Manual

“How 2 open a shanty school in 5 days”

Objective

To ensure Access to education for children between the ages of seven and fourteen not currently attending mainstream education due to economic factors i.e. lack of means, need to engage in paid work.

The education offered is not an alternative to state education but rather a short term option designed to facilitate the child’s successful integration to their age relative stage of mainstream compulsory state provided education.

Stage 1: Identification of need

· The NGO/organisation needs primarily to identify a residential location wherein it is believed there are children not accessing their right to education due to a lack of economic means.

· Secondly, the NGO/organisation needs to define the geographical boundaries of the proposed school will service.

Stage 2: Informing the community of the available service

· Representatives of the NGO/organisation, i.e. social workers, teachers, volunteers, seek out and identify school age children not attending school through informal discussions with the adult members of the community which the school will serve. This involves speaking to members of the community present on the streets outside their homes, members of the local community present in shops and door to door house visits

· When children are identified as “at need” and the parent (s) agree to their child’s inclusión in the new school, the organisations representative then explains the aims and objectives of the school and the resources that will be provided, namely,

1. The children will have shared access to a teacher for three and a half hours, five days a week.

2. The necessary school resources such as copies, pencils, erasers etc. will be provided by the organisation.

3. The child will be offered remedial education to facilitate their “catch up” with their age relevant school going peers.

4. After one academic year the child will be prepared to sit the entrance exam for their acquisition to age relavant state mainstream education.

5. If successful in their entrance exam the organisation will pay for the child{s matriculation costs, uniform costs and provision of required classroom resources such as pencils, copies etc.

6. The child will then be financially supported in mainstream education for a further two years while also being psychologically and emotionally supported through school visits from representatives of the NGO/organisation and afterschool activities (Reinforcement centres?)

Stage 3: The acquisition of a suitable school building

· The school building must be located in the residential area of the involved children.

· The school building must be no more than thirty minutes walk from the homes of the involved children.

· The school building should have adequate lighting and ventilation to ensure a healthy and encouraging learning environment for the children and teacher/volunteers.

· The classroom is then prepared; desks, chairs and teaching equipment such as a whiteboard are provided by the organisation or sourced from the local community

Stage 4: Opening day

· The NGO/organisation informs the parent (s) and children of the opening date of the school, this is usually within a few days of the schools establishment.

· The children and parents attend an opening/welcome meeting at which time the children met their teacher and any involved volunteers and learn of their responsibilities, i.e

a. Puntuality and Attendance

b. Co-operation with their teacher and fellow classmates

c. Completion of class and homework to the best of their ability

· The parents are also encouraged to act responsibility and to facilitate their child’s success in school by

1. Encouraging their child to attend regularly and on time

2. Encouraging them to do their homework consistently and to a high standard.

3. Fostering, in their children, a respect for their classmates, their teacher, their classroom environment and their overall eduacation.

· All are encouraged to keep the three way lines of communication open between the child, the parent and the teacher

Stage 5: The day to day operation of the school

· The children attend Monday to Friday for three and a half hours in the morning.

· During this time the teacher identifies the specific learning needs of the child and prepares lessons to remedy these needs.

· The children receive homework daily aimed at reinforcing the learning acquired that day

· The children receive a nutritionally balanced breakfast during their time in school to support their ability to concentrate and to learn.

· The children learn about good hygiene practices such as handwashing and teeth cleaning

· The social worker continues to be actively involved and if he/she and/or the teacher identifies a child with a consistent lack of attendance and/or puntuality he/she visits the home of the child to understand the reason(s) behind their lack of attendance and to support the families to remedy this situation.

· The school continues in an area for as long as the need exists.