community-schools-en | جمعية الطفولة والتنمية أسيوط

Community schools' start

In 1995, ACDA started working on the area of community education, when it opened 150 community schools in Assiut governorate. These schools have been renewed for 5 consecutive stages, and accommodated 24,000 students so far. ACDA renewed the 150 schools for four consecutive stages, each school is renewed after graduating the enrolled children each 6 years; so, the total number of the opened schools is 750 schools up till now. The first stage of the schools accommodated 2787 students, the second stage accommodated 5456 students, the third stage accommodated 6880 students, and the fourth stage accommodated 4,500 students and the current stage accommodates 4,377 students. In 2013, 15 schools were establish in Sohag Governorate, as a first stage of “Madars mn Ajl Misr (Schools for Egypt), to accommodate 450-student. As well as, in 2015, 15 schools were established in Qena to accommodate 450-student as a second stage of “Madars mn Ajl Misr “ Then the third stage was In 2019, where 15 schools were established in Assiut to accommodate 450 students.

student joined community schools

24521 student in Assiut

719 Student in Sohag

450 Student in Qena

school

165 school in Assiut

15 school in Sohag

15 School in Qena

Teachers

301 in Assiut

30 in Sohag

30 in Qena

Graduate

19623 in Assiut

330 in Sohag

Development Stages of the community school

Learning Environment

In 1995, the community schools were established based on the concept of the community participation, where a member of the village donates the place to establish the school. This community support and volunteer contributions drive the community members to feel ownership and maintain the school. The donated places was characterized by simplicity and used to be a part of the donor’s house; its area is 10 meters maximum, the ceiling is made of straw or palm leaves and there are no utilities of sanitation or electricity. The only condition that should be provided is that the school location must be close to the students ’homes and next to their agricultural fields.

Over the past several years, school building has evolved. Now, it should meet the standards of the Ministry of Education; the safety and security means should be provided, and the provision of appropriate spaces for each child should be considered, the child’s share should be 1.5 meters, and all the utilities (Water, sanitation, electricity) must be found.

Curricula

Community schools, since establishment, were used to present a simple curriculum that is compatible with the nature of the rural environment, which includes Math, Arabic language, science, social studies and religious. In 2000, English language was added. In 2010, the curricula have become somewhat identical to the general public education curricula. In 2017, the digital education was add to keep pace with the technological revolution.

Teachers\Facilitators

Teachers in community schools were called facilitators, because their role is to facilitate the information for the children and attract them to self-study, which is an important item of the community schools’ approach. The facilitator should be one of the community members and it was not a must to have a bachelor degree, as most of them at that time. They are chosen by conducting a personal interview. They were temporary workers, paid by lesson system, then the comprehensive reward system, then in 2009 ACDA sought to employ them till they became employees of the Ministry of Education and now they are called teachers instead of facilitators.

In 2015, the ministry of Education issued a decision that the teacher must be a graduate from faculty of Education or a bachelor degree and an educational diploma as well as she should be aware of the new teaching methodologies. Therefore, 96 female-teachers enrolled in the open education to have higher education, improve their teaching abilities and get a better in understanding and teaching new curricula.

Training for teachers

In 1995, the hired teachers\ facilitators received an intensive training before start working then refresher training during their work.

In 2015, training became a criterion for selecting the teachers.

The intensive training

It aims to qualify the teachers to perform their role inside the community schools. This training includes teaching methodologies, active learning, how to deal with children, the characteristics of children’s growth, developing the child’s innovative thinking, the use of educational aids & how to produce them, class management skills, the difference between the teaching and learning process, the methods of interacting with the local community and making use of the environment raw materials.

Refresher training

Refresher training is implemented for raising the efficiency and effectiveness of the teachers in the school administration. It is implemented for the teachers to meet the training needs which is determined through assessment and Mentors recommendations.

Weekly training

The weekly training is implemented by the Mentors of the Ministry of Education for explaining the weekly school curricula and how it should be delivered to the students, how to warm up the children through activities “Alarkan time”, the common children psychological problems and how to handle them as well as discussing the teachers in the pros and cons that appear during field follow-up to schools.

Development training

ACDA also raising the capacities of the teachers and develop their skills in order to represent the association in their communities and be a source of awareness. Consequently, they receive training workshops about many topics such as Positive discipline, explore your potential, communication skills. The training is conducted according to the training needs assessment for each teacher.

Community schools’ activities

Summer activities

ACDA is keen on opening the schools in summer after the final exams, for 3 days weekly, to invest the energies of the children through useful recreational activities and attractive enjoyable means that help in forming the child’s personality and developing his\her talents. Besides, raising their health, social, cultural awareness, conducting sports exercises and preparing for the next year through revising lessons.

Comprehensive maintenance for community schools

By activating the social participation, the schools’ needs of maintenance are identified and a comprehensive maintenance of the schools is carried out each year before starting the new semester. World Food Organization, TDH, Save the Children are all participated in supplying the schools with computers, datashow and tablets for teachers.

Nutrition

Under the slogan “Food for Education”, World Food Program has provided monthly nutritional food basket for all students who attend 80% of the school days each month.

Communication between family and school

The continuous communication between parents and the school is essential for the sake of the children and for ensuring a successful educational stage for them, so ACDA added a parenting awareness program in the villages. The parenting awareness program aimed at raising the awareness of parents of children enrolled in community schools and the other community members around them of the importance of education and encourage them to attend regularly and continue their education, early detection of disability and proper nutrition for children , as well as teaching mothers craft activities.

Achievements

Decisions supporting education

ACDA succeeded in obtaining ministerial decisions for supporting the education process state reducing the age of admission to the normal age of compulsion in remote areas, Limiting the period of donation to 12 years instead of lifetime donation, raising the age of enrollment in the secondary stage to 22 years, community schools’ students who are enrolled in the prep and secondary stages in public schools are fee from paying the fees, community schools’ students are free from paying health insurance fees, aw well as hiring the facilitators of the community schools to be permanent employers for Ministry of education in 2009.

Rehabilitation of 15 schools for accreditation and quality

ACDA implemented an initiative for rehabilitating 15 community schools for having accreditation and quality. It worked on five aspects, school environment, teacher, learner, community participation, and sustainable professional development to improve the quality of the learning process, environment and outcomes as well as promote and spread the culture of quality. The initiative also aimed to coordinate with the accreditation and Quality Officers in the directorates of education to support the capacities of the target schools so they can carry out the self-evaluation. As a result, the teachers, community, and the directorates of education are now able to define the weaknesses and strengths of community schools, set monitoring plans, and improve the performance in the light of the national standards for the quality of community education.

Spreading the concept of active learning in a government school

Because of the ACDA’s experience in the community education sector, in 2006, the Governor of Assiut assigned to it the development of a public primary school to spread the concept of active learning through implementing training workshops for the teachers. Furthermore, training programs concerning inclusion in the special education school, parenting awareness and school maintenance were implemented. As a result, the governor of Assiut has generalized the concept of active learning inside 40 primary public school in Assiut.

Success Partners

Donors

Social Fund for Development – Ministry of International Cooperation – Sawiris Foundation for Social Development – Shorouq Misr Association, StarCare Egypt – Orascom Construction – Orange Egypt for Communication.

Community leaders

Village Affairs Committee- students’ parents – local community

Key partners

Ministry of Education – Health Insurance Authority

Community schools’ graduates

ACDA cares about the graduates of the community schools and those who are enrolled in the preparatory and secondary stages too, as it considers them an important resource in the future of the development in the local communities. It communicates with and help them to continue in their education, as well as it facilitates any the problems they face while their education time. ACDA is always proud of them and delighted to share their success stories.