri visits the Fatima Zahra School in Jalalabad on April 3. A meeting is held with the principal to discuss teacher recruitment and student progress. The volunteer student committee established a month ago to assist students with their classes is reportedly very successful. Since the committee’s inception, more than twenty-five students have sought help with their lessons. The teachers are anticipating better results from the pupils due to help provided by the students’ volunteer group.
| Tutoring Success in Jalalabad Older students are volunteering to help students with their lessons in the Jalalabad school. More than twenty-five students have sought help, and teachers predict that their examination scores will improve as a result. |
Teacher recruitment
The recruitment of new teachers is postponed until the next academic year, due to a government policy of not accepting new teachers midway through the school year. It has become increasingly necessary to hire an additional instructor to ease the workload of the existing teachers.
Teacher salaries
Teachers have received two months’ salary due to a cash flow shortage last month.
Trilli Girls School, Nangrahar
Ms. Basiri visits the Trilli Girls School on April 4. As mentioned in the March evaluation report, five female teachers have been hired for Trilli School. This time the teachers’ contracts were ready and it was presumed that they could begin teaching; however, in order to be legally registered with the Directorate of the Ministry of Education (DME), teachers must also have their contracts signed by the DME. The principal brought the contracts to the DME, but the head of the office refused to sign, saying that contracts would only be accepted at the start of the academic year.
Parween stands in the shade at the Godah School for Girls.
The principal decided that the existing male teachers would take the lead in conducting classes until the next academic year. In the beginning of the new academic year, the female teachers will head up teaching the class curriculum.
School supplies can be purchased now that school funds have now been made available. The project coordinator buys school desks, chairs and other equipment.
The release of funds has also allowed for teachers’ salaries to be raised, according to the government pay scale. Teachers will now be paid the government standard salaries for the month. This increase is for all teachers across the country and the new rate is reflected in the development budget for 2005-2007.
Godah Wardak School
Ms. Basiri visits Godah School over three days from April 10-12 in Wardak province. There were some recent town disputes last month, causing students to miss classes and fall behind in their subjects. To remedy this, the principal has increased the time of each class by 15 minutes. Every day, the students take four classes from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., with each class lasting 40 minutes.
| Monitoring helps to reduce drop-out rates The Advocacy Project has helped Omid to introduce a simple system for tracking attendance rates. This allows teachers to monitor absenteeism and follow up with families. |
Many students were expected to enroll this year, but due to the remote and scattered nature of the province they have found it too difficult to travel the long distances.
Two new blackboards have been purchased for Godah School. Also, new books for grade 3 have been purchased and distributed to the students.
Noor Khel Wardak School
Ms. Basiri visits the Noor Khel School on April 12 . This year everyone – principal, teachers and students, have high expectations from Omid. After a three-month winter vacation, the teachers are very excited to see the commitment of the Omid school team. According to the principal, "Many NGOs have come here and promised a lot of things, but they did not show up until today.” Omid’s arrival is highly appreciated at Noor Khel.
| Making up class time lost to riots Students at Godah missed classes because of disturbances in the local town. The principal extended all classes by 15 minutes to make up for the lost time. |
Fifty-four new female students have enrolled, although it is unclear how many have dropped out. This high rate of enrollment was unexpected because the weather is inclement in the region and the villages are remote. Noor Khel is effectively a desert until floods come during the spring (and often take many lives). Due to flooding, and the long distances students must travel, attendance has fluctuated in the last two years.
Principals must go to the Ministry of Education in Kabul to legally register their schools.
However, this year the principal and the teachers have decided to open classes for previous students closer to their homes. A new Noor Khel satellite school in Mankey village has opened, making it easier for the girls to attend. Two teachers are assigned and a principal manages both schools.
Omid was projected to provide salaries for four teachers in the months of March and April. However, the school was unable to find qualified teachers to fill these positions. It has been established that more female teachers are needed, but due to a fragile security situation, qualified female teachers have refused to teach in the school because it has no compound.
New students have been given some stationary such as notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers and sharpeners and some chalks to the school. The principal and teachers requested for desks and chairs for the teachers that will be provided to them next month.
Absenteeism
This year, six girls and four boys have dropped out of Godah school because they must walk up to three hours a day to get to and from school. There are 18 villages in this area of Wardak, but they are scattered. The teachers feel that a school transport system would help the students stay in school and refrain from dropping out of classes. Attendance soars
Many students must travel over harsh terrain in the heat to go to school.
The Noor Khel School and the Godah School are not holding regular classes. The reason for this, according to the principals, is the migration of families during the first two months of the academic year. It often takes time for families to return back to their homes in the district, and many families do not prioritize their children’s education.
Fatima Zahra and Trilli School do not have any notable drops in attendance, April being the final month of the academic year before examinations. In mid-May the students will be taking their final exams, so instructors are particularly insistent that students attend their classes.
174 new students have enrolled in the four Omid schools since March 2005, in spite of the poor weather and difficult terrain. The Noor Khel school alone has 54 new students. One reason may be that the principal has opened a satellite in the village of Mankey, making the school more accessible to isolated families.
During Omid’s first visit to the Trilli School, there was no clear record for their students. The total number of students was initially reported to be 335 girls. The principal has since started to use the new attendance format. He reported in April that there were 196 students in grade one, 116 in grade two, 125 in grade three, and 114 in grade four, bringing the school total to 551.
NGO Status
Omid has completed the process and paperwork to become a registered organization, and is currently awaiting a cabinet decision. New NGO confirmation hopes to be announced in June 2005.
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