Rural Parish Offers Summertime Classes On Basics To Needy Students

Posted: 28th September 2007

KOMPONG KOR -- Many rural Cambodian children now go to primary school, but too many youngsters still cannot read and write.

This worries Sister Kalaya Chatbanyong, a Thai missioner serving the parish church in Kompong Kor village, so she is taking advantage of the August-September school break to conduct special classes in the parish compound.

The village is 13 kilometers west of Kompong Thom, a major town that is 130 kilometers north of Phnom Penh.

"The main purpose is to help the children in this rural area learn to read and do math," Sister Kalaya told UCA News. The Immaculate Heart of Mary nun, serving here with the Thai Missionary Society, explained that this is a serious concern because "we see many children, even in grade three or four, who still cannot read or write as they get older."

About 100 children from poor families in Kompong Kor and other nearby villages go to the church to study from 7 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. Monday to Friday. According to Sister Kalaya, classes are held only in the morning so the children, as young as 8 and as old as 15, can help their families in the afternoon by working in the rice fields, fishing or looking after livestock.

"Sure, two months is a very short time, but both students and teachers are trying very hard," she said. The parish has engaged a kindergarten teacher and a Catholic youth to teach the special summer-break classes.

Heab Sok Hai, 13, told UCA News he learned a lot just in the first month. "Now I can read, write and do math better, especially since I am the bravest," Hai boasted. The boy said he learns faster here than at school because every student is given more attention and they study only reading, writing and math.

Another student, No Sonai, is thankful to the parish for not requiring payment for the classes that have enabled him "to read and write better."

Ran Sokren, a 12-year-old fourth grader, admits he has not done well in school, but after attending classes at the church, he expects it will be easier for him when school reopens. "Studying is very important for me," he told UCA News, "because I can get a good job and my life will improve if I learn more." His teachers at the church also stress morality, he added.

Ry Nary, the teacher, has taught kindergarten in Kompong Kor for five years. "I really like this program because it helps the children improve their reading and writing," the 23-year-old told UCA News. They need the help, Nary said, because even some fourth graders in public school still cannot read.

Such poor performance bothers Moa Savat, 20, the assistant teacher. "I feel pained to see most of the children unable to read and write," the Catholic high-school student told UCA News. Savat said she accepted Sister Kalaya's invitation to assist the teacher for just that reason.

The Kompong Kor parish began the program this year, Sister Kalaya said, after observing the success of a similar program that has run for five years in Phum Pang, also in the Kompong Thom area. "This is a basic class," she reiterated, "but if they get a strong foundation, they can continue on to university and find jobs to help their families and themselves."

The nun said the Church pays a monthly stipend of 150,000 riel (US$38) to Nary and 100,000 riel to Savat for their services.

When the first Catholic missioners were allowed back to Cambodia in the early 1990s, they found the national education system totally collapsed after two decades of civil war. Since then, the Cambodia Catholic Church has joined with civil society and the government to rebuild the system.

Article Source: UCAN