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Tuesday, 12 August 2008 05:13 |
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 Education for all activities were focused on giving scholarships and school tools to children of poor women headed household, on training of alternative education organizing for poor people and on developing educational activities. Besides these activities, advocacy was also carried out to make them able to get access to qualified and cheap education. The running of educational activities at the field level was coordinated by Village Education Committee (KPD) established with members consisting of representatives of women headed household groups and other social elements in the village. This program had just been started in 2006 with special supporting fund.
Until the end of 2008, there were 10,996 children receiving scholarships, of which 60% was for elementary school students, 25% for junior high school students and 15% for financing special courses for school dropouts. The scholarships generally were not given in the form of cash money but school tools like pens/pencils, books, school uniform and school fees that directly was paid to educational institutions to where students went.
In line with the scholarship granting, activity groups at grassroots level were also developed, including people’s forums for education, children learning groups, Education for Early Age Children (PAUD) and functional literacy. Until the end of 2008, data showed there were 1,322 people joining people’s forums for education. In such forum, they discussed various issues concerning education and tried to seek solutions and arrange agenda of educational advocacy. In addition, 1,179 school kids had joined learning groups, 1,101 children were educated in classes of PAUD, and 1,953 adult people, mostly women headed household group members, joined functional literacy class. To support these activities, Taman Bacaan Masyarakat (Community Library (TMB)) was established. Until today there have been 9 community libraries scattering in some program areas.
The other educational activities were connected to the efforts of capacity building and advocacy for women headed household groups. Capacity building was conducted through training of trainers (TOT) of educational activity organizers. Until the end of 2008 had been conducted several TOT of national level with participants as many as 333 cadres. In addition, comparison study had also been carried out, attended by 30 cadres from several regions. It was done to see various educational activities in other regions in order that it could inspire the participants. The capacity building also was done by organizing some corresponding competitions, for instance, writing and reading competitions. Some competitions had been carried out, involving 300 women headed household.
In addition, village meeting to discuss diverse interests related to education had been carried out in the program areas. 2,760 people including women headed household had attended village meetings and 820 people had got involved in the coordination meetings of village education committee at the level of sub-district. Dialogue that was considered early step of advocacy had been done in diverse regions. Not less than 675 members of women headed household groups actively got involved in dialogue forums with decision-makers on education issues. Dialogues were done at different levels from local to national. |
