Project proposal. Early Childhood Education Project in a Tibetan rural area

Transcription

1 Project proposal for an Early Childhood Education Project in a Tibetan rural area By Gyalwogang village commission and Centre of Wisdom and Compassion for All Kindergarten February 2012 Page 1 of 10

2 Proposal title Proposal implementation location Brief summary of proposal Early Childhood Education for Tibetan Village Children in Qinghai Province Gyalwogang Village, Gyalwo, Tongren County, Huangnan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province People s Republic of China Contribute to early childhood education provided to village children aged 4 to 7 by the center of Wisdom and Compassion for All Kindergarten SECTION A : PROJECT SUMMARY Overall aim: o To reinforce Tibetan education in rural areas Specific objectives : o To promote early childhood quality Tibetan education in Gyalwogang village by providing quality teaching and an friendly and compassionate learning environment o To enhance the opportunities for access to high quality Tibetan primary education by providing basics skills and competencies in Tibetan language, Chinese language and mathematics to Tibetan village children aged 4 to 7 o To involve the parents by organizing regular meetings with them to discuss educational matters o To raise awareness among the local community about education issues in Tibetan rural areas Direct beneficiaries :! 47 children from Gyalwogang village currently aged 4 to 7 years old! 3 kindergarten teachers : Mr Shawoker, from Tongren county Mr Nyangjak, from Tongren county Mr Shawodongdup, from Tongren county! Parents of the children enrolled in the kindergarten Partners :! The village commission. In addition to the above, the kindergarten committee members are : --Sonam Dorjee, Initiator of the Center of Compassion and Wisdom for All Kindergarten and Manager of the center --Xiawu Jia, local clerk --Dou Ben Tai, village head --Pema Wangchen, inhabitant of the village Overall budget needed for 2012 : rmb (ninety two thousand six hundred and eighty nine yuans) Page 2 of 10

3 1. Local Context SECTION B : PROJECT DETAILS Qinghai Province is according to the national bureau of statistics the second poorest province of China and the fourth largest province in area ( square kilometers). By the end of 2000 it had a population of million and is inhabited by a large proportion of minorities of which Tibetan, Hui, Tu, Salar and Mongol communities. According to official estimates minorities account for 44 percent of the province total population, however the percentage could even be higher in reality. Tibetans, Huis, Tus, Salars and Mongols inhabit the rural areas, but the plateau is solely populated by Tibetan farmers and nomads, who live mainly on animal husbandry, at an average elevation of meters above sea level. The monthly average income is less than half the income of the inhabitants of urban areas. In urban areas the average income is 1500RMB, whereas Gyalwogang average monthly income is 600RMB. Qinghai province in red on the map below: Page 3 of 10

4 Tongren County (Rebkong in Tibetan, Tongren in Chinese) is the second smallest administrative subdivision by area within Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The county has an area of 3,465 square kilometres and a population of 80,000, 75% of which are Tibetans. The economy of the county is dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry. Some people also earn an income from the collection of caterpillar fungus that takes place once a year for only one and a half month. The fungus is then sold to use in Chinese medicine. The farmers average annual income is 4000RMB. A proportion of the population works on construction sites, for which they receive a daily rate of 60rmb. Rebkong is home to many important Tibetan cultural traditions, such as Buddhist Thangka painting and woodcarving, as well as religious statue-making. Gyalwogang village is situated 12km to the south east of Rebkong. It is inhabited by 160 families, with a total of 890 people : 260 women, 297 men and 333 children. The population is made up by farmers : each farming family generally possesses 18 mu of land. The main crops cultivated are barley, wheat, beans, flax and potatoes. There is one clinic in the village, but it is usually closed. Village people have to travel to Rebkong County for any health-related problems. In the village, there is only one primary school, attended by 123 children. Gyalwogang kindergarten is the first village kindergarten and the first Tibetan kindergarten in Rebgong county. Access to early childhood education in villages varies according to financial situations. In this village a small percentage of village children receive kindergarten education when their family financial conditions are good. However 99% of the village children from all the village never get to attend school until they are 7 years old. Unfortunately many of them then struggle to adapt to the education system. This results in very low entrance rates of Gyalwogang village students into higher middle schools and Page 4 of 10

5 universities : it is estimated that 80% students pursue their education up to junior school only. View of Gyalwogang Village 2. Project context 2.2 Importance of Education in Gyalwogang According to the nine year Compulsory Education Policy children must attend school; but most of the village children coming from illiterate families face huge difficulties in approaching the teaching/learning system. Access to a kindergarten would greatly help these children and give them the equal opportunity that they deserve. Pre-school education is widely developed in mainland China. In Gyalwogang village however, there is only one primary school, which children under the age of 7 are not allowed to attend. For these reasons the Centre of Wisdom and Compassion for All kindergarten opened. 2.2 Achievements and costs of the current pilot project Achievements The Center of Wisdom and Compassion for All kindergarten is currently a pilot project and under registration with the local Education Bureau of Tongren County. Page 5 of 10

6 This is the first village kindergarten in Rebkong County. It has been set-up by Sonam Dorjee, a Tibetan from the village. The kindergarten started running from 19 th of September The kindergarten is located in the building of the party members activity center, and rented it out from Gyalwo township government. A 120 square-meter classroom and a 20 square-meter office are being rented from the Gyalwo township government. Moreover the children have access to a large playground in front of the buildings. Since September 2011, the 47 village children aged between 4 and 7 have been able to attend classes according to a balanced timetable including, Tibetan language classes, Chinese language classes, math classes to which are added periods of educational playtime with toys and games donated by American sponsors. Timetable of the Center of Compassion and wisdom for all Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 09:15-09:50 Tibetan Math Tibetan Chinese Tibetan 10:05-10:40 Math Tibetan Drawing Tibetan Math 10:55-11:30 Playtime T.V Playtime Music T.V 11:45-12:20 T.V Playtime Tibetan T.V Playtime Lunch Break and take a nap 2:30-3:05 Music Tibetan Math Dance Music 3:20-3:55 Tibetan Music T.V Math Tibetan 4:10-4:50 Math Dance Drawing Tibetan Drawing 2 teachers have been hired to provide classes in maths, Tibetan and Chinese; one supervisor is hired to supervise the children during break time. Page 6 of 10

7 Sonam Dorjee Shawoker Shawodondup Page 7 of 10

8 Nyanjak Both teachers are accommodated in a rented room adjacent to the classroom. Teachers room and office. The playground and the building are not accessible to outsiders during class and break. Strict regulations have been put into place to forbid smoking in front of the children and forbid the parents to drop by at any time, unless for urgent matters. Page 8 of 10

9 Playground in front of the kindergarten Lunch is cooked in the small kitchen accessible for free in the building : each family takes turns to provide lunch for the 47 children, thus fostering a sense of sharing. The kitchen includes pots and pans, cutlery and a stove as well as cups and spoons. In addition to the early childhood education program targeting the children, regular meetings with the parents have been organized monthly to discuss education matters. Between September 2011 and February 2012, five meetings have been held with 47 parents attending. The matters discussed were the value of education and in particular the importance for early childhood education. Parents are much in favour of such an initiative. Costs In terms of costs, a total budget of rmb has so far been spent for rent of the facilities, teachers salaries and children s educational toys. From the opening of the center until now, rent and wages have been paid solely by Sonam Dorjee, Initiator of the Center of Compassion and Wisdom for All Kindergarten and Manager of the center. His income comes from his work as a tourist guide, which is irregular and depends on tourism seasons. Contribution for children lunch meals comes from each family whose child attends the kindergarten. Page 9 of 10

10 3. Funding required for 2012 In order to run the kindergarten in a way this is most beneficial to the children we require funding for 2012 as outlined in the table below (currency in RMB) : Budget Unit Cost per unit #of units Total cost 1. Furniture Computer Photocopy machine Cables and other equipment Desk Books Sofa Book Shelf Hawking cleaner SubTotal Human Resources Two Teacher s salary Per month teachersx12months Supervisor s salary Per month x12 months Sub Total Rent Rooms rent x12months SubTotal Heating Heater Coal 3000Kg) Sub Total Miscellaneous Fridge Cupboard Sub Total Toys and learning games Basketball Foot ball Educational toys SubTotal 3690 Total project amount Page 10 of 10