This Case Study focuses on two different communities and analyses the factors which support successful Schools, developing Quality Education for all students.
Ban Han School - an IE School
Ban Han Village is in Sayabury Province, approximately 15 kms from Hongsa town. The total population of is 2,147 of which 48% are female. The ethnic makeup of the community is 100% Lao Loum . Most villagers are farmers and it seems likely that the village will be affected by a lignite mine which will cause the school to be rebuilt. The local school is an IE school and is also called Ban Han. It has a pre-school attached where 74 children are enrolled. In the Primary school, 160 children are enrolled in grades 1-5. There 11 children with special needs enrolled although no students with disabilities have been able to continue to the District Lower Secondary School. There are 13 teachers who all live in the village. School performance data indicates that there is 100% enrolment in pre-school and primary school. There are a low level of drop outs and irregular attendees due to poverty. The school is the core school for the cluster and is very active in collaborating with other local schools. The Parent Teacher Group is also very active and there is good community support.
The quality of education offered by the school is generally judged to be high within the Lao context.
What Are the Community Factors Supporting the Quality Of the School?
Most parents value education and ensure their children go to school ••
Community can afford to pay fees, contribute to costs of volunteer teachers ••
(fees – 8,000 kip per year per student; + books, uniform, etc. Teachers trained in inclusive education
••
Teachers are from the village ••
Good school management ••
Active cluster ••
Most villagers have a reasonable income ••
Cultural value of formal education ••
Mr Sithath Outhaithany, NIT team leader, working with children in an IE School, during an evaluation visit.
A History of the Lao PDR Inclusive Education Project 1993 – 2009
A History of the Lao PDR Inclusive Education Project 1993 – 2009
Chapter 5 - Case Studies
Ban Samaki - not an IE School
Samaki XY Village in was established in 2003. Ban Samaki Primary School serves 2 villages – Samaki Xy and Hua Na. Total population of Samaki Xy is 698 and the ethnic makeup is 100% Lao Theung. Most of the village is poor and rely on subsistence farming.
In the school there are 226 children enrolled in grades 1-5. 5 teachers work in the school, none of whom live in the villages it serves. The age range of the students is from 6 -18 years and there are 51 children aged between 13-18. Within the local community, 33% of children aged 6-10 have never enrolled and of these, 30 children, 76%, are girls. Only 26% of children go on to study in Lower Secondary School. There are significant challenges in ensuring attendance of all students, for example, in Grade , up to 50% are absent each day.
The quality of education offered by the school is generally judged to be low within the Lao context.
What Are the Community Factors Affecting the Quality Of the School?
Parents have many children and can’t afford to send all children to school ••
(fees – 8,000 kip per year per student; + books, uniform, etc.) School is overcrowded
••
Children have a different mother tongue – can’t speak Lao ••
Teachers don’t live in the village ••
No in-service training for teachers (not an IE School) ••
Parents have low level of education ••
Lower Secondary School is far from the village ••
Poverty ••
Language and culture ••
The case studies presented through an examination of community factors affecting these two schools, serve to highlight some of the key factors which have been shown in this book, to support the development of more inclusive schools in Lao. In the first school, part of the IE Project, there is a clear link between the community and the school. Parents value education and support the school financially and also by ensuring their children attend school. The teachers are part of the community and are therefore more motivated and engaged in their work. Where there is a close link between community and school there is also likely to be stronger school management because of community support and monitoring. In the second school, which doesn’t have the benefit of support from a national project, there is a lack of community support and involvement in the school, both financially and actively. The teachers are not members of the school community and have not received additional training. There are significant challenges in the school in regard to the range of students enrolled and their attendance.
It seems clear from even a brief analysis of these contexts that the IE Project can support schools in a range of different ways. Training and project support for a school draws communities together. It supports strong management and school leadership and enables communities to become more actively involved in schools. In service training for teachers can encourage motivation and enable schools to reach out into local communities and identify areas for school-community development, encouraging enrolment and lowering dropout rates. Tensions between cultures and different languages can be overcome in this way, enabling economically poorer members of the community to see the value of education for all their children. The case studies presented through an examination of community factors affecting these two schools, serve to highlight some of the key factors which have been shown in this book, to support the development of more inclusive schools in Lao. In the first school, part of the IE Project, there is a clear link between the community and the school. Parents value education and support the school financially and also by ensuring their children attend school. The teachers are part of the community and are therefore more motivated and engaged in their work. Where there is a close link between community and school there is also likely to be stronger school management because of community support and monitoring. In the second school, which doesn’t have the benefit of support from a national project, there is a lack of community support and involvement in the school, both financially and actively. The teachers are not members of the school community and have not received additional training. There are significant challenges in the school in regard to the range of students enrolled and their attendance.
A History of the Lao PDR Inclusive Education Project 1993 – 2009
A History of the Lao PDR Inclusive Education Project 1993 – 2009
Chapter 5 - Case Studies
It seems clear from even a brief analysis of these contexts that the IE Project can support schools in a range of different ways. Training and project support for a school draws communities together. It supports strong management and school leadership and enables communities to become more actively involved in schools. In service training for teachers can encourage motivation and enable schools to reach out into local communities and identify areas for school-community development, encouraging enrolment and lowering dropout rates. Tensions between cultures and different languages can be overcome in this way, enabling economically poorer members of the community to see the value of education for all their children.