Project Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning ... · 6) Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Perah,...

Project Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning

(Project SMaLL)

SEAMEO INNOTECH Regional Education Program (SIREP)

1 | P a g e S m a l l S c h o o l s M a n a g e m e n t f o r L i f e l o n g L e a r n i n g


PUBLISHED BY SEAMEO INNOTECH 2016. A PDF copy of this publication may be downloaded free of charge from http://www.seameo-innotech.org. All photos used are courtesy of SEAMEO INNOTECH unless otherwise stated.

http://www.seameo-innotech.org/


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

With sincerest thanks to the SEAMEO INNOTECH Governing Board for supporting the

SEAMEO INNOTECH Regional Education Program (SIREP) on “reaching the unreached” small schools in SEAMEO Member Countries in line with the Ten Collaborative Projects of SEAMEO by 2015. Likewise, special gratitude to the national and sub-national education offices (i.e., province, district levels) of the Lao PDR Ministry of Education and Sports, the Malaysia Ministry of Education and the Philippine Department of Education, together with the seven project intervention schools, namely:

1) Ban Kouay Primary School, Lao PDR 2) Hawanay Elementary (Integrated) School, Philippines 3) Mainit Elementary School, Philippines 4) Phonsinuane Primary School, Lao PDR 5) Sekolah Kebangsaan Chenderong Kelubi, Malaysia 6) Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Perah, Malaysia 7) Sikhaitha Primary School, Lao PDR

for their great contributions in SEAMEO INNOTECH’s Project on Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning (SMaLL) from planning, implementation and monitoring of action plans as part of their commitment to the post-2015 Education for All agenda. Lastly, deepest appreciation to all students, school teachers, principals, parents, local government officials and members of community-based organizations such as: the Village Education Development Committee (VEDC) of Lao PDR; Orang Asli Affairs Department (JAKOA) and Village Councils of Malaysia; and, the Barangay Councils of the Philippines, that were actively engaged by the Project for their valuable experiences, insights and recommendations to continually improve the performance of disadvantaged small schools in remote rural communities in the context of school-based management/decentralized education management.


CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... 3

LIST OF ACRONYMS .......................................................................................................... 9

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................... 13

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 25

CHAPTER II. REGIONAL CONTEXT OF SMALL SCHOOLS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ..................... 29

1. Definition of Small Schools ........................................................................................................................... 30

2. The Regional Profile ...................................................................................................................................... 30

3. Characteristics of Small Schools in Southeast Asia ....................................................................................... 31

Cambodia ...................................................................................................................................................... 31

Indonesia ...................................................................................................................................................... 32

Lao PDR ......................................................................................................................................................... 32

Malaysia ....................................................................................................................................................... 33

Myanmar ...................................................................................................................................................... 34

Philippines ..................................................................................................................................................... 35

Timor-Leste ................................................................................................................................................... 36

Thailand ........................................................................................................................................................ 37

Vietnam ........................................................................................................................................................ 38

4. Needs and Challenges faced by Small Schools ............................................................................................. 39

5. Approaches to overcome the challenges in managing Small Schools .......................................................... 46

CAMBODIA .................................................................................................................................................... 46

INDONESIA .................................................................................................................................................... 48

LAO PDR ........................................................................................................................................................ 49

MALAYSIA ..................................................................................................................................................... 51

MYANMAR .................................................................................................................................................... 55

PHILIPPINES .................................................................................................................................................. 56

THAILAND ..................................................................................................................................................... 59

TIMOR-LESTE ................................................................................................................................................ 60

VIETNAM ....................................................................................................................................................... 61

CHAPTER III. PROJECT BACKGROUND .............................................................................. 63

1. SEAMEO’s Collaborative Response: Reaching the Unreached ..................................................................... 64

2. SEAMEO INNOTECH’s Response: Project SMaLL (Conceptual Overview)..................................................... 64

3. Capacity-building interventions provided: Lao PDR, Malaysia and Philippines ........................................... 69


CHAPTER IV: THE PHILIPPINE EXPERIENCE ....................................................................... 71

1. CHARACTERISTICS OF PHILIPPINE SMALL SCHOOLS .................................................................................... 72

2. PHILIPPINE SMALL SCHOOL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES ................................................. 75

3. BACKGROUND TO THE PHILIPPINE PROJECT SMALL INTERVENTIONS ........................................................ 82

4. THE PILOT SCHOOLS UNDER PROJECT SMALL: SCHOOL CONTEXT ............................................................... 84

Hawanay Elementary School (Hawanay ES) ................................................................................................. 84

Mainit Elementary School (Mainit ES) .......................................................................................................... 86

5. PROJECT SMaLL PROGRAM INTERVENTION ................................................................................................ 88

6. CHALLENGES & SUCCESSES .......................................................................................................................... 91

Hawanay Elementary School ........................................................................................................................ 96

Mainit Elementary School (Mainit Es) ........................................................................................................ 101

7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CASE EXPERIENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES ................ 106

CHAPTER V: THE MALAYSIAN EXPERIENCE .................................................................... 121

1. CHARACTERISTICS OF SMALL SCHOOLS IN MALAYSIA ................................................................................ 123

2. MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES IN ORANG ASLI SCHOOLS ................................................... 125

3. STATUS OF THE ORANG ASLI EDUCATION SYSTEM ................................................................................... 140

4. THE PILOT SCHOOLS UNDER PROJECT SMaLL: SCHOOL CONTEXT ............................................................. 155

Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Chenderong Kelubi............................................................................................. 156

Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sungai Perah ...................................................................................................... 160

5. PROJECT SMALL PROGRAM INTERVENTION ............................................................................................... 165

6. CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES .................................................................................................................... 173

7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CASE EXPERIENCE OF MALAYSIA .......................... 192

CHAPTER VI: THE LAO PDR EXPERIENCE ........................................................................ 207

1. CHARACTERISTICS OF LAO SMALL SCHOOLS .............................................................................................. 209

2. LAO SMALL SCHOOL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES ........................................................... 211

3. BACKGROUND ON THE LAO EDUCATION LANDSCAPE ............................................................................... 217

4. THE PILOT SCHOOLS UNDER PROJECT SMALL: SCHOOL CONTEXT ............................................................. 221

Ban Kuoay Primary School .......................................................................................................................... 223

Phonsinouane Primary School .................................................................................................................... 230

Sikhaitha Primary School ............................................................................................................................ 235

5. PROJECT SMaLL PROGRAM INTERVENTION ............................................................................................... 240

6. CHALLENGES AND SUCCESS ........................................................................................................................ 243

7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CASE EXPERIENCE OF LAO PDR............................. 270


CHAPTER VII. FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON SMALL SCHOOLS

MANAGEMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ............................................................................. 285

KEY FINDINGS PER PARTICIPATING COUNTRY ................................................................................................ 286

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................... 289

Specific Conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 289

Specific Recommendations ......................................................................................................................... 297

CONCLUDING STATEMENT ............................................................................................................................. 313

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 315


LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Project SMaLL Objectives and Activities ................................................................................. 15

Table 2: Overview of Project SMaLL Interventions ............................................................................... 17

Table 3: Key Findings re: Action Research on Small Schools Management in Southeast Asia ............. 20

Table 4: Summary of Major Conclusions and Recommendations of the Study for Consideration of

SEAMEO Member Countries .................................................................................................... 22

Table 5: National Achievement Test Scores of Multigrade and Regular Schools, Philippines ............. 74

Table 6: Small Schools Enrolment in City Divisions of Talisay and Carcar ............................................ 83

Table 7: Drop-out & Survival Rates in Selected Multigrade Schools, Cebu, Philippines....................... 84

Table 8: Drop-out and Completion Rates in Project SMaLL Intervention Schools ............................... 95

Table 9: Enrolment Data of Mainit ES ................................................................................................. 103

Table 10: Financial Assistance for Orang Asli Students, JAKOA .......................................................... 128

Table 11: Orang Asli Enrolment in Basic Education from 2011 to 2014 ............................................. 140

Table 12: List of K9 Comprehensive Model Schools by Year (MOE Malaysia) .................................... 146

Table 13: Number of Parents who have attended KEDAP (2008-2013) ............................................. 154

Table 14: Distribution of Orang Asli School Children in SK Chenderong Kelubi ................................. 158

Table 15: Achievement Awards of SK Chenderong Kelubi .................................................................. 158

Table 16: Enrollment in SK Chenderong Kelubi .................................................................................. 159

Table 17: Performance Indicators for SK Chenderung Kelubi ............................................................. 159

Table 18: UPSR National Achievement Test Scores: SK Chenderung Kelubi, SY 2006-2009 .............. 159

Table 19: School Quality Indicators, SK Chenderung Kelubi ............................................................... 160

Table 20: SK Sungai Perah Attendance Rate from 2009 to 2011 ........................................................ 162

Table 21: Enrolment Statistics for School Year 2011, SK Sungai Perah .............................................. 162

Table 22: School Awards of SK Sungai Perah from 2007-2010 ........................................................... 163

Table 23: SK Sungai Perah UPSR Results, Year 2006-2010 ................................................................. 164

Table 24: School Improvement Plan. SK Sungai Perah, SY 2008-2012 ............................................... 165

Table 25: SK Sungai Perah, Monthly Activities for AY 2011 ................................................................ 169

Table 26: UPSR Exam Results, SK Sungai Perah .................................................................................. 172

Table 27: Basic Information on Bankuay Primary School, SY 2013-2014 ........................................... 224

Table 28: Bankouay Primary School Net Enrolment as of SY 2013-2014 ........................................... 224

Table 29: Bankouay Primary School Performance Indicators as of 2013-2014 .................................. 224

Table 30: Basic Information: Phonsinouane Primary School .............................................................. 230

Table 31: Phonsinouane School Performance Indicators: Net Enrollment (2010-2014) .................... 231

Table 32: Phonsinouane Primary School Performance Indicators ..................................................... 231

Table 33: Basic Information on Sikhaitha Primary School .................................................................. 235

Table 34: Sikhaitha Primary School: Net Enrolment ........................................................................... 236

Table 35: Sikhaitha Primary School Performance Indicators: Other School Data .............................. 236

Table 36: Teacher Assignment in Sikhaitha Multi-grade Instruction .................................................. 236

Table 37: Fit for School Implementation Status (2012) ...................................................................... 269


LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Project SMaLL Intervention Framework ................................................................................ 19

Figure 2: Project SMaLL Conceptual Framework, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2010 ...................................... 65

Figure 3: Small Schools Management Systems under Project SMaLL .................................................. 66

Figure 4: Project SMaLL Intervention Framework ................................................................................ 67

Figure 5: Language Assessment for Primary Grades for Philippine Multigrade Schools, 2015 ............ 75

Figure 6: Distribution of Small Schools in Malaysia (2010) ................................................................. 124

Figure 7: Performance of SK Ba Kelalan School .................................................................................. 149

Figure 8: SK Sungai Perah Attendance Rates ...................................................................................... 164


LIST OF ACRONYMS

A&E Accreditation and Equivalency

ADM Alternative Delivery Mode

AI Appreciative Inquiry

ALS Alternative Learning System

ANISFA Anislagan Farmers Association

APEX Applied Academics for Excellence

ASLO Assessments of Student Learning Outcomes

BEAM Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao

BEE Bureau of Elementary Education

BESRA Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda

BM Bahasa Malaysia

CBA Cost-Benefit Analysis

CCA Child-Centred Approach

CCT Conditional Cash Transfer

CESA Chiangmai Education Service Area

CFS Child-Friendly Schools

CIPG Comprehension Item Program for Group

COAC Center of Orang Asli Concerns

CoE Clusters of Excellence

COMIC Community in the Classroom

CPD continuing professional development

CSOs Civil Society Organizations

CSS Community Support Scheme

DA Department of Agriculture

DEB District Education Bureaus

DENR Department of Environment and Natural Resources

DepEd Department of Education

DNFE Department of Non-Formal Education

DO Department Order


DPC Department of Planning and Cooperation

ECDP Early Childhood Development Project

EDMP Education Development Master Plan

EFA Education for All

EFA-FTI Education for All – The Fast Track Initiative

ES Elemetary School

ESDF Education Sector Development Framework

FCS family-community-school

FGD focus group discussions

FTI Fast Track Initiative

GAA General Appropriations Act

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GER Gross Enrolment Ratio

GUARDO Guadalupe Upland Agricultural Resource Development Organization

GURO21 Gearing Up Responsible and Outstanding Teachers in Southeast Asia for the

21st Century

HEKASI Heograpiya, Kasaysayan, at Sibika

HOTS higher order thinking skills

IAB Institut of Aminuddin Baki

IC-MG Integrated Curriculum for Multigrade Classes

ICT Information Communication Technology

IDRC International Development Research Center

IECM information, education, communication and motivational

IMPACT Instructional Management of Parents, Community & Teachers

IPG Institut Pendidikan Guru

IPs indigenous peoples

ITE Institute of Teacher Education

ITSME Improving In-Service Teacher Training for Science and Mathematics

Education

JaKOA Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli

JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency


KEDAP Kelas Dewasa Asli Penan (programmes for indigenous adults to eradicate

illiteracy)

KRT Key Reform Thrusts

LINUS Literacy and Numeracy Screening

LRSP Little Red School House Project

LSB Local School Board

MDG Millennium Development Goal

MDSP Multigrade Demonstration School Project

MG Multi-grade

MOEC Ministry of Education and Culture

MOEM Ministry of Education Malaysia

MOEs Ministries of Education

MOES Ministry of Education and Sports

MOET Ministry of Education and Training

MPPE Multi-grade Program in Philippine Education

NAT National Achievement Test

NCR National Capital Region

NER Net Enrolment Ratio

NRIES National Research Institute for Educational Sciences

OBEC Office of Basic Education Commission

OTI Operational Target Increment

OUM Open University Malaysia

PA Pedagogical Advisers

PELC Philippine Elementary Learning Competencies

PES Provincial Education Services

PGL peer-group learning

PISMP Program Ijazah Sarjana Muda Pendidikan

PLA Participatory Learning in Action

PLEP Pupil Learning Enhancement Program

PTA Parents-Teachers Association

RGP Review Game Program

RIP Reading Item Program


RIPG Reading Item Program for Groups

SBG School Block Grant

SBM school-based management

SIP School Improvement Plan

SDS Schools Division Superintendent

SEDIP Secondary Education Development and Improvement Project

SEF School Education Fund

SIDA Swedish International Development Agency

SIP Simple Item Program

SIPG Simple Item Program for Groups

SIREP SEAMEO INNOTECH Regional Education Program

SK Sangguniang Kabataan

SK Sekolah Kebangsaan

SKM Sekolah Kurang Murid

SMaLL Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning

SoQ Schools of Quality

SPM Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia

STRIVE Strengthening the Implementation of Basic Education in the Visayas

STU Sarawak Teachers’ Union

TAV Teacher Aide Volunteer

TEEP Third Elementary Education Project

TEIs Teacher Education Institutions

TIC Teacher-in-Charge

TTC Teacher Training Colleges

TTEST Teacher Training Enhancement and Status of Teachers

TTS Teacher Training School

UES under-enrolled schools

UNDP United Nations Development Program

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund

UPSR Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah

VEDC Village Education Development Council

WSPG Word Sounding Program for Group


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report presents a framework that explains how community-based support can improve

educational management of small schools. The framework draws lessons from the experience of school principals, teachers, parents and students of selected small schools in Lao PDR, Malaysia and the Philippines that may be particularly useful for the region, and identifies challenges and promising practices that impact on the effective management of small schools. It uses information from school-based data and reports, as well as from case studies that were conducted by SEAMEO INNOTECH after providing capacity building interventions to a sample of small schools in the region. The report is also informed by qualitative data gathered in the monitoring of seven small schools. The findings hope to provide inputs to policy makers in the Ministries of Education to consider the strengths, challenges and recommendations for better management of small schools as they continue to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” for the next 15 years of EFA (SDG 4 Education 2030). SEAMEO INNOTECH Response to EFA, MDG and Universal Convention on Child’s Rights The three major global initiatives which mainly protect the rights and welfare of children, youth and adults are: 1) Universal Convention on Child’s Rights, 2) Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and, 3) Education for All (EFA). Substantive gains have been achieved with regard to these global commitments particularly in EFA – a global movement led by UNESCO aiming to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015. Statistics have shown that there are more children participating in schools, most noticeably among girls. The number of schools and classrooms have also multiplied to accommodate the increase in school population. Flexible learning options or alternative educational programs have been organized to ensure that those who are unable to attend regular school are able to acquire the minimum learning content for their grade levels. However, it is also clear that numerous challenges and gaps continue to challenge educators and policy makers particularly those who are concerned with learners in economically disadvantaged communities, rural remote areas and indigenous populations. A significant number of children from low income economies remain excluded from educational services and are therefore being “left behind”. Many children in remote rural areas and in indigenous communities are early school leavers, dropping out in midstream, and are unable to complete the full cycle of primary education. With subsistence farming as the main source of livelihood in Southeast Asia, children living in rural areas are more likely to be out of school than those in cities and are therefore largely excluded from formal education. It is in this context that SEAMEO Member Countries are compelled to accelerate the achievement of EFA as a national policy for government to provide greater access to small schools of better quality.


SEAMEO INNOTECH is committed to pursue the global thrust for EFA by 2015 through SEAMEO’s Ten Collaborative Projects to reach the unreached (RUR) in Southeast Asia. The 10 collaborative projects were the result of the regional meeting convened by the SEAMEO Secretariat in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat and UNESCO Bangkok in July 2008. The meeting was attended by representatives from the 11 SEAMEO Member Countries and 10 international non-governmental organizations and EFA partners. Consequently, the Center’s 8th Five-Year Development Plan is focused on developing solutions to improve access to quality education in communities where education for all is not within immediate reach. One of the key interventions is strengthening the capacity of small disadvantaged schools in dealing with the challenges of reaching the learners from rural communities in Southeast Asia and to promote inclusive education. In Southeast Asia, small schools or one-teacher schools represent a large portion of the educational landscape. Small schools in the region usually have low enrolments of less than 150 students, with one teacher handling various grade levels simultaneously in a single classroom, trying to cope with meager resources. These schools are sometimes classified as oftentimes incomplete or under-enrolled schools wherein they have less than five teachers trying to manage multi-grade classes, and with limited resources. Small schools can be found in almost all countries of the region, but the underlying reasons for their existence may well vary. Several national policies in support of the EFA agenda and other factors brought about conditions that necessitated the existence of small schools. In cognizance of the EFA goal of improving access to quality and sustainable primary education particularly for those in remote rural areas in Southeast Asia, SEAMEO INNOTECH proposed a project on Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning (SMaLL). The Project, funded under SIREP (SEAMEO INNOTECH Regional Education Program) was designed to be a community-based, participatory action research activity to be undertaken in three Southeast Asian countries. It was envisioned to contribute towards building the experience and knowledge based on models, strategies and approaches for localizing collaborative management and strengthening family, community and school partnerships, in marginalized and disadvantaged areas, including indigenous communities. The proposal identified three participating SEAMEO Member Countries: Lao PDR, Malaysia and the Philippines based on the following criteria: 1) willingness and commitment to support the EFA fast track initiative to reach the unreached school communities in Southeast Asia, 2) with significant numbers of small/multi -grade schools in rural areas, and 3) with small schools that have innovative programs for indigenous communities. The project presented past and on-going initiatives of SEAMEO Member Countries in managing small schools to assist in developing policy recommendations for long-term effectiveness of small schools’ learning system and how it impacts on the lives of children from disadvantaged and indigenous communities in Southeast Asia. Project Objectives, Research Questions and Activities The Ministries of Education (MOEs) of the three participating countries signified their interest to join and implement Project SMaLL from 2010 to 2012. The action research was geared towards accomplishing the following objectives: 1) strengthening capacities of key


stakeholders in pilot sites; 2) promoting and localizing best practices of family-community-school partnerships; 3) capturing and documenting effective innovations, best practices and lessons learned; and 4) recommending policy directions for enhancing small schools responsiveness and effectiveness in reaching out and mobilizing support of the community, engaging and involving parents, and building more robust family-community-school partnerships. The research questions served as the basis for defining the specific courses of action that the three participating countries pursued to improve the quality of education services provided by small schools. Specifically, these are:

i. What critical areas of community-based support are needed by small schools? ii. How do small schools engage, manage and sustain critical areas for community

support? iii. What new capacity-building interventions may be jointly pursued by schools and

community members in managing small schools? In partnership with the Ministries of Education in Lao PDR, Malaysia, and the Philippines, SEAMEO INNOTECH undertook activities (Table 1) to accomplish the project objectives and address the research questions.

Table 1: Project SMaLL Objectives and Activities

Objectives/Activities Lao PDR Malaysia Philippines

(1) Strengthen capacities of key stakeholders in pilot sites

• Multi-Level Orientation and Consultation Meeting with key stakeholders from 3 pilot schools in LAO

PDR.

• Multi-Level Orientation and Consultation Meeting with key stakeholders from 2 pilot schools in Malaysia.

• Multi-Level Orientation and Consultation Meeting with key stakeholders from 2 pilot schools in

the Philippines. • Orientation on

rudiments of Multi-grade Instruction and School of Quality framework (SoQ)

• Orientation on managing Comprehensive Special (Boarding) School for Orang Asli

• Training on IMPACT Technology (Instructional Management of Parents, Community & Teachers)

• Training on Collaborative Management of Small Schools: Strengthening Family-Community-School Partnerships for key stakeholders



(2) Promote and localize best practices of family-community-school partnerships

• Training on Collaborative Management for Small Schools: Strengthening Family-Community-School Partnerships for key stakeholders of 3 pilot schools




Objectives/Activities Lao PDR Malaysia Philippines

(3) Capture and document effective innovations, best practices and lessons learned

• Consultation Meeting with key stakeholders from 3 pilot schools

• Monitoring of schools’ action plan on Project SMaLL after the training





(4) Recommend policy directions for enhancing small schools responsiveness and effectiveness in reaching out and mobilizing support of the community, engaging and involving parents and building more robust family-community-school partnerships

• Engaging and maximizing VEDC (Village Education Development Council) support to small primary schools

• Engaging and maximizing parental e.g., (KEDAP-adult education) & village support in Orang Asli education

• Engaging and maximizing support of students as peer tutors and IMPACT program teachers and parents as itinerant teachers

Further, each country manifested unique conditions that the project needed to address (see Figure 1. Project SMaLL Intervention Framework). The final project objectives were customized, based on local conditions, actual key stakeholders involved, as well as local cultural contexts. They were focused on key dimensions essential to building and sustaining school-community partnerships and multi-stakeholder engagement for small schools improvement as follows:

Clarifying and developing shared understanding of Project SMaLL: its contexts, goals, priorities and planned initiatives.

Discovering pathways for stretching and deepening linkages and partnerships between schools and the communities in which they are located.

Building consensus on areas for working together (collaboration, complementation, or convergence), to accelerate Project SMaLL planned initiatives.

Recognizing potential challenges that could serve as barriers to successful launching and implementation of Project SMaLL in the pilot schools.

Developing a platform of action (Malaysia and Philippines) and solidarity agenda (Lao PDR) for supporting, accelerating and sustaining the SMaLL schools project; and reaching agreement on the succeeding stages and future engagements for Project SMaLL.

Each major activity had its own rationale and objectives, design principles and methodologies. In the course of project implementation, the specific objectives were reformulated to clarify the emerging conditions of the participating countries. Thus, the major activities indicated in Table 2 already reflected the firmed-up objectives:


Table 2: Overview of Project SMaLL Interventions

ACTIVITIES RATIONALE OBJECTIVES DESIGN PRINCIPLES METHODOLOGIES

Multi-Level Orientation and Consultation Meeting with key stakeholders, from seven pilot schools in targeted project sites, across three countries.

Intended to be project perspective setting and grounding sessions.

Served as a starting point for the project.

Ensure that all key stakeholders had a shared understanding and appreciation of what the project was all about, and what it intended to do.

Provide key stakeholders the opportunities to contextualize the project in terms of past initiatives and accomplishments, current realities and future challenges.

Community and school level discussions aimed to:

Bring out stakeholders’ perceptions and images of their village schools;

Recognize key challenges in the effective functioning of their village schools;

Showcase and appreciate significant programs & best practices in ensuring stakeholder engagement and family-community-school (FCS) partnerships;

Capture change-related visions (dreams or wishes) of small schools, i.e., what they want to make better; what they want to introduce or initiate (create something new) and what they want to do differently (innovate).

Universal principles governing inclusive education (MDG, EFA, Universal Convention on Human Rights) were used as introductory and preliminary take-off points for discussions among stakeholders.

Exchanges during FGDs anchored on the assumption that “people have more confidence and are more comfortable with the future, when they carry the best parts of the past with them” (Sue Annis Hammond, 1998).

Appreciative inquiry (AI), focused conversations and participatory learning in action.

Structured along two major areas: (1) Feedback on the project overview presentation, and (2) Focused conversations.

Discussion sessions were undertaken at: national, district, and/or school–community levels

Separate sessions were conducted with school principals and teachers, and with parents and other members of the community to openly share their experiences.

Training on Collaborative Management for Small Schools: Strengthening Family-Community-School Partnerships

Envisioned to spearhead and serve as the driver for subsequent innovations and initiatives in the pilot schools.

Accelerate adaptation and/or integration of promising practices of community/ village engagement and multi-stakeholder partnerships for participatory, collaborative governance and effective management of small schools. Specifically, to:

Enhance core competencies vital to creating a supportive, safe, child-friendly and context sensitive learning environment as well as

Consisted of five modules:

(1) Laying the Foundation for Building Relationships,

(2) Creating & Sustaining a Supportive & Child-Friendly School Environment,

(3) Building & Strengthening

Co-organized & managed by SEAMEO INNOTECH & MOEs in Lao PDR Malaysia and the Philippines.


ACTIVITIES RATIONALE OBJECTIVES DESIGN PRINCIPLES METHODOLOGIES

those skills that help improve and strengthen family- community- school partnerships;

Build consensus and create a shared platform on how best to initiate, support and sustain community or village engagement and multi-stakeholder partnerships; and

Enhance existing school strategic framework (vision, mission, guiding principles and values) and school development plans to ensure alignment with overarching national education goals.

Family-Community-School Partnerships for Lifelong Learning,

(4) Mobilizing & Working Together for Change, and

(5) Coaching for Online Networking or Knowledge Sharing.

Training on Instructional Management by Parents, Communities, and Teachers (IMPACT) technology

Exclusive for the Philippine setting to strengthen the educational program using the IMPACT Learning System (for multi-grade schools) with active collaboration of families and communities to provide children with quality education at lesser costs.

To respond to high drop-out rates in small schools.

To provide a solution to the lack of teachers, textbooks and other learning resources in participating schools.

Learning system is a technology-enhanced alternative delivery mode (ADM) for primary schools

Learning materials were aligned with the basic education curriculum of the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd).

Based on principles of accelerated instruction, participatory learning in action (PLA), appreciative inquiry (AI) and blended learning.

One-day orientation on IMPACT for Schools Division officials and school principals and teachers of Talisay and Carcar Cities in Cebu province.

Six-day training on IMPACT for all teachers, schools heads, parents and local government representatives using a diverse mix of participatory and experiential adult learning methodologies.

Modern media and web-based presentations (i.e., YouTube) were also integrated in the sessions.

Monitoring action plans on IMPACT implementation.

Figure 1: Project SMaLL Intervention Framework

SEAMEO INNOTECH REGIONAL EDUCATION PROJECT: Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning (SMaLL)

Integrate Community-based learning system in small schools management by end of 2011

PHILIPPINES

• Low academic performance of students in rural remote areas

• High turnover of teachers; unskilled

MALAYSIA

• Under-enrolled • High drop out

rate in indigenous communities

• More qualified teachers

LAO PDR

• Declining enrolment

• Understaffed • Untrained

teachers

CAPACITY

What else can be done?

CAPACITY

DEVELOPMENT

Building School Community Relationships

Teachers’ & School Heads’ Training on Appropriate Learning Management System

Small Schools Management Workshop

Setting up of on-line learning community

School-Community implementation of educational processes

What works now?

PREPARING THE

SCHOOL-COMMUNITY

Study Mission

Advocacy and Consultative Meetings with Key Stakeholders (MOE/DepED, PTCA, LGUs)

Competency Profiling

Benchmarking Visit to model small schools (optional)

Improved access to quality & sustainable

primary education in remote rural

areas by 2015

CONTEXT PHASE I PHASE II PHASE III PURPOSE EFA GOAL

How do we strengthen?

PROGRAM

SUSTAINABILITY

On-line & face-to-face coaching & peer learning

Monitoring and Assessment using appreciative inquiry

Documentation of best practices

SEA small schools network & on-line policy forum

Sustainability Planning

Project Assessment


Key Findings per Participating Country

Based on the research questions, Table 3 highlights the major findings for each participating country:

Table 3: Key Findings re: Action Research on Small Schools Management in Southeast Asia

Research Questions Lao PDR Malaysia Philippines

What critical areas of community-based support are needed by small schools?

In Lao PDR, the MOES recommended 3 schools in Vientiane Capital because almost all primary level schools fall in the category of small schools.

The critical areas of support needed are:

capacity building on multi-grade teaching in small schools;

conscious effort to operationalize the Village Education Development Council (VEDC) as a national policy to help schools level up within the decentralized education management framework.

Only two thirds of the project schools in Lao PDR had active VEDC engagement. In the 3rd project school, the project raised the awareness on the existence of VEDC structure that supports small schools.

Majority of Lao PDR teachers & school heads have tenure of more than 11 years.

Small schools or under-enrolled schools in Malaysia were mostly found among Orang Asli (indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia) spread throughout the rural areas of Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia. The project site comprising two Orang Asli schools was identified in Perak State, West Malaysia.

Upon the recommendation of MOE the project chose as its research site the Orang Asli schools in Peninsular Malaysia where innovations have sprouted.

Critical areas of support needed are committed local teachers and educated parents who can provide Orang Asli culturally-appropriate teaching and learning materials.

In the Philippines, small schools are scattered all over in rural areas characterized by a multi-grade system. DepEd recommended two project sites in Cebu Province because of a prior project engagement with SEAMEO INNOTECH to further strengthen the public educational system using the IMPACT Learning System

Critical areas of support needed are:

separation of functions of teaching and administration for more efficiency and accountability;

parental and community support;

motivational incentives and citizenship education for teachers to serve and stay; and

timely provision and increase in allocation of MOOE funds to small schools.

How do small schools engage, manage and sustain critical areas for community support?

Engaging the VEDC in Project SMaLL action plan implementation in the spirit of decentralized education management

Engaging parents, teachers and community in Project SMaLL action plan implementation which includes adult learning, livelihood, academic (English lessons), healthy lifestyle, physical exercise (aerobics), and community visioning Engaging students on remedial classes on vocabulary, reading, writing and calculating, and improving study habits

Engaging parents, teachers, school and community leaders in Project SMaLL action plan implementation in collaboration with school-based management (SBM) initiative of DepEd.


Research Questions Lao PDR Malaysia Philippines

What new capacity-building interventions may be jointly pursued by schools and community members in managing small schools?

Training on collaborative management of small schools

Orientation on the rudiments of multi-grade education


Orientation on K9 Comprehensive Model School/Special Program in preparation for graduating primary learners to enter secondary school


Training on IMPACT technology

Conclusions and Recommendations Project SMaLL was implemented in seven primary schools in three SEAMEO Member Countries for eighteen months. As presented in the country reports, small schools in Southeast Asia faced common operational problems in managing small schools located in disadvantaged and underserved communities. The study revealed that education ministries had varying levels of difficulties and bottlenecks in managing small schools. This being the case, interventions tended to vary from one country to another. Nevertheless, a systematic analysis and prioritization of the challenges and opportunities in managing small schools was the first viable step in strengthening and sustaining the initiatives of these ministries for the underserved small schools. Small schools, at a glance, seemed to be easy to manage due to their size. Resource requirements were considered minimal, hence, provision of resources and supportive services was limited. However, small schools have unique requirements, and the sets of competencies required of school heads in managing small schools are different from those who manage big or regular schools. This is one reason for education ministries to pay more attention to addressing the strategic and operational issues faced by small schools and to ensure that they perform just as well as big schools. A number of interventions were described in the country reports, with focus on providing directions, developing manpower, redesigning the organization, and managing the teaching and learning program. The following is an abridged summary of the major project conclusions and recommendations (Table 4) across countries for application and adaptation to other SEAMEO Member Countries to help address the challenges faced by small schools. An elaboration regarding the recommendations can be found in Chapter VII of the report. These recommendations will serve as the basis for defining specific courses of action that SEAMEO Member Countries can pursue to improve the quality of education services in rural areas despite the complexities of small schools in Southeast Asia.


Table 4: Summary of Major Conclusions and Recommendations of the Study for Consideration of SEAMEO Member Countries

CONCLUSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS

1) The main challenge for education ministries in each country was on how they could improve the status of small schools to ensure that the schools as learning organizations would be able to achieve their vision and mission of promoting quality education for all school-age children in their respective areas. Specifically, the following challenges were identified by the MOEs in the three participating countries under Project SMaLL:

low academic achievement

limited number of teachers

weak school-community support and partnerships

difficulty on teacher deployment and retention

limited resources, including high average cost for pupils, unrealistic per capita grants, and limited access to basic infrastructure and learning facilities

On low academic achievement of students:

To sustain the project interventions relevant to student learning, there is a need for education ministries to strengthen curriculum and instruction using modified strategies that align with contextual realities of small schools, and to improve the acceptability and appreciation of multi-grade instruction in small schools.

On limited number of teachers:

Continual review of teacher compensation policies and incentives to encourage both teachers and school heads to seek or accept assignments to lead and/or teach in small schools.

On weak school community partnerships

Encourage small schools to establish multi-sectoral action teams focused on designing and implementing initiatives for family-community-school partnerships within small rural schools and indigenous communities.

Provide small schools strong technical guidance and support on how to pursue and sustain collaborations with multi-stakeholders in their own school community.

On teacher deployment and retention:

Strengthen the institutional management capacity at the district, provincial and other sub-national levels in providing technical advice and assistance on matters affecting teacher deployment, incentives, capacity building needs, teacher quality, establishing school networks, contextualizing curriculum materials, encouraging school-based innovations (content and processes), and addressing operational issues.

On limited resources

Create an enabling environment that provides favorable and supportive policies, a pool of school champions, sustainable financing mechanisms and diversified resource base that would address the inequities faced by small schools in disadvantaged communities

2) The big challenge for small schools is their geographic location because a) they are far and difficult to reach by social, communication and infrastructure services, and b) they are differentiated in ethno-linguistic groups that require translation of evidence-based curricular materials.

On geographic isolation

Provide an enabling policy environment for small schools to thrive and foster growth and innovations in remote and rural communities.

Design distance learning programs for students and teachers to provide them access to new knowledge and skills offered by Ministry of Education and learning institutions/networks with the assumption that internet connectivity, internet skills and language facility are in place.

Develop a robust infrastructure for learning and sharing such as clustering of small schools in rural areas.

Conduct further research and provide guidance on models of formal and informal school clustering to evaluate their potential benefits for small schools and as well as providing a context in developing the next generation of school leaders.

Foster a learning exchange through informal and formal networking such as those in a school cluster system. Networking within the cluster proved to be a useful basis for cooperation which could be fortified further according to the needs of small schools.

Connect or link family, community and school relationships and roles with curricular and instructional reforms.


CONCLUSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS

3) Small schools feel greatly accountable to the communities that enabled them to be established, yet they do not have the necessary formal leadership development and school-based management training to help them meet the community’s expectations. Specifically, there is a need to develop or enhance the technical leadership of school head/head teacher and strengthen teacher performance.

On developing or enhancing the technical leadership of school head/ head teacher and strengthening teacher performance:

Promote school-based management to strengthen relevance, effectiveness and sustainability of education services provided by small schools in rural areas.

Encourage school heads or head teachers of small schools to demonstrate excellent teaching craft to provide instructional leadership through modeling of good practices in teaching and learning and mentoring/coaching of teachers, parents-mentors and students as programmed/little teachers.

Establish a SEAMEO network of small schools engaged in family-community-school partnerships.

Enhance school-based management (SBM) and leadership capacities and commitment of school heads and teachers by creating a pool of trainers across SEAMEO Member Countries and/or by encouraging the MOEs, particularly at the provincial/division and district/sub-district levels, and their partners to integrate and/or mainstream principles and practices of family-community-school partnerships in their training and education programs for teachers.

4) Given the nature and location of small schools, it is important that the MOEs and schools in partnership provide not only academic learning but also lifelong learning appropriate to their different cultures and natural environments.

On creating opportunities for lifelong learning in small schools:

Develop students as partners, anchors and catalysts for educational improvement and lifelong learning.

Small rural schools can be transformed into community centers to serve as hubs for linking and integrating development initiatives that will, in the long run, have a cumulative effect.

Enhancing the content and expanding availability of localized learning materials are necessary in ensuring lifelong learning and integration of learning with real-world experiences such as use of the concepts of family-community-school partnerships, school health, disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, resiliency and indigenous culture and knowledge as learning context. This includes investing in developing indigenous learning materials which are culturally appropriate and sensitive, and using pedagogies that support linguistically and culturally diverse learners, e.g., mother-tongue based, multi-lingual education (MTB-MLE).

In summary, small schools represent a large portion of the educational landscape in developing countries in Southeast Asia. Small schools are defined mostly in the context of rural and small populations but small schools may also exist in urban populations (e.g., Vientiane Capital). With subsistence farming as the main source of livelihood in Southeast Asia, children in underserved and disadvantaged rural and urban areas are at risk of not completing the full cycle of primary education. Thus, it is important and urgent to provide greater support to small schools in disadvantaged and indigenous communities.


Project SMaLL was designed and implemented to provide better understanding of how small schools operate, the challenges they faced and innovations they made in providing equal access to lifelong learning opportunities for all rural children, youth and adults. The overall findings of the action research on Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning project reveals the following realities:

Small schools management is complex;

Small schools management requires inclusive leadership;

Small schools management needs to enhance the spirit of mutual support among stakeholders;

Small schools management entails collaboration with family, communities and networks.

Small schools are not effective solely by virtue of being small. Rather, small schools work best when they take advantage of being small. The best small schools offer an environment where teachers, students, and parents see themselves as part of a community, and deal with issues of learning, diversity, governance, and building community at the local level. Communities should respect and promote their small schools and policy-makers should support these schools with enabling policies, adequate financial resources and responsive technical assistance. The challenge to rural educators is to demonstrate and sustain the communal and social benefits of small schools and local schools. This may be done both through empirical analysis and by forming coalitions with cluster schools in both rural and urban areas and other learning institutions with similar interests. The key recommendations of this report discussed in detail in Chapter VII will help inform the preparation of SEAMEO Member Countries for the next 15 years of post-EFA, which constitutes the commitment of the education community to Education 2030.


CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

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To further the region’s economic development the SEAMEO member-countries placed a

priority on improving its education sector. However, despite sustained economic growth since the mid-1980s, Southeast Asian countries education system faces challenges in meeting its goals of providing all school-age children with access to education especially in poorer communities, rural remote areas and indigenous communities. Large numbers of children from poor households are early school leavers, dropping out midstream and unable to complete the full cycle of primary education. While some increases in enrolment ratios are evident, nearly 18 million of school-age children in South Asia were out of school in 2012, and progress in reducing this number has stalled. The low-income countries in the region were not on track to achieve universal primary education as a millennium development goal. UNESCO has projected that by the 2015 deadline, one in six children in low and middle income countries will not have completed primary school (EFA Global Monitoring Report, 2015). There are concerns about education quality as well, particularly whether students are completing primary school with sufficient foundation skills. Thus, to improve access to quality and sustainable primary education in remote rural areas in Southeast Asia, Project SMaLL (Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning) was implemented and funded through SEAMEO INNOTECH’s Regional Education Program (SIREP) funds. Small schools are generally perceived as poor or weak in terms of providing quality education as compared to the performance of larger schools in delivering primary education in particular. Strategic interventions are needed to address the issues and concerns besetting small schools to ensure that they could effectively contribute in achieving universal primary education for all (EFA 2015 goals). It is in this context that SEAMEO INNOTECH committed to reach out to the unreached small schools in the region. The action research intends to strengthen capacities of key stakeholders of small schools; promote and localize practices of family-community-school partnerships; document effective innovations and lessons learned; and, recommend policy directions for enhancing small schools responsiveness and effectiveness in reaching out and mobilizing support of the community, engaging and involving parents and building more robust family-community-school partnerships. Project SMaLL is a community-based, participatory action research activity undertaken in Lao PDR, Malaysia and the Philippines which aims to build the experience and knowledge base on strategies and approaches for localizing collaborative management and strengthening family, community and school partnerships, in marginalized, disadvantaged communities, including indigenous communities anchored on the unique context and challenges of small schools. Small schools are small in terms of enrolment size and appurtenant resources but unfortunately faced with enormous challenges which include but are not limited to the following cases:


The complexity of leading a small school. These schools have small numbers of staff yet they are subject to the same demands as larger schools. In addition they play a central role in their communities and provide many additional responsibilities for their school leaders and teachers. The principal is often a teacher as well as the school’s leader (i.e., head-teacher).

The need for mutual support and collaboration, which is often difficult to find and sustain as many small schools are geographically isolated and inaccessible.

The need for careful succession planning since small schools have high turn-over of leadership. New and aspiring school leaders are oftentimes deployed to rural schools to vie for principalship via a small school to test and hone their leadership potentials. But after gaining enough experience and managerial competence, these new aspirants/school leaders are being promoted to larger schools and/or urban areas.

To address the resource limitations and other challenges faced by small schools, Project SMaLL focuses on strengthening partnership between schools and communities so they can work together and have greater administrative control in improving the performance of small schools. The project uses an adaptation of school based management that was designed to make educational administration more effective in improving children’s quality of education, equity and access to learning opportunities. This action research would be very useful to use with aspiring leaders. Education Supervisors, mentors and experienced principals could help aspiring school heads to look realistically at what it would mean to take on leadership of a small school, and to prepare them in advance for the issues they are likely to face. As there is little research into the issues managing small schools this research report could prove useful insights for aspiring and current leaders of small and often isolated schools. This report presents a framework that explains how community-based support can improve educational management of small schools. The framework draws lessons from the experience of school principals, teachers, parents and students of small schools in Lao PDR, Malaysia and Philippines that may be particularly useful for the region, and to identify challenges and promising practices that impact on the effective management of small schools. It uses information from school-based data and reports, as well as case studies that were conducted by SEAMEO INNOTECH after providing capacity building interventions to a sample of small schools in the region. The report is also informed by qualitative data gathered in the monitoring of seven small schools. The findings hope to provide a framework for policy makers in the Ministries of Education to consider the strengths, challenges and recommendations for better management of small schools as they continue to ensure quality education and lifelong learning for all.


CHAPTER II. REGIONAL CONTEXT OF SMALL

SCHOOLS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

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1. Definition of Small Schools As part of broader efforts to improve access to quality education, small schools have existed for over a century due to geographical and economic necessity for many countries in the developing world. A significant number of children attend small schools, particularly in poor, rural and remote communities. In developed countries, a small school does not necessarily mean rural and rural does not mean small (National Center for Education Statistics, USA). A small school could be an urban school with a decreasing population. Rural schools can be large due to a situation where students are bussed into one school to save on costs. Some schools are considered small when compared to the mega-schools of several thousand students that are common in some districts. A small school could be a private school, or one designed to accommodate a specific population of students and their unique needs. Either rural and/or urban, the small schools have similar needs and concerns. In Southeast Asia, small schools or one-teacher schools represent a significant portion of the educational landscape. Small schools in the region usually have low enrolments of less than 150 students, with one teacher handling various grade levels simultaneously in a single classroom, trying to cope with meager resources. Small schools in the region are sometimes classified as oftentimes incomplete or under-enrolled schools wherein they have less than five teachers trying to cope with multi-grade classes and limited resources. Small schools can be found in almost all countries of the region, but the underlying reasons for their existence may well vary. Several national policies in support of the education for all (EFA) agenda and other factors brought about conditions that necessitated the existence of small schools.

2. The Regional Profile Universal primary education (MDG 2) is one of the modest goals of EFA which aims to ensure that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality. Most economies increased their primary enrolment rates from 2000 to 2012. However, more than 57 million children continue to be denied the right to education, and almost half of them will never enter a classroom (EFA Global Monitoring Report, 2013-2014). Although the target is 100% enrolment and completion, a cut-off rate of 95% is set to track the progress toward achieving MDG. Despite improvements in getting children into school, drop-out before the last grade remains a serious problem. In 2012 worldwide, only 13 out of 36 economies of developing Asia or 95% or more pupils who started grade 1 are able to reach the last grade of primary schooling. This implies continued constraints in achieving universal primary education. The net enrolment rate regressed in four economies-Azerbaijan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan are either having no significant progress or regressing in primary school enrolment. These four economies have net enrolment ratios nearly 90% or higher but their net enrolment ratios have shown decline in the recent years from much higher ratios in earlier years. At their current rate of progress, these economies are likely to miss the MDG target of 95% net primary school enrolment (ADB Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2015, 46th edition).

http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled/page2.asp


Enrolment is a partial measure of whether universal primary education has been achieved, given that success should be judged with respect to whether all children ‘have access to and complete’ primary education. Expected primary school completion rates improved in most economies in Southeast Asia between 1990 and 2011, with significant increases in Cambodia (34.4% to 61.3%), Lao PDR (32.7% to 68%), Myanmar (55.2% to 74.8%), Philippines and Indonesia (79.88%). Only Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam have reached or are expected to meet the completion rates of 95% or above in 2011, while Vietnam (93.8%) is on track in meeting its target. Children are more likely to complete primary schooling if they enter at the right age, starting at 5-6 years of age and continue through 11-12 although age requirements differ among countries. Children must complete primary school to master basic literacy and numeracy skills, but many drop out before the last year of primary school. The reasons for children not making it into school vary, but are usually associated with disadvantages such as poverty, gender, ethnicity, disability or living in a rural, far flung or slum areas and other factors (EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013-2014, Teaching and Learning: Achieving Quality for All). In general, living in rural areas or a disadvantaged part of the region often puts children at a greater risk of not reaching minimum levels of achievement. This means some children are likely to get less support from schools to improve their learning. The poor and indigenous children living in remote rural areas often face disadvantage, and the gap in learning outcomes with the rest of the population has been persistent. Children from small rural schools are mostly trapped in a disadvantaged situation and are likewise affected by the above factors, pushing them to leave school early on. Keeping primary age children in school will require continued attention and resources in the post-2015 agenda along with next steps towards the attainment of universal primary education.

3. Characteristics of Small Schools in Southeast Asia The following information presents the general description of small schools in Southeast Asia describing their location, grographical situation, the number (population) of small schools, instructional approach and other basic information in each country. This section aims to provide a general picture of small schools, taking into consideration the common and unique characteristics of small schools in the region. The issues and concerns of small schools are separately described in the succeeding section to emphasize the common and unique issues surrounding small schools in the region.

Cambodia Small schools in Cambodia by nature have incomplete primary grades (less than 6 grade) oftentimes geographically inaccessible, located in an isolated, sparsely population area and disadvantaged environment with inadequate equipment, poor building condition (built by bamboo, wood, classroom without roof or wall); or deficient in educational resources. There were 5,876 primary schools in rural (5,329) and remote areas (547) or 81% may likely be small schools out of 6,566 total schools in Cambodia. Multigrade classes were established in remote/rural areas that lack human resources, are isolated and sparsely populated, are


geographically inaccessible, or lack classrooms and teachers. As of 2009, 91.67% (22 out of 24) of the provinces have been implementing multigrade teaching in small schools (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia).

Indonesia In Indonesia, the mandate to make basic education compulsory in 1994 led to the establishment of the multigrade teaching model for small schools in remote areas (Noor, 2010). Small schools in Indonesia are mostly located in outer small islands and border areas where transportation and communication are lacking, with an average of three classrooms per school. In 2009, there were 3,899 small schools located in outlying, outer small islands and border areas. This represents 2.36% of the total 165,755 primary schools in Indonesia. For the remote schools, multigrade teaching has long been an innovative strategy to help teachers teach especially in religious schools in remote areas (Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012).

Lao PDR

Net enrolment rates in Lao primary schools rose from 80% in 2001 to around 95% in 2011, and nearing gender parity (UIS 2015, Edustat 2014). However, these aggregate figures mask significant urban/rural disparities and approximately 10% of all villages are still without a primary school within a reasonable commute. Almost 57% of all primary schools, and an estimated 70% of primary schools (about 91,651 are small schools) in the poorest districts are incomplete schools, which do not offer the full five grades of primary education. Largely because of this, the magnitude of the dropouts in primary is notable as roughly 10,000 primary students drop out from primary education every year (National EFA Review 2014).

According to the available statistics, the survival rate to last grade of primary is 73% (2012) and the percentage of repeaters at primary level is 9% (2013) (UIS 2015). Drop-out rates were 13% in grade 1 and 7% in grade 2 (Save the Children n.d.) Low population density and remoteness make the provision of cost-effective and sustainable education services difficult in some rural areas. Thus, children in the poorest areas, particularly girls and non-Lao-Tai ethnic groups, are distinctly disadvantaged in terms of limited access to education (UNESCO 2008). While the root causes are poverty-related, other factors also contribute to low enrolment rates, including the low quality of teaching and learning and cultural beliefs that place a low value on girls learning in school (Save the Children n.d.). The MoES views this as a major contributing factor affecting the retention of students in the system (Lao PDR National EFA Review 2014).

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Malaysia A small school in Malaysia is defined as a primary school having enrolment of less than 150 pupils. In 2009, there were 2,443 small schools that are under-enrolled in Malaysia or 32% of 7,669 primary schools in the country. The figures comprised 63.1 percent national schools, 21.4 percent national type Chinese Schools, 13.5 percent national type Tamil Schools while the rest are other types of schools. However, in comparing the proportion of small schools within each type of those schools, the national type Tamil Schools account for the highest percentage at 35.5 percent, followed by national type Chinese Schools, 28.5 percent and national schools, 21.1 percent (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia). In Malaysia, a small school could not also be found in a remote rural area but may also be an urban school with a decreasing population. A small school could be one designed to accommodate a specific population of students and their unique needs. With only few enrolees, small schools will automatically have lesser budget compared to big schools with over a thousand pupils but not in Malaysia since the government can subsidize the small schools in the country. Small schools in Malaysia are primarily located in the peninsula, and the Penan community in Sabah and Sarawak. The coverage includes Orang Asli, Penan tribe and other ethnic minorities that are found in the designated rural areas (Educational Planning and Research Division, MOE Malaysia). In 2009, there were 463 small schools found in Sabah and 728 small schools in Sarawak. There were other states in the Peninsula like Perak and Johor with 332 and 271 small schools respectively. Small schools can also be found in urban areas, there are altogether 168 small schools located in the town area. Under-enrolled schools exist in Malaysia due to:

natural development of an area with lower population density

geographically remote and isolated areas with low population density

ethnic minority settlements

migration that results in the loss of students to certain schools

vernacular schools that exist before independence to meet demands of ethnic groups

Many under-enrolled schools in Malaysia have combined the second and third grades as well as the fourth and fifth grades using multigrade instruction. However, over the past 20 years the number of multigrade schools in Malaysia drastically declined as the MOE continues to step-up its efforts to increase the number and quality of teachers in schools and to ensure that adequate learning facilities exist in each school. Since 2008, schools, regardless of enrolment size, gained a sufficient number of teachers to cater to each grade. Currently, a handful of under-enrolled schools still exist but mainly as a result of lack of classrooms. A few schools still combined classes whenever some teachers were called for meetings or took courses outside their schools. The hardship allowance for teachers is being provided based on three criteria: 40% accessibility (i.e., transport, type of road; safety risks); 30% availability of basic facilities (i.e., electric, water, housing); and, 30% availability of public facilities (i.e., medical, communication, mail, sanitation, bank, source of basic needs, recreation/prayers; access to information) (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia).


The following situations exist in most remote schools in Malaysia: Schools are either accessible by bicycle or motorbike or by taking 9 hours walk to SK Lenjang, K. Lipis in Pahang; travelling three (3) hours by foot on bamboo stilts to SK Taba Said, in Kuching, Sarawak; or by car, river crossing, and climbing (57 steps) to SK Tanjung in Gahai, Pahang, and riding on a fishing boat to SK Pulau Denawan in Sabah.

Myanmar

Despite marked improvements in access to education in recent years, Myanmar is still challenged to improve net enrolment rates, completion rates and the quality of education at all levels. According to the National EFA Review in 2014, while the majority of students are attending school, especially at the primary level, only 73.8% of students complete primary education respectively, with poverty, linguistic diversity (language difficulty), conflict, and the limited provision of educational services major causes behind these high drop out rates.

In 2013/2014, approximately 111,000 children aged 3 to 5 years were enrolled at 3,277 basic education schools where pre-school classes were also opened. A baseline study on Child-Centred Approach (CCA) in November 2011 revealed that nearly 80% of the primary schools were multi-grade, without wall or partitions between classes, classes were overcrowded with insufficient desks and chairs, and school buildings, particularly in rural areas, were in poor condition. Responses given by 5,843 teachers as part of the 2013 Comprehensive Education Sector Review found that 55% of schools did not have sufficient desks and chairs, nearly half of all classrooms were not wide enough for the numbers of students and that almost 40% did not have sufficient toilets (Myanmar, National EFA Review 2014).

In rural Myanmar, where a large percentage of the population lives in agrarian villages, school populations tend to be small and resources for education limited. Education for many children in Myanmar, particularly in the poorer areas or from ethnic minorities, remains problematic. The government does provide a state-run education system; however it is not free and the system is not run properly since many teachers are not motivated and do not show up for classes. Also, it is becoming more expensive as the government decreases its support and tries to shape national education policies (www.childsdream.org).

As a result, the small schools located in remote, border, and mountainous areas in Myanmar are consistently experiencing lower socio-economic indicators and have difficulty retaining teachers, all resulting in the need for improved quality and equity. Students in geographically difficult and thinly populated areas are faced with teacher shortage or even absence. Although on average there is one teacher per 30 students, many primary schools operate without enough teachers assigned to them throughout the school year. As such, they are taught in combined groups in multigrade classes that hold a significant place especially in rural areas (Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SIREP Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012).

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Given the above conditions, the provision of basic resources, teachers, teaching materials and infrastructure are usually the responsibility of individual communities. Some communities have taken the initiative to start and maintain small schools in their villages but many are struggling and need additional support in order to continue to provide education to their children (www.childsdream.org).

Philippines Schools with one teacher handling more than one grade have been common in the Philippines since the 1920s. Although the DepEd has always recognized the existence of multigrade classes, it was only in 1990 that the department started to consider the formal organization and continuing operation of multigrade classrooms all over the country in keeping with the goal of Education for All. In 2009, out of 37,967 elementary schools 3,665 are incomplete primary schools (9.6%) and 595 are incomplete elementary schools (1.56%). DepEd had a target of at least 30% of the incomplete schools shall have offered complete education through multigrade (MG) and other alternative delivery mode of teaching in SY 2010-2011. And the remaining incomplete elementary schools shall have offered complete elementary education in SY 2011-2012. Small schools are found in communities that were not easily accessible by regular means of transportation and may not have even have electricity or piped water systems. The Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) has declared a policy to build schools in barangays that do not have any but whose enrolment and population growth trends warrant the establishment of such. There is however, not enough professional manpower and resources for this setup. Furthermore, while some barangays are geographically separated from those with schools, the population and age distribution of their children do not warrant the creation of a separate grade level for each group and the hiring of additional teachers for each level. Thus, small schools had relatively younger and hence, less experienced teachers, as well as higher teacher turnover rates. If a class does not meet the required number of enrollees and therefore it is not viable to conduct a class of limited number of pupils, the supposed enrollees are merged into a single/multigrade class and taught by one teacher. In the Philippine public school system, classes with two grade levels inside a single classroom and handled by the same teacher are called combination classes. Classes with three grade levels conducted in one classroom and handled by a single teacher are called a multigrade or multilevel class. This means that children with different skills and abilities, developmental levels, and needs are mixed in a class and work together under the guidance of one teacher. Close to one-half of the public elementary schools (37,697) in the country have some form of multigrade instruction (DepEd LAPG, 2015). Recent figures from DepEd show that there are 3,903 pure multigrade schools in 16 regions with 245,772 students enrolled in SY 2014-2015 (DepEd, EBEIS). Most of the students attending multigrade classes are learners who belong to isolated and financially challenged communities, are indigenous peoples, and reside in far-flung mountains and islands where schools are far apart from each other.


The common reasons the necessitate the organization of multigrade classes include: the small number of students for each grade level, the shortage of teachers, the distance from the community to the nearest school, and the inadequacy of funds and classrooms. The DepEd explained that an MG school usually consists of two classes with each class consisting of a group of pupils around 45, belonging to three different grade levels like Grades 1, 2 and 3 or Grades 4, 5 and 6 with each class handled by only one teacher known as a multi-grade mentor using appropriate agency measures that often stress basic literacy skills like reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic (or three “Rs”) coupled with health and livelihood education activities. Through an MG school the DepEd is able to offer all the six grade levels in small schools located in mountain or island villages to enable local children to finish a complete elementary education. The ideal DepEd teacher-pupil ratio per grade level is 1:40 (DepEd.gov.ph).

Timor-Leste Timor-Leste is one of the poorest countries in the world. Eighty percent of the population lives in rural, in small, dispersed villages isolated by mountainous terrain and poor road conditions. Timor-Leste has made good progress in improving primary (Grade 1-6) enrolment and gender equality. The national net primary enrolment rate reached over 93 per cent with gender parity in 2010. However, basic education currently faces a number of challenges. Access to primary schooling is still an issue. About 67,000 children between the ages of 6 and 11 are not in school; the majority are 6 and 7 years old. The problem is most serious in rural areas: half of the out-of-school population live in the Rural Center and 20 percent in the Rural East. Many children enter school late and are at risk of dropping out early. Only 37.5% of students are at the official school age when entering the first grade, meaning that 62.5% of students start school either younger or older than the official school age, with 26% one to two years older, 8.6% three years older and above, and 26.8% younger (Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan 2011 – 2030) www.sustainabledevelopment.un.org). In terms of quality, the repetition rates remain very high especially in early grades, as high as 29.6 per cent for grade one. On the demand side, the lack of interest is cited as the major reason for not attending school, particularly among the older age groups. On the supply side, distance to school (average walking distance 1.5 hrs), poor quality of teaching-learning, teacher absenteeism and lack of proficiency in the languages of instruction, relevance of the curriculum, non-availability of bi-lingual textbooks, limited contact time between teacher and pupil, overcrowded and unsafe classrooms are some of the immediate causes for non enrolment (www.unicef.org/ UNICEF Annual Report 2013, Timor-Leste). These challenges are compounded by rapid population growth. With an increasing number of children, this will create significant future demand for more teachers, classrooms and education spending (Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan 2011 – 2030, retrieved from www.sustainabledevelopment.un.org).

http://www.sustainabledevelopment.un.org/

http://www.sustainabledevelopment.un.org/


Multi-grade classes are found in numerous small schools and within larger schools. Research indicates that the vast majority of small schools will need to be multi-grade schools. If full advantage is to be taken of the present pupil-teacher ratio and the number of large classes reduced, more multi-grade classes will need to be created, particularly but not exclusively in grades 5 and 6. Currently, teachers have received training in the pedagogic techniques most appropriate to multigrade and in the management of multi-grade schools. In some cases, escolas afilados of only 2-3 grades will be required. There are currently 13 schools where all children have to walk in excess of one hour and a further 154 schools where this is the case for a sizable percentage of the children enrolled (Timor-Leste Ministry of Education and Culture Strategic Plan for Universal Primary Completion by 2015, retrieved from https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org).

Thailand While opportunity for a basic education has expanded to all groups in Thailand, with a relatively high percentage of Thai children in the system, some children of ethnic minorities, as well as non-documented and non-Thai children, still do not have access. Although the state provides twelve years of education at no cost from FY2003 onward, inequities in access remain, particularly to quality education, with children from lower-income families having a lesser opportunity than those with higher incomes (Education for All 2015 National Review: Thailand, [email protected]). Small schools, especially, face their own set of challenges. These schools are much more expensive to operate and do not generally deliver high quality education (Lathapipat, Dilaka; Sondergaard, Lars M. 2015. Thailand - Wanted: A quality education for all. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group).

The number of primary school students fell from 7.45 million in 1982 to 5 million in

2012 due to falling birth rates. The number of small schools with less than 20 students per grade increased

dramatically from 15,000 in 1993 to 19,800 in 2010. Small schools are hindered by a severe lack of teachers, teaching materials and

physical infrastructure.

In 2010, the Ministry expected that the number of small schools with multigrade class will increase from 3,600 (CY 2009) to 4,200 under the OBEC. Likewise, under the Office of Chiangmai Education Service Area 2 (CESA), the number of multigrade schools was expected to grow from 39 to 60 (Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SIREP Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012). The growth of small schools could be attributed to the government’s birth control program of reducing the population growth and the increasing social value of learning in city schools. The emergence of smaller student populations in some communities, led in the increase in the number of small schools that had no choice but to implement multigrade instruction (Kittiratchadanon, 2010).

https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/

mailto:[email protected]


Some of the issues faced by small schools in rural areas include low academic achievement, as such they are the underperforming schools in Thailand. Many small schools are not performing well due to smaller amount of budget and students from affluent families are migrating to schools in the cities. The budget allocation is based on per head and gives a top-up for disadvantaged students (Office of National Education, Standard and Quality Assessment, MOE Thailand).

Vietnam There is a continuously increasing presence of small schools in Vietnam with multigrade classes. Class sizes in multigrade schools are small, usually not more than 20 children. In 2009, around 8404 multigrade classes with 169,662 students in 49 provinces were adopting multigrade instruction (MoET). The majority of combination of classes consists of two grades, accounting for 95.3%. Small schools implementing multigrade instruction are quite widespread in ethnic minority areas with the purpose of providing education to disadvantaged children bringing schools closer to the communities where they live. Among the constraints to the quality of teaching in multigrade schools were: teacher isolation and the poverty and poor health of children. In remote communities, the quality of teaching suffered because teachers were isolated from the mainstream of education. Teachers in satellite-schools lacked the support to make creative use of the resources at hand. They rarely received support visits and could not meet regularly with teachers from other schools. Most multigrade teachers belong to the majority ethnic group known as Vietnamese or Kinh and suffer consequent social, cultural and linguistic isolation. Kinh teachers are sent to these remote areas because there is a severe shortage of teachers from the local minority ethnic groups (Dr. Pat Pridmore, Case Study re: Bringing the School to the Child: Multigrade schools in Vietnam). The scenario described below typifies the many dilemmas the teachers face. In a A Hmong multigrade satellite school in Lai Chau Province, the children and community speak no Vietnamese. The teacher has no Hmong language, no local knowledge, no communication with students, no materials, no teaching aids, no literate environment, has multigrade training but cannot apply it, no visits from educational support staff to date (e.g. by the headmaster of central school) and the teacher wants to leave as soon as possible.The quality of learning also suffers because many communities are too poor to make the best use of the education provided. Poor attendance and high drop-out rates, especially for girls, reflect the need for families to use child labour on their farms. In many areas high levels of iron and iodine deficiency impairs the ability to learn and lowers achievement in school (Dr. Pat Pridmore, Case Study re: Bringing the School to the Child: Multigrade schools in Vietnam).


4. Needs and Challenges faced by Small Schools EFA goal 2 states that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to, and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality. But, the realization of this goal in the context of small schools is beset with overwhelming challenges. Often characterized by multigrade instruction, small schools exist out of necessity to provide education access to learners in remote, isolated rural communities. It is difficult to reach the students or ask them to go to the school due to lack of adequate transportation system or schools. Oftentimes, the number of students is so small so that it will be very expensive to build a school building to serve their needs. The following are some challenges faced by the educators in managing small schools in SEAMEO-member countries:

4.1 High average cost for pupils. The average cost for pupils in small schools is equivalent to the total cost divided by total enrolment in a particular school. The total overall cost includes managing teaching and learning as well as pupil’s welfare costs (Research on Cost Analysis for Small Schools, Malaysia 2003). It is found that the size of school has an influence on the average school cost for pupils. For small schools in Malaysia, with an enrolment of less than 20, its average school cost for pupils is RM 10,144.63. When the enrolment increases to 20-45 pupils, the cost is reduced to RM 3,808.91. And the cost is further reduced to RM 2,988.82, RM 2,747.75, RM 2,325.21 and RM 2,383.74 for enrolments of 46-70, 71-95, 96-120 and more than 120 pupils respectively. This clearly shows that small schools require greater funding but at the same time not cost-efficient (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia).

4.2 Unrealistic per capita grant. According to the Per Capita Grant in Malaysia, it is found that small schools with enrolments of less than 100 pupils receive the same per capita grant (prorated). This shows that the preparation and financial grant for Small Schools do not take into account their actual needs. But it depends on the current calculation of per capita grant based on the number of pupils which is not favorable for small schools. Malaysian government supports 98% of the cost in small schools. The lower the school size, the higher the costs, which amounts to 5,326 ringgit per pupil (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia). Maintenance expenses are seven times more per student at under-enrolled school (SKMs) compared to those of regular schools in Malaysia. These higher costs coupled with lower teacher-student ratios of 1:6 versus the national average of 1:13 results in SKMs being more expensive to operate (Malaysia Education Blueprint, 2013-2025). Educational public spending in Lao PDR is extremely low. Lao PDR spent barely above 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita on primary education (Source: Luis Benveniste et.al., Teaching in Lao PDR, World Bank & MOE).


In the Philippines, the DepEd moves closer to rationalizing the programming of school budgets with the adoption of the new school Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) formula starting 2013. Previously, the school MOOE budget was computed based on enrolment only given a per capita cost which has been inadequate to finance the operations of small schools. Hoever, the lower the enrolment, the lower is the MOOE for small schools in general. With the new formula, the amount of (MOOE) allocated per school is based on the following factors: total school enrolment, number of teachers and classrooms managed by the school and graduating students and a fixed amount corresponding to basic needs of a school (DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2016). The MOOE is the allocated funds for public elementary and secondary schools that can be spent on activities, electricity, water and other necessities that support learning programs and help maintain a safe and healthy environment in schools.

4.3 Limited access to basic infrastructure and learning facilities/resources: The chief reason why many school-age children are not in primary schools is the lack of access due to poverty or their residence is in extremely remote areas. Many rural border areas in Southeast Asia are underdeveloped with very limited social and economic the infrastructure. Most small schools are located in hinterlands, not accessible to transportation. Providing quality education in these areas is very difficult with limited, infrastructure and teachers. This worsens the situation since people who live in those areas are generally poor and below average standard of living. In Indonesia, there are at least 40,000 underdeveloped villages spread throughout the country. The remote schools have limited learning facilities and these can be either owned by the government and private schools. In the Philippines, small schools are often found in communities that are not easily accesible via regular means of transportation and may not even have electricity or piped water systems. When it comes to facilities, not all surveyed multigrade schools are deprived of having a well-organized classroom, flexible chairs and storage areas. Ony 20% of the surveyed schools have a learning center (Profile of Multigrade Schools in the Philippines SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2011). Compared with regular schools in the same school division, multigrade schools were generally disadvantaged in terms of teacher-student, textbook-student, and classroom-student ratios. Multigrade schools also had relatively younger and, hence, less experienced teachers, as well as higher teacher turnover rates. Physical access remains a major barrier to education in Lao PDR. Distance to school was one of the major reasons for school children never attending primary education. Their location widens the disparities between learning outcomes in poor and rich communities. Children who learn less are more likely to leave school early. Despite the Government's commitment to increase funding, resources and access to primary education remain limited (Lao Expenditure and Consumption Survey 2002/03, NSC, 2004).


In 2009, it was reported that there’s no access to internet learning for students in remote areas in Sarawak. Information Communication Technology (ICT) equipment such as computer laptop for teaching mathematics, science and English is found to be non-economical (Source: Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia). In Malaysia, the distribution of laptop computers in normal schools is based on a ratio of 1:1.5 which is one class to 1.5 laptops for a class with an enrolment of 25 to 35 pupils. Having a small class size, a small school does not qualify to receive laptops. But they receive ICT apparatus for management of teaching and learning process under different norms (Educational Planning and Research Division, MOE Malaysia, 2005). The nearest public library is 150 km from the village, and the nearest tuition center (Malay: Pusat Tuisyen) is a special term for private educational institutions is 150 km. School buildings are often old, dilapidated and sub-standard in Sk Bakelalan, Lun Bawang, Sarawak, Malaysia.

4.4 Low Academic Achievement: Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music. Prior to the implementation of Project SMaLL, the small schools’ performance in terms of pupils’ academic achievement are generally poor.

For instance, the pupils’ academic achievement in 2,443 small schools in Sabah and Sarawak Malasyia was generally lower than the normal average especially in subjects like Mathematics, Science, Bahasa Melayu and English Language (Educational Planning and Research Division, MOE Malaysia 2010). About 10-11% pupils do not have basic literacy skills by end of Year 1. The cumulative failure rate is high, including absenteeism and dropout rate (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia). Pupil achievement in small schools shows an inconsistent trend. For example, the results for English language in the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) showed a decline, where in 2002, it is 62.1 percent, in 2003, 57.1 percent and in 2004, it declined to 28.5 percent. Pupils’ command of the English Language is still poor and they are not able to communicate well in the language (The School Inspectorate Report, MOE Malaysia 2005). On average, under-enrolled schools (SKMs) in Malaysia produce weaker educational outcomes in comparison with other public schools. Their average composite scores of 68% trail other public schools by 4 percentage points. This under-performance is linked to three structural challenges. Firstly, 73% of under-enrolled schools are located in distant rural areas. This requires students to travel long distances to attend school and reduces the likelihood of securing high-performing teachers and principals.


Secondly, these schools lack the benefits associated with scale: co-curriculum offerings, better facilities, and interactions with a more diverse set of peers. Thirdly, many of these schools are located in low-income areas and face difficulties associated with lower socio-economic status. Low income families face greater challenges in keeping their children in school due to the costs associated with supplies, uniforms, and transport, which often leads to higher rates of student absenteeism (Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025). Small schools in Thailand have lower achievement compared to regular schools in urban areas for two reasons. They receive a smaller amount of budget per student. Also, students from affluent families are likely to go to schools in the cities. There are too many schools, and they are too small, hence the student-teacher ratio is also low. Furthermore, the number has been increasing over time. There are only 12% of student population who are attending in small schools (which represent 44 % of the total primary schools). Most of the underperforming schools are small schools. Learning outcome was not good compared with other schools. Thus, raising the bar of learning achievement and the student-teacher ratio are the main challenges of MOE Thailand (Office of National Education Standard and Quality Assessment, MOE, Thailand). In 2008-2009, the drop-out rate in small schools located in remote areas is higher (13.5%) compared to rural (8.8%) and urban schools (7.7%) in Cambodia. The same trend can be observed in the repetition rate: the remote schools had 15.4%, rural schools had 10.3% and urban schools had 7.3%. Children in rural areas oftentimes face difficulty in gaining access to basic education particularly into secondary school (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia). Also in Thailand, the students’ drop-out rate is high due to lack of teachers and basic hygiene facilities (i.e., no water, latrine). Due to its remote location, the enrolment is declining (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia). The UN had noted Lao PDR’s impressive and rapid progress towards Universal Primary Education, but low primary school completion rates will result in the MDG2 target not being met. The UN encourages a continued emphasis within the upcoming Education Sector Development Plan (2016-20) and its‟ associated budget towards improved results within basic education, which will continue to be a critical area in the post-MDG environment (Final Report of the Round Table Implementation Meeting, Ministry of Planning and Investment 2014).

Access to primary school is relatively high in Lao PDR. Eighty-four percent of the Lao PDR population lives in a village with a primary school. Poor, non Lao-Tai rural youth have the least access to education. Girls also have lower enrolment rates. Only 46 percent of female youth attend primary schools compared to 54 percent of males. This gap becomes wider at the lower and upper secondary levels. Non-poor Lao-Tai boys and girls in urban areas are enrolled in school at a high rate of 93 percent, while poor


non-Lao-Tai girls in rural areas are enrolled in school at the low rate of 46 percent, implying an almost 50 percentage-point difference (Luis Benveniste et.al., Teaching in Lao PDR, World Bank & MOE, 2007). Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age (Luis Benveniste et.al., Teaching in Lao PDR, World Bank & MOE, 2007). Although there have been some improvements in recent years, results from the National Assessments of Student Learning Outcomes (ASLO III) in 2012 suggest that Lao students complete primary school with insufficient mathematics and literacy skills. Lao PDR has high repetition rate, high dropout, and other internal inefficiencies which further strained the ability of limited resources to deliver on education sector priorities. The repeaters of primary education in Lao PDR is an issue to achieve some EFA and national strategies targets such as survival rate and completion rate of primary education. The biggest portion of repetition occurs at grade 1 of primary level. Although absolute number of repeaters of the first graders is going down (85,598 in 2006‐20007 to 35,479 in 2013‐2014), but the repetition rates in grade 1 is still higher to date “Education for All 2015 National Review Report: Lao People’s Democratic Republic). Likewise, the dropout rate in primary education dropped from 9.4% in 2006‐07 to 5.5% in 2013‐14. Although the rate is going down, the magnitude of the dropouts in primary grades is notable as more or less 10,000 primary students drop from primary education every year. Lack of readiness for primary level, and poverty are the possible reasons of the higher dropout rate at grade 1 of primary level. In addition, due to their parents’ business, chidren are forced to drop from their schools because they have to support their families’ livelihood/economic activities As such, the reduction of dropout rate still remained a challenge for the MOES in the past years (Education for All 2015 National Review Report: Lao People’s Democratic Republic). In 2014, primary school completion rates in Lao PDR were recorded being low. Only one-third of students that entered first grade are estimated to complete all five grades of primary schooling. The disparity between Lao male and female of primary completion rate is not significantly different (Female 77.0 vs Male 72.8 in 2014). However, the difference between the sub‐national leves (provinces in particular) can be seen obviously. Nearly half of the provinces need to enhance their completion rate as they were lower than the country’s completion rate. In some areas, the difference between the province and country completion was very noteworthy (14% and above).


One-fifth of Lao PDR primary students have repeated one or more grades. The majority of repeaters are boys, at all grades in the primary level. Repetition is a structural problem. Rates have remained largely stable since 2000 or experienced a slight increase in the case of girls (Luis Benveniste et.al., Teaching in Lao PDR, World Bank & MOE, 2007). In the Philippines, the small (multigrade) schools’ performance is lower than the national and monograde schools’ performance. The parents and other stakeholders perceived that multigrade education is a second rate type of education. This is attributed to the weak capabilities of teachers to handle multigrade classes, especially the current policies on deployment of newly hired teachers and career promotion do not encourage the “best” teachers to stay in multigrade schools (Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SIREP Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012)

4.5 Insufficient co-curricular activities: According to a report in 2010 by the School Inspectorate in Malaysia, the overall success of the pupils in co-curricular activities in small schools is below the normal average. Insufficient funding for co-curricular activities results in limited implementation of them especially for groups or teams activities. This situation causes the pupils to have less opportunity for co-curricular activities (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia).

4.6 Lack of Teachers: Due to lack of basic necessities such as roads, clean water, electricity, and telephone, many teachers in Malaysia and Thailand are not interested to teach in small schools. This further makes it hard to place and retain them in such schools. Other issues include teacher deployment to remote areas; high turn-over of teachers; isolation of teachers from professional support, peers and family; lack of housing and basic facilities (Educational Planning and Research Division, 2005; Teacher Training Division, MOE Malaysia 2005).

Almost half of all Indonesians living in rural and remote areas, are poorly served by roads, books and qualified teachers (www.insideindonesia.org/teaching-remote-Indonesia). A primary school in Indonesia has 1 to 3 teachers only and the student population ranges from 10 to 60 students. Based on World Bank data, the pupil-teacher ratio in primary education is 16 from 2006-2010. From 1970 to 2012, UNESCO data showed that the average pupil teacher ratio for Indonesia was 24.68 students per teacher with a minimum of 18.59 students per teacher in 2012 and a maximum of 37.18 students per teacher in 1978. The Indonesian Ministy of Education and Culture (MOEC) implements multigrade teaching in small schools to overcome the shortage of teachers in remote areas and with difficult contexts and to educate a small number of students in remote places where establishing a school, even a small one was not viable. About 47% of the remote schools have less than 150 learners and around 78% of the remote schools have less than 250 learners. There are 805,167 teachers in remote and border areas

http://www.insideindonesia.org/teaching-remote-Indonesia

http://www.insideindonesia.org/teaching-remote-Indonesia


in SY 2009-2010. In terms of teachers, 55% of schools in the cities have excess teachers, but 66 % schools in remote areas have insufficient teachers (World Bank, 2007). Statistics from the MOEC in 2008 indicate that teachers in Indonesia have a relatively lower level of academic qualification than those in neighboring nations. More than 60 percent of the total 2.78 million teachers have not reach the level of academic qualification of a four-year bachelor’s degree. In this group of teachers, the majority have either a two-year diploma or a senior secondary certificate qualification. About 70% of teachers from this group teach in primary schools (datatopics.worldbank.org).

4.7 Inconsistent policy / norms on teacher employment: The policy on teachers’ employment and actual practice is inconsistent. It is found that teachers in small schools sometimes do not fit with the requirements for teaching. If a school enrolment is less than 149 pupils, there will only be a supply of 4 to 6 teachers there. These teachers have to implement multi-grade program in that school even without proper training. Oftentimes, teachers encounter difficulties in teaching and managing multi-grade teaching classes where there will be pupils of various age groups in a particular class (Educational Planning and Research Division, 2005, MOE Malaysia). A case in point is the assignment of unsuitable teachers from Malaysian peninsula to Sarawak. According to Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) president Jisin Nyud, many schools were grumbling as the teachers posted to their schools were not of the right subject options. “The saddest part is the affected schools have to accept them.” Jisin reiterated that the state really needed more locals to be teachers because they knew the local culture and lifestyle best. (https://www.theborneopost.com/2015/03/10/stop-sending-mismatched-teachers-to-sarawak-ministry-told).

4.8 Primary schools in disadvantaged areas face teacher shortages. In Lao PDR, the

quota system requires newly trained teachers to return to their home district after pre-service training. There are insufficient quota teacher posts, which more often go to urban centers. Monetary incentives are oftentimes insufficient to attract qualified teachers to hardship areas (Luis Benveniste et.al., Teaching in Lao PDR, World Bank & MOE, 2007).

4.9 Weak School and Community partnership. In Thailand, the fundamental challenges facing small schools include improving gender equity, expanding basic education services in rural remote areas and engaging parental and local community support to allow their children to participate in school. Another important common issue in the rural areas is weak school management due to lack of full-fledged school heads to supervise the schools. Low level of parental education is another issue. Majority of parents’ education is only until Form 3 (Grade 9) in the remote communities in Malaysia due to limited financial resources. This situation prevents the parents to guide and mentor their children in their learning journey (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia).

http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/03/10/stop-sending-mismatched-teachers-to-sarawak-ministry-told

http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/03/10/stop-sending-mismatched-teachers-to-sarawak-ministry-told


5. Approaches to overcome the challenges in managing Small Schools

Efforts to address the guaranteeing of basic education for all have been a priority for many governments and development agencies in response to the Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education by 2015. Having seen the significant contribution in accelerating access and quality basic education to achieving EFA goals, funding institutions are advocating for the establishment and maintenance of small multigrade schools (Brunswic and Valerien, 2004). Small schools have been recognized as an effective and cost-efficient alternative to access and quality basic education to millions of children in poor, remote and sparsely populated rural communities (Little 2004; Lewin 2007). Through innovative programs, positive thrusts have been made in multigrade teaching in the region’s developing countries such as Lao PDR, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. Reports from ADB, World Bank, UNICEF and UNESCO reveal that these countries have made important strides in achieving universal primary education in extremely challenging and resource-constrained contexts. The expansion of the system to put primary education schools and teachers within reach of many children is impressive. However, there is a keen awareness that millions of children in Southeast Asia especially from indigenous communities still do not have access and are unable to complete full cycle of meaningful primary education (UNESCO, 2008). Several studies internationally reveal that the most disadvantaged populations cannot be reached with the conventional approaches alone. New approaches in small schools management are required to meet the special needs of disadvantaged groups of learners specifically adapted to their local and unique circumstances. The following are some of country-specific solutions in improving the management of small schools in Southeast Asia:

CAMBODIA

Through the formulation of supportive policies and programs, the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports (MOEYS) was able to improve the performance of small schools in Cambodia. The following specific programs were implemented by the MOEYS since 2009:

Provided supplemental subsistence allowance for teachers handling 2 to 3 grades and double-shift teachers handling 2 or 3 grades (MOEYS Circular No. 05, 2007). This additional incentive benefited teachers deployed to remote areas to uplift their living condition in disadvantaged areas. The teacher recruitment process was based on local requirement.

The MOEYS provided grants to 349 incomplete schools in 6 remote areas provinces for strengthening the school performance through the project Improving Primary School Access in disadvantaged communes which is supported by Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction.


Under the Education Sector Support Scale-Up Program of the Fast Track Initiative, 651 incomplete primary schools were given institutional development and capacity building on multigrade teaching to improve access and quality of primary education. The MOEYS trained 2,167 teachers in remote areas with 1,353 multigrade classes in 2009-2010.

Officials from the Central and Provincial levels regularly monitor multigrade instruction to improve the quality of teaching and learning and to assist multigrade teachers in classroom management and administration, school and classroom environment maintenance and technical multigrade teaching. As revealed by monitoring studies, teachers who were trained to teach multigraders were prepared to become planners, organizers, facilitators, observers, and evaluators. They were able to competently handle multigrade classes (Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SIREP Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012).

Small schools were clustered as an administrative strategy to motivate and help multigrade schools. The resources of the core cluster were used to help the poor/disadvantaged schools.

The MoEYS provided child-friendly environment with clean facilities, spacious classrooms, and well-organized classes that allow for innovative teaching-learning activities. In Cambodia, three types of direct teaching were used: teaching for one person; teaching for one grade class and teaching for a whole class or for all of the grades in a classroom. The teacher also employed the help of higher-grade students to motivate and help the lower-grade students (Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SIREP Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012).

As revealed by monitoring studies of Plan International-Cambodia, the bottom-up approach is the best strategy to generate community participation to enhance the quality of multigrade education in small schools and to ensure ownership and sustainability of school improvement programs (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia).

The government currently uses a School Self-Assessment tool to monitor changes in a range of schools in Siep Reap province, which is carried out by education staff representing a top-down approach. The School Monitoring Tool, in contrast, is done by students in a bottom up approach. With the tool, students have an opportunity to monitor their learning environment and bring their findings to the school authorities (https://www.plan-international.org/cambodia/addressing-girls-concerns-schools).

https://www.plan-international.org/cambodia/addressing-girls-concerns-schools


INDONESIA

The Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC), Ministry of Religious Affairs, and Ministry of Home Affairs have been working closely to develop the country’s capacity for education particularly in rural remote areas. One of their programs is to improve the quality of basic education through the implementation of the following interventions:

Multigrade teaching in elementary schools: The education ministry considers multigrade teaching as an innovative way to help teachers manage teaching-learning activities especially in religious schools in remote areas. Multigrade education has become part of school management using learning modules, mentoring and local community involvement. The multigrade model in Indonesia is an instructional strategy that implements teaching two or more different classes or levels with different abilities and competence levels at one time and in one class. In order to mainstream the good practices of basic education, the ministry put up a bulletin and established a website on multigrade teaching, which also served as a model and venue for sharing of teaching practices.

Open Junior Secondary School: The MOEC also implemented the Open Junior Secondary School for children aged 13-18 years old who for some reason cannot go to regular JSS. Now there are 2,270 Open Junior Secondary School and 8,588 student-learning centers in remote areas (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia).

“One-Roof School”: Another education program is the “One-Roof School” that serves children in small schools located in remote, scattered, and isolated area by providing primary school facilities. The ministry provided better school facilities with resources from the community, grant from National Government, local government and other donors.

There are 771 One-Roof Schools (Primary Schools and Junior Secondary Schools) in 33 provinces in Indonesia. The One Roof School is a small school that could mostly accommodate below 60 students with 3 classrooms, 6 grades, and 3 teachers. Indonesia also has “One teacher-One School” which can accommodate 30 students or less, in one classroom, all 6 grades, handled by one teacher. In this program, the teacher pays regular visit to students and provides special classroom service (Country Presentation, Small School Workshop, Pedagogical Strategies for Improving Performance of Small Schools, 2010, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia).

Community Participation in Education: was encouraged by raising the community’s awareness on the relevance of education for all, right’s based education, inclusive education (non-discriminating) and compulsory basic education. Multigrade teaching approaches involve inviting local community members to become tutors, local school management coordinators, materials and facilities contributors, and professional teaching staff (e.g., local experts in arts, culture, handicrafts, languages, history, and religion).


Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for Education Personnel:

CPD for school leaders in remote areas: The ministry established partnership between 50 headmasters from underdeveloped to developed areas. Training was provided to 159 supervisors and 156 dedicated headmasters from underdeveloped areas to improve their supervisory competencies. CPD for school teachers in remote areas: Local government resources were optimized to improve the CPD program for teachers who serve in remote areas through coaching on pedagogy, mentoring, and training on social, personal and professional competencies. Teachers who have studied away from post were required on return to serve for two times their period of study. The first ever multigrade training in Indonesia was conducted in 2006 for teachers, headmasters, supervisors, parents and association representatives from seven districts in East Java. As a result, multigrade schools were established in all districts in East Java.

Improving teacher incentives: The education ministry provided incentives and grants to outstanding teachers; they give gratuities in case of death while on duty in remote areas. The projected workload of teachers is at least 24 hours face-to-face teaching in one week. Teachers must sign an agreement to serve at least two years. Teachers who are appointed by the national or local governments who have served for at least 2 years have the right to move to other areas if a replacement teacher is available. The recruitment and deployment of teachers by district are facilitated by the national and local government and private suppliers (Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SIREP Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012).

LAO PDR

Lao PDR has taken great steps to improve its education system particularly in rural areas, increase access and coverage of primary education as well as improve teacher qualifications among others listed as follows:

Adoption of Multigrade Teaching: Multigrade classes are commonly implemented in poorest communities and where small/incomplete primary schools are prevalent. Incomplete schools were made complete by using multigrade teaching. The education ministry trained teachers to deal with multiple ability settings or tailor their teaching to different grades. Supplementary materials were produced such as teacher’s guides, student textbooks and games books on multigrade teaching and life skills development.

Organizing school clusters: This is also a common approach wherein the younger children in the remote community attend the first grades in the local “satellite school”, and the older children attend a central “core school” for the upper grades.


“One-teacher, five-grade school”: This approach is allowed for small, remote communities where only one teacher is available. It enables the provision of complete primary schooling (five grades) for all children in the community, while the teacher handles only two or three grade levels each year. It is allowed but seldom used because it is considered too difficult to manage.

Development of child-friendly schools or the “Schools of Quality” (SoQ). UNICEF was able to support the MOE in adopting a holistic and rights-based approach as the key strategy to improve access and quality in basic education in Lao PDR. The SoQ concept and approach have been mainstreamed into the ministry’s planning system through the Education Sector Development Framework 2009–2015 and further articulated through official implementation guidelines. Five years after the SoQ approach was first piloted, it was firmly established in the national policy as a strategy. Training modules and other implementation tools were developed to ensure a harmonized approach to implementation. The strategy is now slated for scaling up with sustained financing under the EFA Fast Track Initiative’s (FTI) Catalytic Fund (UNICEF CFS Case Study: Lao PDR, March 2011).

Incentives for Teachers in Remote Areas: On 21st December 1998, the Prime Minister issued a decree on the increase of salary for remote rural teachers. The increase of 15-25% was based on the remoteness and difficulty of the areas (Lao PDR Evaluation Report, UNESCO 2000).

Improving Teacher Qualifications: The National Charter of Teacher Competencies has set out to address standard qualifications required for teachers. In particular, its purposes are to promote good practice for teachers, allow further development and integration of different pre-service and in- service teacher training curricula, and assist in incorporation of teacher performance measures into revisions of salary and incentives. Teacher qualifications are classified along three areas: (a) teachers’ characteristics and professional ethics, (b) knowledge of children, and (c) subject knowledge and practical teaching wisdom (MOE, 2007b).

Decentralized education management: Decentralization of decision-making through School-Based Management (SBM) has been adopted as one of the government's strategic measures to improve financing and delivery of education services. The Government of Lao PDR has provided more administrative control to provinces, districts and schools and promote further involvement from all sectors of society into education. The Government of Lao PDR has declared that "educational tasks have become the task of the entire society since all economic sectors and people of all social strata have supported and involved themselves in education development." The decentralization follows the Prime Minister’s Decree 16/2012 on development of provinces as strategic units, districts as oversight units and villages as development units (www.openknowledge.worldbank.org).


School Based Management (SBM) is a critical component of the reforms to improve financing and delivery of education services. The reforms began with the MoES Education Strategic Vision prepared in 2000, followed by the Educational Strategic Plan, in August 2001 which covers 5, 10 and 20 year periods. These plans make community involvement in education a top priority.

School Block Grant (SBG) Program: More recent plans, such as the Education Sector Development Framework, and the Five-year Education Development Plan (2011-2015), were formulated to improve education sector management through School Block Grant (SBG) Program. The transfer of responsibility from central government to local stakeholders will allow them to make decisions based on local needs and priorities and thus improve efficiency (www.openknowledge.worldbank.org). SBGs were implemented in 2011 as part of the Government's "School Operating Cost" program to improve access and quality through greater and more efficient public spending at the school level. Under the "School Operating Cost" program, or the "Government SBG" program, each school’s grant is based on the number of students enrolled. At present, SBGs are intended to increase resources available to schools to meet operational costs only (i.e. teaching and learning materials, routine repairs, etc.). As of 2011-2012, public schools are no longer allowed to charge school fees. School fees were never mandatory, but many schools including small schools in rural areas collected them as voluntary contributions from parents and were dependent on that source of funding (www.openknowledge.worldbank.org). To promote accountability and efficient use of resources, the SBG program requires that parents and village stakeholders participate in spending decisions. Specifically, the objectives of SBG are to (i) facilitate the administration, teaching and learning in schools to raise the quality of education provided; (ii) increase student enrolment by reducing education costs for parents by gradually eradicating school fees; and (iii) strengthen capacity of local administrators and staff to carry out financial management and regulations. SBGs are one of several strategies currently underway in Lao PDR to involve communities in education and increase resources to schools (www.openknowledge.worldbank.org).

MALAYSIA

Despite the significant challenges involved, there are some highperforming under-enrolled schools (SKMs) that have beaten the odds to produce exemplary student outcomes and become the pride of their communities. These schools are encouraging case studies that provide unique insight on what works in the unusual circumstances that under-enrolled schools face. Success stories in SKMS were the results of MoE’s efforts to improve small schools which aimed to increase students’ achievements and professional development of teachers which are mostly found in rural and remote areas including the cities of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya:


1) Multigrade education in under-enrolled schools: In 2009, 34% of Malaysian primary schools have fewer than 150 students and are officially classified as under-enrolled schools or Sekolah Kurang Murid (SKM). They account for just 7% of total primary school enrolment (202,200 out of 2.86M students).

2) Since 1992, at least 738 of 2,406 under-enrolled schools in Malaysia are implementing multigrade instruction. Multigrade teaching as well as co-curriculum and sociology are part of the pre-service training design for school teachers. To have a common method in implementing multigrade instruction, the Ministry formulated guidelines such as the following: One combined class cannot have more than 20 students and the student’s age in each class should be almost the same. Many under-enrolled schools combined the second and third years as well as the fourth and fifth years. A few schools still combined classes whenever some teachers were called for meetings or took courses outside their schools.

To solve problems related to lack of teachers in the ministry directed a teacher-student ratio of 1:17 in under-enrolled schools (Education Development Master Plan, 2006). Since 2008, under-enrolled schools now enjoy an adequate number of teachers to cater to each grade and clerical staff and the same teaching and learning facilities as normal schools, if not more. As the Ministry continued to step up its efforts to increase the number and quality of teachers in schools and to ensure that adequate learning facilities exist in each school, the number of multigrade schools in Malaysia had gradually being phased out. Currently, a handful of under-enrolled schools that employ multigrade instruction still exist but mainly as a result of lack of classrooms. To date, sevared small schools in Sabah and Sarawak were combined into a centralised school (e.g., SK Bum-Bum, Sabah and SK Mata Parang, Sarawak).

3) Professional Development of Teachers: The Malaysian teachers assigned to small schools were trained on Pensiangan Salinatan Model of Remote Schools Teacher Professional Development Program (PMPS). The objectives of PMPS are to increase school teachers’ knowledge in the subjects they teach, increase their skills in indigenous pedagogy, and enhance their personal development towards excellence. As part of the in-service training, all new and experienced teachers in under-enrolled schools and indigenous communities such as Orang Asli schools, were trained on content knowledge, indigenous pedagogy, classroom management, leadership, excellent work culture, pupil learning skills, language, culture and art, multi-grade teaching, program for low-achieving school, writing and documentation, management, research, motivation programs, and raising parental awareness on education, how to conduct remedial program, and distance learning. The training of these remote school teachers are facilitated by the adoption of Orang Asli/Penan schools by the Institute of Teacher Education (ITE). Each ITE is responsible for monitoring and helping the schools implement and expand the out-reach


programs. The in-service program for Orang Asli/Penan school teachers include among others; a short course organised by ITEs, a four weeks course in special remedial programs for Orang Asli and Penan students, a 14-weeks course for Orang Asli/Penan teachers, effective pedagogy course for Orang Asli/Penan teachers and the training for professionalism development of Orang Asli school teachers. These courses are designed to help teachers manage the out-reach programs, namely the special programs for early intervention, the KIA 2M program on Reading and Writing Intervention in Malay Language for the Orang Asli children, Orang Asli/Penan Adult Class Program (KEDAP), and Redefining Schooling Program or the Integrated Curriculum for Orang Asli and Penan (KAP). KAP aims to develop knowledgeable Orang Asli children with good morals, and love for school and their socio-cultural heritage, and to mainstream themselves in society. Lecturers from ITEs visited pilot schools to help teachers implement the curriculum, specifically in terms of materials, teaching strategies and to discuss modules with the teachers involved. Apart from the above short courses, the Bachelor of Education Program is offered to increase the academic achievement of remote school teachers. These teacher-trainees attend lectures during the school holidays in the selected ITEs and are taught by the lectures from the ITEs. The program is carried out nationwide, in collaboration with Open University Malaysia (OUM). These teachers are required to teach in their own school after completing the program. The curriculum for this program is designed to increase their pedagogical skills, in the hope that they can apply the knowledge and skills in their future teaching deliveries. Moreover, postgraduate diploma courses are also being offered to those who are posted in rural and interior schools (Dropout Prevention Initiatives for Malaysian Indigenous Orang Asli Children, Professor Dr. Sharifah Md Nor, 2011). From 2013 to 2015, the MoE organized a tailored teacher training to provide teachers in under-enrolled schools with necessary skills to lead multi-grade classes. The Ministry also reviewed the existing teacher-student ratio and ICT innovations on distance learning to determine the best way to give these students access to the full spectrum of the curriculum.

4) Improving literacy, numeracy and English literacy: Based on the achievement of Literacy and Numeracy Screening (LINUS) program in 2012 with a performance close to 100% for Bahasa Malaysia literacy and numeracy, the Education Ministry, has expanded the LINUS programme to include English literacy. Thus, LINUS2.0 was implemented as a support programme to further improve Bahasa Malaysia literacy, English literacy, and numeracy among pupils except those with special needs at the end of year three. Pupils who failed will have to undergo remedial classes until they are qualified to be placed in the mainstream curriculum. All pupils who have not mastered English literacy will be supplied the English Literacy Pupil’s Module while the teachers who conduct the classes would be supplied with English Literacy Teacher’s Module.


As an early intervention programme, LINUS2.0 also aimed to improve the quality of teaching and learning in English and also to increase the effectiveness of teaching and learning in remedial English classes. The LINUS2.0 program has so far achieved promising results. The Year One pupils in 2013 who had their second screening in September 2013, achieved 63.3 per cent on writing, reading, speaking and listening skills as compared with 50.1 per cent for the baseline conducted in March 2013 (Shamsuri Sujak, MOE, Malaysia, September 2014 http://www.teo-education.com). To ensure the success of LINUS, the Ministry allocated the best teachers to Year 1 and 2, increased the number of remedial teachers and created a pool of experts at district level to drive the LINUS program.

5) Improving Infrastructure and Facilities: In Malaysia, all facilities enjoyed in normal schools are also at par with the facilities in under-enrolled schools. Outdated school buildings in remote areas are also being upgraded using cabins or relocated to conform to government specifications. Remote rural schools without electricity, water, telephone lines and wireless or satellite internet connectivity are provided with hybrid solar systems, water supply and VSAT technology. VSAT uses a new a two-way satellite ground station with a dish antenna to allow broadband internet access. These facilities and amenities enabled teachers in interior locations to utilize SchoolNet, which connects schools nationwide and provides access to information about teaching and learning, management and assessment. Efforts to create smart schools were initiated by the Ministry such as integration of ICT in teaching and learning management, establishment of access centres with internet connectivity to increase pupil’s contact time with ICT, and training of teachers on ICT (e.g., Northern Web).

6) Support Programs for Students: The ministry also improved the provision of support programs to ensure the health, safety, discipline and well-being of pupils in small schools. The support programs include the following: school health program, school nutrition program, trust fund for poor students, tuition aid scheme, hostel facilities, and guidance and counselling.

Financial Assistance for Poor Students: A crucial element in ensuring the success of educational programs is funding. The government allocated approximately MYR 6,770,826,300 to be distributed directly to poor children including the Orang Asli students, in the form of stipends, scholarships, and to schools to support supplementary food programs, text book loan schemes, adult classes for the Orang Asli children’s parents, tuition classes and the like (The 8th Malaysia Plan, 2005-2009).

7) Better Incentives for Teachers: Small schools in Malaysia are given per capita grant.

The old rate is based on enrolment which is inadequate for small schools. But, the rate was improved by the Ministry to provide greater benefits such as better method of teacher placement and teacher norms; provision of teacher-quarters; greater opportunities for teacher-training, and, provision of incentives.

http://www.teo-education.com/


To entice teachers to go to remote areas, the ministry introduced the remote schools incentive that gives teachers and support staff allowances based on how remote the schools are. Houses were also built for teachers so they could more easily go to school. House rental subsidy allowance, (rental ceiling) are given for trained temporary teachers from Peninsular Malaysia who are posted to Sabah and Sarawak (http://moe.gov.my/v/praperkhidmatan). Such incentives successfully made sure that more teachers continued to serve in remote and rural areas.

8) Parents and Community Involvement: The Ministry has implemented adult education initiatives to increase the participation and involvement of parents in school activities such as the Orang Asli/Penan Adult Class Program (KEDAP). This aims to increase parents’ literacy to enable them to assist in their children’s education, improve pupil attendance and reduce poverty. Each class uses the KEDAP curriculum that focuses on functional literacy, basic literacy, numeracy, communication and social skills. Parents also receive incentives to augment loss of income, provide their children food, clothing, good health, books and enable them to visit their children in school. KEDAP classes are being held 2 hours per day, 3-4 days / week and 100 days/ year. In SK Batu Bungan, parents in the KEDAP class are able to recognize alphabets and numbers and read simple sentences.

MYANMAR

In order to overcome the difficulties of small schools in remote, border and mountainous areas in Myanmar, the following interventions were introduced:

1) Adoption of multigrade instruction: To address the teacher shortage in

geographically difficult and thinly populated areas, students are taught in combined groups in multigrade schools that hold a significant place in rural areas.

2) Pre- and In-service trainings for teachers: This was done to increase the number of qualified teachers coupled with teacher certification. Teacher training institutions were upgraded to provide more effective and new pre-service trainings which are relevant in meeting the challenging needs of disadvantaged schools.

Trained teachers were taught how to perform a variety of tasks such as: a) establishing good relationships with parents as their partners in fostering good education, health, and discipline among their school children; b) developing low-cost and simple teaching-learning materials with community participation; c) managing the learning process using interactive-participatory methods; d) developing lesson plans according to student’s ability; and, e) facilitating self-development programs for students (creative arts, sports, drama, music).

http://moe.gov.my/v/praperkhidmatan


3) Use of various methods in teaching 3.1 Individual teaching is the most commonly used and one of the most effective

teaching strategies in multigrade instruction in Myanmar. This is done by providing seatwork to individual students. This method allows the teacher to have better control of the learning process and is useful in remedial instruction for students with learning difficulties.

3.2 Group teaching enables the teacher to oversee the activities of a group of students, observe their individual participation, and provide slow learners what they need so that they keep on working until they succeed at their own pace.

PHILIPPINES

The Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) continues to invest in teachers’ training, curriculum development, and preparation of learning materials appropriate for multigrade classes to improve elementary education in small schools especially in underserved and remote areas. The department has expanded multigrade (MG) education in remote areas to ensure that children have access to quality education and complete primary education. To carry out the expansion, the following policies, strategies, programs and activities were implemented by the Philippine DepEd.

Policies Pursuant to the provision of the Philippine Constitution on education and taking appropriate steps to make education accessible to all, it is the policy of the Department of Education (DepEd) to organize multigrade (MG) classes which offer the required six (6) elementary grade levels to children in remote and underserved rural communities. Its purpose is to democratize access to education and make the learning experience inclusive to as many sectors through the organization of multigrade classes as an alternative delivery system. To guide the school principals and teachers in managing multigrade schools, DepEd launched the DECS Order No. 38, s. 1993, “Improving Access to Elementary Education by Providing Complete Grade Levels in All Public Elementary Schools Through Combination and/or Multigrade Class”; and DECS Order No. 96, s. 1997, “Policies and Guidelines in the Organization and Operation of Multigrade Classes. And, to improve the quality of multigrade teachers, DepEd has refined policies in hiring, deployment, promotion/career path of multigrade schools teachers. Recently, DepEd issued DO 30, s. 2014 to clarify the Fiscal Year 2014 Guidelines on the Utilization of the Financial Support for Multigrade Schools. Funding Increased MOOE allocation of multigrade schools – adoption of allocation formula which should not only be based on enrolment but to consider other factors such as distance, type of school, financial capability of local government units, etc (Source: Department Order 52, s. 2012: Guidelines on the Utilization of Financial Support for the Multigrade Schools).


For FY 2012, a total of 1,573 multigrade schools were selected to be the recipients of the financial support. Selection of schools was based on the enrolment and remoteness of the schools. The following are the eligible items:

a. Improvement of the learning environment through the development, procurement,

and production of print and non-print instructional, supplementary reading and reference materials;

b. Professional development of teachers and school heads through the conduct of

division, district, or school-based trainings, participation to conferences, congress, conventions, seminar-workshops both at the national and local levels, and educational visits to schools/institutions which have been known for their best multigrade education technology;

c. Purchase of pupils’ learning kits and school supplies as well as support to pupil

development activities such as participation to academic contests, educational visits, camping, leadership training, and other co- curricular activities both at the national and local levels; and

d. Support to the feeding program of the school.

Professional Development and Incentives for Teachers Supported the operationalization of the competency-based Training and Development System in multigrade schools (focused on effective teaching-learning strategies). Provided continuous training of multigrade teachers; and implemented further reforms in pre-service education to strengthen multigrade teaching and learning in remote schools (DepEd Memo No. 289 s. 2008, “National Training-Workshop for Trainers on Multigrade Instruction”). For teacher attendance to trainings/conferences/congress/conventions, relevance of the activity to multigrade education with emphasis in the context of preparing teachers in teaching and managing multigrade classes effectively is preferably recommended (Department Order 52, s. 2012: Guidelines on the Utilization of Financial Support for the Multigrade Schools). DepEd, through the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE), has allotted a sum of P129.8 million for the strengthening of Multigrade Program in Philippine Education (MPPE) that would serve as a financial aid for teachers' training. According to DepEd Order No. 30 s.2014, the said amount of financial assistance will be given to all regional offices except the National Capital Region (NCR) which has been downloaded to the regions under the 2014 General Appropriations Act (GAA) Funds. A total of 13,771 teachers and 628 teacher-trainers nationwide will be covered by the training which commenced in 2015.


Since 2000, DepEd started to recognize the performance of multigrade-teacher achievers. This became a biennial quest for the most outstanding Filipino teacher assigned in MG schools in the country. In addition to hardship allowance, the Department also provided welfare and incentive programs for multigrade teachers (DECS Order No. 91, s. 1997, “Special Hardship Allowance for Multigrade Teachers”). The Philippine DepEd classifies public schools or community learning centers located in areas characterized by extraordinarily hard, uncomfortable and extreme difficulties as a “hardship post”. Teachers assigned in this post are given Special Hardship Allowance under any of the following situations: (1) being assigned to a hardship post; (2) performing multi-grade teaching; (3) carrying out mobile teaching functions; or (4) performing functions of non-formal education (now Alternative Learning System) coordinators. The qualified teachers may either be resident or transient having regular or temporary appointment. This guideline is being currently implemented by DepEd which took effect on January 1, 2007 as per National Budget Circular No. 524 s. 2007. DepEd also recognizes the exemplary performance, contribution, and dedication of multigrade teachers to the development of school children in disadvantaged, deprived and underserved schools in far-flung areas (DepEd Memo No. 245 s. 2007, “2007 Search for Multigrade Teacher Achiever”). The search serves as an avenue to provide assistance to these schools and recognize the efforts of the community in supporting education (DepEd Memo No. 155, s. 2008 - “Awarding Ceremony for the 2007 Search for Multigrade Teacher Achiever”). In 2004, DepED organized the first National Congress on Multigrade Education. The congress aimed to raise teachers’ awareness on multigrade program of the Philippines and other countries; enhance their knowledge on effective instructional strategies and best practices to improve multigrade instruction and, to share effective pract.ices in managing and supervising multigrade schools (Memo 291, s. 2004). Based on the redefined policy of multigrade program in Philippine education in 2015, the National Conference on Multigrade Education will be conducted annually at the national level according to DepEd. Curriculum Improvement DepEd has enriched the multigrade education curriculum through continuous development of multigrade teaching and learning materials (e.g., MG training resource package, budget of work for MG classes, lesson plans, multi-level materials, MG teachers handbook, 100 book library, teacher-made materials, etc.). Moreover, the Department provided small schools with more multigrade teaching and learning materials (workbooks, multi-level materials, etc). Multigrade School Community–based Instruction Scheme This alternative mode of teaching is an innovation initiated by a supervisor in one of the schools districts in the Bicol region. It is a self-help project formed by the community and through the resourcefulness of teachers with assistance from the local government of Libmanan, Camarines Sur. Instead of a lengthy lesson plan, this teaching-learning strategy


adopted the module-based learning matrix and the textbook-based lesson guide and the set of modules developed by SEAMEO INNOTECH for its IMPACT Learning System (Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers). The IMPACT Learning System is an alternative instructional delivery designed to improve the academic performance of small-multigrade schools. This program was tried out at Palong Elementary School in SY 2005-2006. After its success as evidenced by a 23-point increase in the national achievement score, 10 more schools implemented the scheme. This scheme employed a number of instructional strategies such as, cooperative learning, inter-disciplinary learning approach, peer-group learning and programmed teaching by parents, elderly students and teachers. It also utilized itinerant teachers (locally funded and hired for special skills) and resource persons who are residents from the community with special skills, training and work-experience on a particular subject (Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SIREP Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012).

THAILAND

The following strategies were adopted by the education ministry to raise the bar of learning achievement and the student-teacher ratio in small schools (Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SIREP Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012).

1) Adoption of multigrade teaching: Aside from fostering an intimate and a more

personal learning environment, it also raises the student-teacher ratio.

2) Localized Curriculum: The curricula and lesson plans for multigrade instruction are locally developed based on the 2008 Basic Education Core Curriculum which provides local communities and schools a framework and orientation for preparing the school curricula.

3) Effective Teacher Training: Teachers are well trained to teach different lessons at the

same time to students from different grade levels and are well-oriented on their roles particularly in managing a differentiated classroom. Classroom activities include individual analysis, setting up a short timetable, organizing students into small groups, frequent teacher movement between different groups, arranging students to sit in mixed-ability and grade-based groups, and giving reading instructions to one grade while giving directions to the other grade.

4) Conducive learning environment: The ministry initiated to improve the “school

network” to work, help and learn together with teachers and students. The use of instructional media, educational TV and ICT are made available in most small schools in Thailand. The teachers are well-organized and well-resourced, thus classroom management is also well-organized. They are able to maintain a good learning environment as multigrade classrooms are clean, spacious and comfortable with corners for computers and multimedia equipment, a resource center for reading and a teacher’s work space.


5) Transferring students to larger schools: Usually allocated few resources and few teachers because they have just a handful of students, small schools are often plagued by quality problems. To save money on upkeep and provide more efficiency in teaching, the Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) in Thailand revealed a plan to close 5,962 schools with fewer than 60 students in 2012. Of these, 709 have fewer than 20 students, 2,090 schools have 21-40 students and 3,163 schools have 41-60 students (Bangkok Post 2013).

Closing small schools with fewer than 60 students will lead to improvements in educational quality according to Education Minister Pongthep Thepkanchana. Merging the schools would give children better access to learning materials (Bangkok Post 2013).

The ministry will provide free transportation for local children who have to move to study at another school instead. At most, these children will travel some three to five kilometres further. Also, educational personnel would not be affected by the plan. Furthermore, in areas where there is just one school, the ministry will definitely not close it (Bangkok Post, 11 May 2013).

TIMOR-LESTE

The following initiatives were implemented by the education ministry in order to improve the efficiency of small schools in Timor-Leste (Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SIREP Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012).

1) Multigrade Teaching: The ministry started to adopt the multigrade teaching in 2005.

The UNICEF conducted a study on teacher skills and knowledge in multigrade teaching, which aimed to provide a snapshot of current practices. Observations were made on teaching practices, student activities, curriculum and teaching and learning material use and physical learning environment (e.g., buildings and furniture). Teachers were asked how they learned to work in multigrade settings and what were their learning needs and other resources.

2) Creation of a teacher career regime: A major initiative of the Ministry is the creation of a teacher career regime based on a staffing formula. The scheme stipulates a teacher-student ratio of 1:32 in cycle 1, 1:34 in cycle 2, 1:30 in cycle 3, and 1:27 in cycle 4. It is envisaged that a school will be required to have at least two teachers. This would mean that many schools with less than 100 students will have to implement multigrade instruction. This intiative will be supported by a systematized teacher training.

3) Escuela Nueva: In 2010, the MOE started to implement the Colombia-inspired school

model of Escuela Nueva with the assistance of UNICEF in a partnership for the pilot project in selected schools in remote areas. The concept of “new school approach” considered children as the center of learning wherein they are required to actively participate in the learning process. This approach enables teachers to teach different


age groups who can work at their own levels. Teachers were trained to teach students as individuals and to help them help one another. Such will be critical for the successful implementation of multigrade instruction.

VIETNAM

In 1991, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET)/UNICEF Multigrade Teaching Project was launched in sparsely populated areas to encourage parents to send their children to school at the compulsory age of 6 years and to help meet the serious shortage of teachers in disadvantaged areas (MoET, 2000). Over the past 25 years, multigrade instruction has been undertaken in Vietnam to improve the quality of instruction in small schools in rural or remote areas. Not only authorities but many teachers as well have been trying to promote the benefits and good practices of multigrade instruction. Below, were among the major projects and activities of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET):

1) Multigrade and Bilingual Education Project: This is a UNICEF-funded project in 1998

which was done for some ethnic groups who do not speak Vietnamese to facilitate multigrade instruction in a bilingual context (Berry, 2000).

2) Reduction of curriculum for multigrade learners: The curriculum for multigrade

education was reduced into two major subjects only - language and mathematics so that the number of schools days will be reduced. As a result, students can both go to school and help their parents in domestic work (Berry, 2000).

3) Research and evaluation studies on multigrade education: Several studies were

conducted in partnership with UNICEF and other partners to identify the advantages of multigrade schools to disadvantaged Vietnamese children; teaching strategies that best serve a mixture of student grades; cost-effective strategies, and; the adaptation of the national curriculum in specific multigrade settings.

4) Adoption of research-based teaching strategies: Multigrade primary teachers were

trained on new teaching-learning modalities such as: classroom seating and management techniques; how to use flexible teaching methods; selecting and developing local topics. All these are meant to make lessons more relevant to the socio-economic context of the students (UNICEF-MoET, 1998).


CHAPTER III. PROJECT BACKGROUND


1. SEAMEO’s Collaborative Response: Reaching the Unreached

With subsistence farming as the main source of livelihood in Southeast Asia, children living in rural areas are more likely to be out of school than those in cities and are therefore largely excluded from formal education. It is in this context that SEAMEO-member countries are compelled to accelerate the achievement of EFA as a national policy for government to provide greater access to schools of better quality.

Millions of children in Southeast Asia especially from disadvantaged communities still do not have access and are unable to compete full cycle of meaningful primary education (UNESCO, 2008). Efforts to address the guaranteeing of basic education for all have been a priority for many governments and development agencies in response to the Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education by 2015. Having seen the significant contribution in accelerating access and quality basic education to achieving EFA goals, funding institutions are advocating for the establishment and maintenance of small multigrade schools, (Brunswic and Valerien, 2004). Small schools have been recognized as an effective and cost-efficient alternative to access and quality basic education to millions of children in poor, remote and sparsely populated rural communities (Little 2004; Lewin 2007).

Multigrade teaching was identified as a priority project for ASEAN Regional collaboration in this policy, the 44th SEAMEO Council Conference approved the 10-point collaborative projects under the “Reaching the Unreached” thematic goal to achieve EFA by 2015. One of these regional projects is to support the continuous improvement of small multigrade schools that are located in remote rural areas.

SEAMEO INNOTECH is committed to pursue the global thrust for education for all (EFA) by 2015, through the ASEAN’s Reaching the Unreached initiative. Consequently, the Center’s 8th Five-Year Development Plan is focused on developing solutions to improve access to quality education in communities where education for all is not within immediate reach. One of the key interventions is strengthening the capacity of small schools in dealing with the challenges of reaching the learners from remote communities in Southeast Asia.

The Ministries of Education (MOEs) of Lao PDR, Malaysia and the Philippines signified their interest to support this theme by jointly implementing Project SMaLL (Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning) in 2010. As an action research, the project attempts to document the past and ongoing initiatives of SEAMEO-member countries in managing small schools. The project also aimed to develop new models that will feature the long-term effectiveness of small schools’ learning system and how it impacts on the lives of children from disadvantaged and indigenous communities in Southeast Asia.

2. SEAMEO INNOTECH’s Response: Project SMaLL (Conceptual Overview)

A small school is both effective and efficient if the children also progress through the basic curriculum in the same way that children in single-grade classes are expected. Through innovative programs, positive thrusts have been made in improving small schools in developing countries such as Lao PDR, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. To sustain the


progress and to build on lessons learned in making further breakthroughs possible, an action research project was implemented for the continuous improvement of on-going innovative initiatives of SEAMEO member countries in managing small schools. Likewise, to ascertain policy implications for replicable models of managing small schools in selected rural communities in Southeast Asia.

In the long term, Project SMaLL aims to improve access to quality and sustainable primary education through effective integration of community-based practices in managing small schools in remote rural areas in Southeast Asia. To achieve this, the School Heads, teachers and the community will have to develop and manage a workable, effective and integrated community-based learning management system for adaptation, replication and scaling up. Specifically, the project will help strengthen the institutional capacity of school heads, teachers, parents and the community and document their experiences in managing small schools.

Figure 2: Project SMaLL Conceptual Framework, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2010

This SIREP Endowment Funded project, was implemented by SEAMEO INNOTECH in cooperation with the Ministries of Education in Lao PDR, Malaysia, and Cebu, Philippines for the following reasons:

To build the capacities of the school and the Village Education Development Council (VEDC) in Lao PDR in managing the school using the multigrade education system;

To document best practices in managing Orang Asli Schools in Malaysia;

To strengthen the multigrade learning system using the IMPACT Technology in Cebu, Philippines.

The three countries were selected based on the following criteria: 1) willingness and commitment to support the EFA fast track initiative to reach the unreached school communities in Southeast Asia, 2) with large number of small/multigrade schools in rural areas, 3) small schools have innovative programs for indigenous communities.

OUTPUTS

best practices of community-based learning

system

strengthened capacities of school heads and teachers

PURPOSE

Integrate best practices of community-based learning system in small schools

Project SMALL Goal

Improve access to quality and sustainable primary education in remote rural areas in Southeast Asia.

key lessons & policy

recommendations on

small schools

management

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SMALL SCHOOLS IN LAO

PDR, MALAYSIA & PHILIPPINES

New capacity-building

model for small

schools


The project adheres to the following premises:

A strong, able and competent community-based support is necessary for small schools to succeed.

Critical areas of community-based support for multigrade teaching and learning are required to meet the special needs of disadvantaged learners adapted to their local communities.

A community-based support system that is multi-sectoral, integrative, learner-centered, and participatory is critical for small schools management.

Figure 3: Small Schools Management Systems under Project SMaLL,

SEAMEO INNOTECH 2010

FOCAL SYSTEM: Community‐based learning management system for small schools

SUB-SYSTEMS: Primary School Learners Multi-grade teachers & trainers Head Teachers Parent-mentors Volunteer Aid teachers Community-based Organizations Non-government organizations Local government support

MACRO SYSTEM: Ministries of Education

National Province/Division District Sub‐district

SEAMEO INNOTECH

RELATED SYSTEMS: - Escuela Nueva Foundation ‐ EFA partners (UNESCO, UNICEF, WB, INGOs)

MEGA SYSTEM: Small schools in disadvantaged communities

Figure 4: Project SMaLL Intervention Framework

SEAMEO INNOTECH REGIONAL EDUCATION PROJECT: Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning (SMaLL)

Integrate Community-based learning system in small schools management by end of 2011

PHILIPPINES

• Low academic performance of students in rural remote areas

• High turnover of teachers; unskilled

MALAYSIA

• Under-enrolled • High drop out

rate in indigenous communities

• More qualified teachers

LAO PDR

• Declining enrolment

• Understaffed • Untrained

teachers

CAPACITY

What else can be done?

CAPACITY

DEVELOPMENT

Building School Community Relationships

Teachers’ & School Heads’ Training on Appropriate Learning Management System

Small Schools Management Workshop

Setting up of on-line learning community

School-Community implementation of educational processes

What works now?

PREPARING THE

SCHOOL-COMMUNITY

Study Mission

Advocacy and Consultative Meetings with Key Stakeholders (MOE/DepED, PTCA, LGUs)

Competency Profiling

Benchmarking Visit to model small schools (optional)

Improved access to quality & sustainable

primary education in remote rural

areas by 2015

CONTEXT PHASE I PHASE II PHASE III PURPOSE EFA GOAL

How do we strengthen?

PROGRAM

SUSTAINABILITY

On-line & face-to-face coaching & peer learning

Monitoring and Assessment using appreciative inquiry

Documentation of best practices

SEA small schools network & on-line policy forum

Sustainability Planning

Project Assessment


As shown in the above figures, the project sought to document effective models of small schools’ management system that incorporate the following elements:

Strong school-community partnership in managing small schools

Improvement of the instructional supervision (school administrators/teachers)

Effective, practical and on-going teacher training on best practices in small schools management

Formulation of doable policy recommendations to improve quality of teaching in small schools.

The following are the expected benefits of the project:

Selected teachers trained in improving quality of instruction in the small schools context

Effective learning management system/model developed for small schools

School leaders or teachers-in-charge trained in small school management, instructional supervision and support

Trained parents and local/education officials for effective management of small schools

Trained teachers, school heads and supervision on IMPACT implementation in the Philippines

New learning partners and e-networks of multi grade learning communities established

Comparative study of small schools management models adopted by the 3 pilot countries and implications on policy and management

Published documentation of successful small schools

The project seeks to answer the following questions:

How do we engage, manage and sustain the critical areas of community-based support for small schools?

What critical areas of community-based support are needed by small schools?

What are the strengths and limitations of these areas in the current community support for small schools?

What new capacity-building interventions for community-based management of small schools maybe co-constructed?

The contexts surrounding small schools vis-à-vis range of opportunities for improving access and quality education in the remote, dispersed and isolated areas are wide-ranging. Improvement opportunities include the necessary inputs and facilitating conditions as shown below:

necessary inputs i.e., relevant curriculum, instructional materials, adequate facilities, competent teachers, interactive teaching practices, assessment and feedback; and,

facilitating conditions i.e., community and parent involvement, effective leadership, policy support.


Taking into account the above inputs and facilitating conditions including the unique setting of small schools, some country-specific activities were implemented in Lao PDR, Malaysia and the Philippines. There were a total of seven (7) small schools that actively participated in this project, as follows:

1. Philippines (Cebu Province)

Hawanay Elem School (n=4 Teachers & School Head), Hawanay, Tapul, Talisay City

Mainit (n=3 teachers with school head), Mainit, Guadalupe, Carcar City

2. Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Vientiane Capital)

Phonsinouane Primary School (n=3 Teachers including the School Director), Phonsinuane Village, Sissatanak District

Sikhaitha Primary School (n=3 Teachers including School Director), Sikhaitha Village, Sikhottabong District

Ban Kouay Primary School (n=3 Teachers including School Director), Kuoay Village, Sangthong District

3. Malaysia (Perak State) (n=9 Teachers)

Sekolah Kebangsaan Chenderong Kelubi, 31800 Tanjong Tualang, Perak Tengah District

Sekolah Kabangsaan Sungai Perah, 32800 Parit, Perak Tengah District

3. Capacity-building interventions provided: Lao PDR, Malaysia and Philippines

From July 2010 to September 2012, the Center organized and facilitated the following activities for the above seven small schools:

Building School-Community Partnerships through Consultation Meetings among Stakeholders in Malaysia, Lao PDR and Philippines

Training on IMPACT Learning System Implementation in Cebu, Philippines

Small Schools Management Workshop in Lao PDR.

Training on Strengthening School, Family and Community Relationships in Malaysia, Lao PDR and Philippines

Online Mentoring and Coaching Sessions

Documentation of Best Practices

Appreciative Monitoring and Evaluation


The Training on Strengthening School, Family and Community Relationships aimed to build the capacities of small schools in managing school community partnerships by strengthening the relationships of parents, village officials and members of the community in addressing education issues affecting small schools located in rural remote areas or underdeveloped communities. It promoted the adaptation of best practices on community engagement and multi-stakeholder partnerships for participatory, collaborative governance and effective management of small schools. In addition, the project provided digital cameras, television set, DVD player and master CD/print copy of instructional support materials such as the IMPACT Learning System modules for two pilot small schools in Cebu, Philippines including handouts on strengthening community participation in schools for Lao PDR and Malaysia. These ICT equipment and materials were used by school teachers to facilitate teaching and learning and to augment the existing learning materials in small schools. From FY 2010-2011, SEAMEO INNOTECH undertook a case study documentation to understand how the concept of SBM and the role of “educational community” are able to improve the performance of small schools in Lao PDR, Malaysia, and Philippines. This report presents how the SBM model and effective leadership can emerge from the analysis of professional practices in small schools management in the field and how the challenges of small schools can be translated into opportunities for further improvement of small schools in Southeast Asia.


CHAPTER IV: THE PHILIPPINE EXPERIENCE

Hawanay Elementary

School

Mainit Elementary

School

Map source: http://www.advocatenvooradvocaten.nl/countries/philippines/

http://www.advocatenvooradvocaten.nl/countries/philippines/


In the Philippines, project SMaLL focused on strengthening educational processes in the

multigrade learning system with family and community participation. It specifically adapted the Instructional Management by Parents, Community, and Teachers (IMPACT) learning system, a technology-enhanced alternative delivery mode (ADM) for the small schools located in remote rural areas in Cebu Province. The project expects to improve learner achievement with the integration of IMPACT that provides complete learning modules and involves parents and the community for a meaningful learning experience, in a remote rural community setting.

1. CHARACTERISTICS OF PHILIPPINE SMALL SCHOOLS

Concept: Like any public school, a small school is an institution that provides educational services with a specific age-group of pupils pursuing defined studies at defined levels, receiving instruction from teachers, managed by a school administrator, usually located in one or more buildings in a particular physical site, receives public funds as primary support and operated by the Department of Education The Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, R.A. 9155).

Location: Small schools represent a large portion of the educational landscape particularly in rural areas. Some are inaccessible in upland and coastal areas and are commonly part of disadvantaged communities. Average Enrolment: Small schools (i.e., multigrade) have low enrolments usually less than a hundred pupil population on the average for a complete school with kindergarten (Profile of Multigrade Schools in the Philippines, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2011). However, the size of small schools may vary from region to region, as it depends on the operational definition in a particular region. Class Structure: In the Philippines, small schools with one teacher handling more than one grade level have been common since the 1920s. If a class does not meet the required number of enrollees and therefore it is not viable to conduct a class of limited number of pupils, the supposed enrollees are merged into a single class and taught by one teacher.

A small school may be composed of one or more grade groups or non-graded or has incomplete grade. It can have one or more teachers or one teacher-in-charge who is responsible for the administrative and instructional supervision of the school. A teacher in a small school is teaching either a combination class or a multigrade class and commonly with a small class size within a formal education system.

In the Philippine public school system, classes with two grade levels inside a single classroom and handled by the same teacher is called combination classes. Those with three grade levels in one classroom and handled by a single teacher is called a multigrade or multi-level class. This means that a multigrade classroom mixes children with different skills and abilities, different developmental levels and needs while working together under the guidance of one teacher.


According to the Bureau of Elementary Education, a multigrade class has two or more different grade levels inside a single classroom handled by one teacher in a complete or incomplete elementary school with a minimum of 8 pupils and a maximum of 35 pupils (Fe Villalino, 2010).

Teaching-Learning Process: Oftentimes, small schools have multigrade classes out of necessity to provide education access to learners who belong to isolated and poor communities, indigenous peoples or those who reside in far-flung mountains and islands where schools are far apart from each other. The multigrade class system is part of DepEd’s thrust to democratize access to education and make the learning experience inclusive to as many sectors.

The multigrade education is a strategy adopted by the Department of Education to provide access to quality education for all school-age children in remote communities where enrolment does not warrant the organization of monograde classes (DepEd Order No. 81, s. 2009).

While DepEd recognizes the existence of multi-grade classes, it was only in 1990 that the department started to consider the formal organization and continuing operation of multigrade classrooms all over the country in keeping with the EFA goal.

Profile of Small Multigrade Schools In the Philippines, pure multigrade schools comprise around 33% of the total number of public elementary schools that serve 8 percent of the total number of elementary students or close to a million enrolees. Pure multigrade school refers to schools with no monograde classes (Philippine EFA 2015 Review Report). As of 2014-2015, there are about 43,000 teachers in MG schools all over the country (Rey Laguda, DepEd retrieved from https://theordinaryhero.wordpress.com/tag/deped/ May 31, 2014). The country’s MG schools are spread in 17 DepEd Regional Offices. Majority of the MG schools are located in Region 8, Region 7, and Region 2 (Profile of Multigrade Schools in the Philippines, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2011). For the benefit of 1,573 pure multigrade schools nationwide, DepEd allocated PhP 118,000,000 to support the implementation of multigrade program in SY 2012-2013 (Philippine EFA 2015 Review Report). Completion Rate: For seven consecutive years, the completion rate in the elementary level had slightly increased from 72% to 73% from SY 2002-2003 to SY 2008-2009 respectively (EFA Report, DepEd, 2010). The internal efficiency of multigrade schools is manifested in how well they can keep pupils in school and how it has reduced the number of repeaters until the completion of elementary or for those with incomplete elementary, the highest grade level available. For the multigrade

https://theordinaryhero.wordpress.com/tag/deped/


schools surveyed by SEAMEO INNOTECH in SY 2010-2011, the average completion rate is 31.6% short form achieving universality. Moreover, the 68.40% average completion rate falls short from the national completion rate in elementary, which is 72.11% (Profile of Multigrade Schools, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2011). Repetition Rate: The repetition rate reported by the survey respondents as there remains an average of 16.10% (Profile of Multigrade Schools, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2011). Drop-out Rate: School leaver rates may have been reduced but not totally eradicated as there remains a 1.9% drop-out rate in the survey conducted by SEAMEO INNOTECH in 2011. National Achievement Test: It has been observed that the performance of small multigrade schools is not comparable with regular schools. The Philippine National Achievement Test (NAT) results for school year 2008-2009 revealed a generally lower performance of multigrade schools in any learning areas in comparison to either regular schools and or the national MPS as shown in the Table below (MG Indicators, RSU Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH).

Table 5: National Achievement Test Scores of Multigrade and Regular Schools, Philippines

Mean Performance Score (MPS) per Learning Area

(SY 2008-2009) Overall Filipino Science Math English Hekasi

Multigrade Schools

59.586 70.15 52.76 57.88 55.84 61.3

Regular Schools 66.336 72.21 59.63 68.7 62.14 69.0

(SY 2012-2013)

The elementary national mean percentage score was still 6 percentage points away from the targeted 75 percent with 68.9 MPS in SY 2012-2013. Grade 6 pupils who took the test in combined English, Filipino, Mathematics, Science and Hekasi (Geography, History, and Civics) got an overall MPS of 68.88 in SY 2012-2013. Their MPS in Filipino and Hekasi were higher than 70 percent while their MPS in Science and English were below the overall MPS. Another interesting development is the result of 2015 Language Assessment for Primary Grades or LAPG for Philippine multigrade (MG) schools. The study revealed that in terms of language proficiency, multigrade learners can perform at par with students from regular schools and/or even better as shown in below table. The MPS of students from Multigrade schools is very close to the national overall MPS in two languages: Mother Tongue (MG-65.27 vs. National-66.94), Filipino (MG-71.65 vs. National-70.18) and surpassed the overall MPS in English (MG-66.38 vs. National-63.77).


Figure 5: Language Assessment for Primary Grades (LAPG) for Philippine Multi-grade (MG) Schools, 2015

LAPG, a system-based assessment, was specifically designed to gauge language learning of pupils in Filipino and English using the K to 12 Curriculum and to compare the performance of Grade 3 pupils on English and Filipino essential skills (DepEd Memo # 127, s. 2014). This assessment was conducted by DepEd with technical support of SEAMEO INNOTECH.

2. PHILIPPINE SMALL SCHOOL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES

a) Formulation of National Learning Strategies

To help improve learning outcomes and attain its Education for All (EFA) goals, the Philippine DepEd formulated the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) in 2005). The BESRA is a policy reform package that seeks to improve the regulatory, institutional, structural, financial, informational, cultural, and physical conditions that affect the provision of access to, and delivery of basic education particularly in the field. One of the key reform thrusts (KRTs) of BESRA is to develop multi-sectoral national strategies to improve enrolment, participation, and completion rates as well as reduce the dropout rate. This involves operationalization of the K to 12 Education Program, use of the Alternative Delivery Modes (ADMs) in formal education, and institutionalization of the Alternative Learning System (ALS), particularly for disadvantaged learners (BESRA, DepEd 2005).


b) Enhancement of Basic Education Curriculum Like other public schools, small schools in the Philippines are mandated to lay down the foundation for a better future for every Filipino child as embodied in the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013. More widely known as the K to 12 Act, it establishes a system of education that truly imbues the youth with the skills they need to pursue their dreams. In harmony with the Philippine Constitution, the K to 12 Act upholds the right of every Filipino to live a dignified life; and fulfils the state’s responsibility to ensure that all citizens have an equal and legitimate opportunity to succeed, especially those who have been relegated to the margins. As a cornerstone of the Philippine Government’s poverty alleviation agenda, this Act allows every Filipino child access to basic education beginning at the kindergarten up to a high level of education. The reform program is not just adding two years of additional learning but making certain that the future generations will become more productive and responsible citizens equipped with the essential competencies for life-long learning and holistic development.

c) Strengthening of Alternative Delivery Modes (ADM) in disadvantaged communities The National Learning Strategies under BESRA include the strengthening of Alternative Delivery Modes (ADM) programs through policy guidelines via DO no. 54 s. 2012 and funding support via DepEd Order No. 53 s. 2011 which invokes the implementation of ADM to improve access and quality education (Philippine EFA 2015 Plan of Action: An Assessment of Progress Made in Achieving the EFA Goals National EFA Committee, 2014). These policies seek to democratize access to quality elementary education through the completion of incomplete schools, the organization of multigrade classes in remote, far-flung and disadvantaged areas in the country and the provision of alternative learning pathways of learning outside of traditionally classroom-based instruction. A number of ADMs have been developed and are currently being implemented. These include the IMPACT Learning System, an alternative learning system to providing formal basic education at the elementary level and MISOSA (Modified In-School/Off-School Approach) which tackles the problem of large class sizes and congestion in public elementary schools. For secondary schools, the Philippine DepEd offers the following ADMs for students at risk of dropping-out: the Open High School Program (OHSP, and the Internet-Based Distance Education Program (iDEP).


In the Philippines, the IMPACT Learning System as one of ADMs in some public elementary schools, has been found to reduce, if not eliminate, dropouts. Schools implementing the IMPACT system also showed remarkable improvement in learning achievement. The IMPACT self-learning modules developed by SEAMEO INNOTECH and self-instructional materials of MISOSA developed by DepED are useful and relevant even in schools with low enrolment and during emergency situations where classes are disrupted.

d) Implementation of Multigrade Education Program in disadvantaged communities The National Learning Strategies under BESRA likewise include the strengthening of the implementation of Multigrade Education Program via Department Order (DO) No. 63 s. 2010; DepEd Order No. 81 s. 2009. Multigrade education in the Philippines was designed for 3 reasons: 1) to provide a complete education cycle or expand access in sparsely populated, remote and isolated areas; 2) to maintain education services in barangays with decreasing enrolment; 3) to maximize the use of thin resources like lack of classrooms, teachers and other resources (Fe Villalino, DepEd 2011). The Philippine EFA 2015 Plan, under Production Task No. 6 emphasized the need to accelerate articulation, enrichment and development of basic education curriculum and to strengthen curriculum instruction through the expansion of multigrade education. This multigrade expansion will ensure more access to quality and complete elementary education for children in small schools in remote areas. By SY 2010-2011, DepED targeted at least 30% of the small incomplete elementary schools shall have offered complete education through multigrade and other ADMs. And, by SY 2011-2012, the remaining small incomplete elementary schools shall have offered complete elementary education (Fe Villalino, Staff Development Division, Bureau of Elementary Education, Report on Workshop on Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asian Countries). Based on SY 2008-2009 data, multigrade schools comprise around 33 percent of the total number of public elementary schools that serve eight (8) percent of the total number of elementary students. In SY 2012-2013, there were 1,573 multigrade schools nationwide. DepEd allocated PhP 129.8M to support the implementation of multigrade program in 3,903 pure multigrade schools (no monograde classes) in the country beginning SY 2014-2015 (DepEd Order 30, s. 2014). The multigrade program aims to serve the right to education of school age children living in remote, far-flung and disadvantaged areas. In this regard, DepEd has implemented the following policies and strategies:

Improving access to elementary education by providing complete grade levels in all public elementary schools through combination and/or multigrade class (DECS Order No. 38, s. 1993).


Improving the guideline on the organization and operation of multigrade classes which stipulate the definition, organization of MG classes, school plant, facilities and furniture, curriculum and program, support, welfare and incentive program for multigrade teachers (DECS Order No. 96, s. 1997).

Establishment of recognition program on the search for multigrade teacher achiever (DepED Memo No. 245 s. 2007).

Development of instructional materials to strengthen the implementation of multigrade program in Philippine education. Multigrade education is one of the Department’s strategies to provide access to quality education for all school-age children in remote communities where enrolment does not warrant the organization of monograde classes. To fully support the program, the Bureau of Elementary Education developed the Multigrade Teach-Learn Package which contains prototype multigrade lesson plans in English, Science, and Health, Mathematics, Filipino, and Sibika/Heograpiya, Kasaysayan, at Sibika (HEKASI). This also states that trained MG teachers shall not be transferred to another school within 2 years (DepEd Order No. 81, 2009).

To reduce the high turn-over rate of teachers in small schools, DepED issued a policy that all trained MG teachers shall not be transferred to another school within 2 years (DepEd Order No. 81, 2009).

Printing of multigrade lesson Plans. DepEd has instructed all Division Offices to be responsible for printing copies of lesson plans using the downloaded funds for Multigrade Program in Philippine Education (MPPE) activities (DepEd Order No. 63, s. 2010, May 17, 2010). Under the Multigrade Program in Philippine Education (MPPE), DepEd provides instructional materials, trainings, school buildings and introduced community support schemes.

Improving the guidelines on the utilization of financial support for the multigrade schools (DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2012, June 15, 2012, amended by DepEd Order 30 s. 2014). For FY 2012, a total of 1,573 multigrade schools were selected to be the recipients of the financial support. Selection of school was based on the enrolment and remoteness of the schools. The following are the eligible items: Development, procurement and production of print and non-print

instructional supplementary reading and reference materials. Professional development of teachers and school heads through trainings,

conferences, workshops and educational visits to institutions which have been known for their best MG education technology.

Purchase of pupils’ learning kits and school supplies as well as participation to academic contests, educational visits, camping, leadership training, and other co-curricular activities.

Support to feeding program of the school.


e) Implementation of School-Based Management (SBM) The concept of school-based management (SBM) upholds the principle that educational reform and progress occurs as a grassroots movement. In SBM, small or big schools alike are endowed with greater autonomy to allow its school leaders to introduce reforms at the grassroots/local level (DepEd Order No. 37, s. 2009). DepEd accelerated its efforts to decentralize education management as a strategy to improve the school’s operating efficiency and education quality under a package of reform initiatives called the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA). With K to 12 as the flagship reform strategy, DepEd will focus not only on the curriculum enhancement but also on the transition management as well. DepEd intends to succeed in the transition phase by adopting the SBM approach as the basic management framework. SBM will hopefully contribute to the effective operation and sustainability of small schools in the country.

With SBM, the school empowers the school principals to make informed and localized decisions based on their unique needs toward improving access to quality education. SBM highlights the strategic importance of educating children and other stakeholders in participating in educational activities. School heads and teachers, families and the community become one in their efforts to improve the school. SBM allows diversity in meeting individual learning needs. Following this, SBM changes the relationship between the school and the larger community to be mutually supportive, beneficial and highly engaged in achieving a commonly desired learning goal. Small schools are expected to be more effective because they only have small number of enrolees to manage. With SBM, small schools have control over the allocation of resources and staffing based on a school budget. To ensure the success of every student, small schools are expected to involve the parents and others in the community in the school. The School Principal needs to provide strong instructional leadership, focus on educational concerns, and maintain an environment supportive of professional growth and collaboration. The students are expected to achieve long-term academic improvement and cultivate positive attitudes modelled by teachers. The School Principals also have to encourage support for the school as demonstrated by teachers, students, parents, and the community. The SBM concepts have been pilot-tested in several DepEd projects such as the Third Elementary Education Project (TEEP), the Secondary Education Development and Improvement Project (SEDIP), the Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM), and the Strengthening the Implementation of Basic Education in the Visayas (STRIVE). After being tried out in project sites, the concepts were further validated by school heads in remote schools. The project sites have created tremendous positive results in the field, and are proven effective particularly in managing small schools in rural disadvantaged communities (Source: DepEd Manual on SBM).


In implementing SBM, the DepEd is doing its best to create an environment where all the people involved commit to make change happen under a decentralized setup. This change is ultimately geared towards the school children’s enjoyment of their right to quality education, to be safe and healthy, to be protected from harm and abuse, to play and to have leisure, to express their views freely, and to participate in decision-making according to their evolving capacities.

f) Improving Benefits for Teachers To address the perils of poverty in rural communities and in support of “education for all” agenda, the government increased the salaries of government employees with the full implementation of the Salary Standardization Law III for 2009 to 2012. With this legal provision, the basic pay of public school teachers and schools administrators in small schools are now higher compared to private schools (Philippine Salary Standardization Law III).

g) Improving Benefits for Students from Poor Filipino Families Since 2008, the government has implemented a conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, the so called 4PS (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program), for indigent families particularly those with school-age children. DepEd adopted the CCT strategy to motivate families to send their children in school and thereby increase the school participation rate. The CCT program had increased the number of household beneficiaries from 777,505 households in 2009 to 4,353,597 active household-beneficiaries as of August 26, 2015, of which 570,056 are indigenous households and 217,359 have at least one PWD. The program also covers 10,235,658 school children aged 0 to 18, from the total registered with an average of two to three children per household. Mostly benefited are low income families in the rural areas where small schools are located. As of August 2015, a total of P27.15 billion cash grants were paid to eligible and compliant beneficiaries for the first to third period of 2015 covering January to August disbursements. From this amount, P13.23 billion was paid for education, and the remaining P13.92 billion was disbursed for health. These upgraded basic services greatly benefited poor families, particularly in remote and disadvantaged school-communities with high drop-out rate and enabled them to bring their children to school. In view of the above enabling policies of the Philippine Government, the effective management of small schools in the country means taking all appropriate efforts to make education accessible to all disadvantaged learners and establishing a complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and the community.


h) Implementation of Education Support Programs DepEd initiated some education projects to enhance the quality of multigrade instruction in small schools as follows (Retrieved from http://www.elementary.ph/what-we-do):

Little Red School House Project (LRSP): The DepEd and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc., organized the little Red Schoolhouse Project. This is a 5-year project which aims to provide fifty (50) adequately equipped three-room school buildings in priority Multigrade schools in the country since its inception in 1998. Each school building had toilet facility in each room, water system and furnishings. Training of MG teachers, school administrators and supervisors on MG instruction is part of the project as well as training on leadership skills for PTCA members. The provision of school buildings and facilities in remote schools are sustained through the Adopt-a-School Program in partnership with the business community.

Multigrade Demonstration School Project (MDSP): This project was organized in selected school divisions of the country with financial assistance from UNICEF. The project aimed to improve the quality of instruction and thus improve the over-all achievement levels of pupils in MG schools.

Pupil Learning Enhancement Program (PLEP): This was a support program (1995-2000) for the universalization of quality primary education through the strengthening of the Multigrade Program in Philippine Education (MPPE) with assistance from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The project involves production and printing of teaching and learning materials (MLMs and Lesson Exemplars) to cover all grade levels and subject areas, capacity building of DECS through the training of multigrade teachers and orientation of school administrators at all levels, mobilization of GOs, NGOs, LGUs, COs and POs in support of the MG programme through advocacy, networking and resource sharing.

Community Support Scheme (CSS): The institutionalization of Community Support Scheme (CSS) is one of the best practices in small schools under the multigrade education program (DECS Order No. 27, s. 2000). During the EFA decade, the UNDP initiated the CSS approach that was implemented in all the project sites. The CSS had a positive effect on the overall performance of the school and schoolchildren. With support from the parents, local officials, community members and volunteers, the school children’s performance had increased and the completion of incomplete schools catalyzed (The EFA 2000 Assessment: Country Report).

Training Video on Multigrade Instruction: This project involved the development of a documentary video on multigrade teaching practices. It shows effective teaching strategies and other important information about the multigrade school. It serves as an orientation and in-service training material on Multigrade instruction for multigrade teachers and school administrators. It could be used during training sessions in schools, divisions or regions or as a self-learning training


video for new Multigrade teachers. Two hundred thirty (230) copies of training video with viewing manual/facilitator’s guide were reproduced (DepEd Memo No. 404 s. 2004, Dissemination of the Training Video on Multigrade Instruction).

Early Childhood Development Project (ECDP: The MPPE outlines the broad policy directions to pursue by the State for Filipino children under six year-old. The ECDP is being implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, and DepEd. Services are addressed to children under six are delivered in an integrated approach. The DOH takes care of health and nutrition concerns of children ages 0 to 6 and the DSWD takes care of the early education of the six year olds (Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SIREP Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012).

Other Support Programs: DepEd projects like Phil-IRI, Read-aThon, remedial instruction, and the Integrated Curriculum for Multigrade Classes (IC-MG) likewise contributed in improving the academic performance of students in small-multigrade schools. DepEd also conducted research and evaluation of multigrade initiatives with UNICEF, academe and other partners (Source: Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, SIREP Report, SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2012).

3. BACKGROUND TO THE PHILIPPINE PROJECT SMaLL INTERVENTIONS

The project intervention focuses on strengthening educational processes in the multigrade learning system with family and community participation. It will specifically introduce the Instructional Management by Parents, Community, and Teachers (IMPACT) Learning System, a technology-enhanced alternative delivery mode (ADM) for small schools located in remote rural areas in Carcar and Talisay, Cebu Province. The project expects to improve learner achievement with the integration of IMPACT that provides complete learning modules and involves parents and the community for a meaningful learning experience, in a remote rural community setting. The Small Schools of Cebu The pilot schools for Project SMaLL were strategically located in Cebu province wherein the seeds of community-based support to education and local education governance have been sown through the implementation of Project APEX (Applied Academics for Excellence) in Cansojong National High School in Talisay City. The school selection had taken into consideration the quality of support and level of commitment of the DepEd Regional and Division Officials and its capacity to mainstream and institutionalize the innovations after the project. In SY 2010-2011, DepEd Cebu identified two small schools from the Divisions of Talisay and Carcar namely: the Hawanay ES, in Brgy Tapul, Talisay City and Mainit ES, in Brgy Guadalupe, Carcar City for the action-research. These schools belong to the First Congressional District of Cebu which has a total of 16 small schools distributed in the municipalities of Talisay, Carcar,


Naga, Minglanilla, San Fernando and Sibonga. Incidentally, the project champion, Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Mr. Woodrow Denuyo, was supervising two City Divisions of Cebu when the project started. The young and newly installed SDS had on-going educational reforms in the City Divisions of Talisay and Carcar. The SDS envisioned that Project SMaLL will help develop a workable, effective and integrated community-based management system in the two pilot schools for adoption, replication and scaling up in other small schools in Region VII. A total of 10 small schools actually participated in the capacity building activities conducted for Cebu with a total of 1,037 pupils and 30 education officials composed of teachers, school heads and district/division supervisors. See Table 6 below:

Table 6: Small Schools Enrolment in City Divisions of Talisay and Carcar

SY 2009-2010 No. of

Schools No. of Small

Schools Total

Enrolment Small Schools

Enrolment

Talisay 25 2 43,688 182

Carcar 33 8 16,472 855

Total 58 10 60,160 1,037

The project focused on improving the quality of multigrade instruction in the Philippines due to the consistent low performance of small schools as gleaned from the above figures. The School Division in the Cities of Carcar and Talisay in Cebu Province, disclosed that small schools rating in achievement tests oftentimes can pull down the overall academic performance ranking of the Division/Regional offices. At the field level, the operations of small schools in Cebu could be described as follows:

In SY 2009-2010, 14.723% (or 428 out of 2,907) of the public elementary schools in Cebu are small schools that adopt the multi-grade education system. It had a total of 46,076 students, and assisted by 1,434 teachers. It has an average of 3 teachers per school and average class size of 35 students per teacher (https:// www.depedro7gov.ph, DepEd Region 7 Report on Small Schools).

DepEd-Cebu categorically defined their identified small schools as those elementary schools with an enrolment of less than 200 pupils, less than six teachers, and managed by a teacher-in-charge (Memo re: List of Small Schools in Region VII, Director Recaredo G. Borgonia, June 18, 2009). This means, that most small schools in the region have no full-fledged school administrator.

Before the implementation of Project SmaLL, the average drop-out rate was 4.485 and the survival rate was 60.21% in selected small schools in Cebu, as shown in Table 7:

http://www.depedro7gov.ph/


Table 7: Drop-out & Survival Rates in Selected Multigrade Schools, Cebu, Philippines

SY 2008-2009 Average Drop-out Rate

Hawanay Elementary

School

Mainit Elementary

School

Iba Elementary

School

Banlot Elementary

School

Drop-out Rate 4.485% 5.63% 3.64% 6.52% 2.15%

Survival Rate 60.21% - 70.64% 43.33% 66.67%

The drop-out rate for the Hawanay Elementary Schools for instance had a steady rate of 5.63% from SY 2007-2008 to SY 2009-2009. This steady rate remained for 3 years simply because parents are unable to pay for needed school supplies, uniform, allowance, and transportation costs. Despite the provision of free basic education, poor rural families could hardly afford to sustain six years of primary education for their children. Multigrade schools in Cebu had relatively younger and, hence, less experiences teachers, as well as higher teacher turnover rates. The small number of students for each grade level; the shortage of teachers; the distance from the community to the nearest school; and the inadequacy of funds and classrooms are reasons that necessitate the organization of multigrade classes.

4. THE PILOT SCHOOLS UNDER PROJECT SMaLL: SCHOOL CONTEXT

Hawanay Elementary School (Hawanay ES)

The Hawanay ES is a satellite school of Tapul Elementary School. It is located in Sitio Hawanay with a highland topography covering a land area of 337 hectares. Thus, from the school, one gets a wonderful view of the lowlands of Talisay City. When it rains, the place is very cold and also prone to landslides. Brgy. Tapul belongs to the average income class. Generally, residents are very much dependent on farming for their family

subsistence (Tapul ES Report). Unemployment is 40%, and those who are luckily employed are only 10% (https://www.talisaycitycebu.gov.ph).

Some young children, mostly boys failed to go to school because they have to gather “tuba” to augment the family’s meager income. Tuba is a sweet, fresh or mildly fermented sap taken from tapping the young expanded flowers of the coconut.

http://www.talisaycitycebu.gov.ph/


Getting to the School

Hawanay ES is the farthest among the schools in the Division of Talisay City. The school is 13 kilometers away from Talisay City Hall. The barangay road is rough and not conducive for regular public utility vehicles. Pupils reach the school by foot in an hour. From Talisay City, the school can be reached in about 45 minutes by a private service vehicle to Tapul, followed by a 15 minute “habal-habal” (motorbike) ride. As of CY 2011, the travel cost per passenger is Php50 from Tapul and Php 70-75 from Talisay.

The newly opened road makes the school accessible to “habal-habal” (motorcycle) transportation during sunny days. However, it gets slippery and bumpy during the rainy days, making it difficult for four-wheeled vehicles to go up and down the mountain slopes leading to the school.

The Early Beginnings

The lot where the school is located is owned by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and cultivated by the residents who acted as stewards. The DENR gave up the farm lot to be used as the school site. The school was established in SY 2005-2006 with only 18 pupils in Grades I and II as combination classes. The first classes were held in a very small chapel. Later, the parents constructed a makeshift classroom made of wood and bamboo with galvanized iron sheets roofing provided by the Schools Division. In SY 2006-2007, the enrolment rose to 26. The lone non-formal education mobile teacher of the Division, Mr. Henry Tumamak, was the pioneer teacher of the school.

In SY 2007-2008, the school opened a Grade 3 class, hence the enrolment increased to 44 students. The grade 1 class was handled by a teacher aide volunteer (TAV) funded by the School Education Fund of Talisay City, while a regular teacher handled the combination of Grades 2 and 3 classes. The volunteer teacher was given a DepEd regular post in December 2007. The school opened the Grade 4 class in 2008-2009, hence the two teachers both handled two combination classes (i.e., Grades 1 & 2 and Grades 3 & 4). This increased the enrolment to 71 students. Within that year, the school built two semi-concrete building to replace the makeshift building built by the community using the School Education Fund (SEF). In SY 2009-2010, Nang Conching, a 72 year old grandmother lobbied and initiated the community’s clamor to open Grades 5 and 6 in. Thus, the enrolment rose to 88. Another volunteer teacher handled the new combined classes. Through Nang Conching’s perseverance, the primary school became a complete elementary school offering grades 1 to 6 and thereafter was called the Hawanay Elementary School. Since then, the school continued to attract new students. In SY 2010-2011 the enrolment increased to 100 and gradually increased to 106 in SY 2011-2012.

Organization and Management

When project SMaLL was launched in 2010, the Hawanay ES was being managed by Mrs. Ana Mae Lastimosa who was currently in teacher-in-charge of Tapul Elementary School. Mrs. Lastimosa had to directly supervise the Hawanay ES being a satellite school of Tapul ES. She holds her permanent office in Tapul ES and stays at Hawanay E.S. for only two days in a week.


During the project phase, she provided strong instructional supervision and support to her 3 teachers (2 regular teachers and 1 Teaching Aid Volunteer) particularly in implementing the IMPACT technology in Hawanay ES.

After two years of IMPACT implementation, the Schools Division Superintendent appointed Mr. Rogaciano Bajo to be the new full-fledged principal in Hawanay ES in July 2012. Since Mr. Bajo was quite new, the former principal, Mrs Lastimosa, continued to provide the school technical guidance to successfully implement the IMPACT program. Based on the interviews, the new principal was eager to learn the IMPACT system and committed to sustain the program. The principal was only 39 years old when he was assigned to Hawanay ES. The Teaching Aid Volunteer was promoted to Teacher 1 and a new TAV was assigned thus, the Hawanay ES teachers had increased to 4 teachers. The Schools Division provided full support to ensure the successful implementation of IMPACT.

Mainit Elementary School (Mainit ES)

Administratively, the Mainit ES belongs to Carcar City Division which is composed of two districts with 33 primary and elementary schools. The Division has 8 multigrade schools located in far-flung barangays. One of these schools is the Mainit ES in Sitio Mainit, Brgy. Guadalupe. The school is strategically located within the Guadalupe Mabugnao-Mainit Hot Spring National Park. Proclaimed as a protected area in 1972, the

park covers an area of 57.50 hectares occupying an important watershed forest reserve in the central Mantalongon mountain range. The park is frequented by daily visitors for its hot springs where cottages and pools have been developed for swimming. It got its name from the peculiar hot spring that can boil an egg and its miraculous waters can heal illnesses according to the native folks.

As of 2010, Sitio Mainit had 200 households. The main source of income in the locality is buy and sell, vegetable and livestock farming. Coconut trees, corn and banana plantation abound in the community. They also survive through provision of labor force during planting and harvesting season, selling fruits, vegetables, firewoods and charcoal.

Endowed with beauty and abundance of natural resources, the school has a good context for integrating environmental education in the curriculum using the IMPACT Learning System.


Getting to the School

The school is 7 kms. away from the city proper and 20 meters away from the natural spring which is the source of water for the City of Carcar. The school is accessible by road and by traversing the protected area. To get to the school, it will take about 30 minutes travel from the town proper by “habal-habal” costing PhP 25 per person as of 2011.

The Early Beginnings

The first formal education was conducted in 1940’s in the residence of Mrs. Lilay located at Sangi, Guadalupe, Carcar, Cebu. In 1947, the formal education took place in a school in Mainit wherein they had their classes on the stage roofed with “gila nga lukay“. The mentors during this time were Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian Silva. The school head (Mr. Quijoy) was assisted by two teachers: Mrs. Leonila Acuña & Ms. Elizabeth Alesna. His leadership lasted until 1954.

The Mainit Primary School was formally established in 1959 through the concerted efforts of the parents, barangay and town officials. The school started as a multigrade school in 1959 offering 2 combined classes only (i.e., Grades 1 & 2, and Grades 3 & 4). In 1970’s-1980’s, several teachers were assigned in Mainit Primary School under the leadership of Mr. Jose de la Cerna then, followed by Mr. Usafeto Zozobrado as the School Head. When the school offered Grades 5 and 6 levels, in 2004, the school enrolment rose to 80. In 2006, through the joint efforts of the parents, teachers (Mrs. Arlene Alcontin & Mr. Joel M. Diez) and the school head (Mrs. Natividad N. Amores), the MES became a complete elementary school with a combination grade managed by 4 teachers including the Kindergarten teacher.

In SY 2008-2009, the Mainit ES continued to offer primary education for Grades 1 to 5 with a total enrolment of 69 pupils only. Beginning SY 2009-2010, the school opened up the Grade 6 level with 93 students. Within 4 years, the school has nurtured 85 students at the average per year. The gender ratio is almost equal (1:1.1) but slightly in favour of females. By SY 2010-2011 the school enrolment rose to 92 with 10 drop-outs. During the interview with teachers, it was pointed out that transfer to a new residence is the common reason given by school leavers (Mainit Elementary School Annual Report).

Organization and Management

In school year 2010, there were 7 teachers (4 regular teachers, 3 Teacher-Aid Volunteers (TAV) and the Teacher-in-Charge (TIC) is Mrs. Imelda Dayondon. The TIC also serves as guidance counsellor. The school was known in the community for nurturing the values of the children and providing them with quality education. Monitoring visits conducted by the Division Office reported that the school is doing the right thing and already commendable. They just need persistence and perseverance to keep the educational improvements on-going using the IMPACT as a new instructional system.


The division supervisor (Dr. Catherine Cabahug) discovered that changing the instructional system is next to impossible, but she was able to see that what she initially thought was impossible is now happening in Mainit ES. They were able to completely transform the teaching and learning process using the IMPACT Learning System with positive results, notably the programmed teaching and the peer group learning. This attributes were due to the willingness and commitment of the students to actively participate in the learning process. She couldn’t imagine that the pupils in Mainit ES could carry the teachers’ role in imparting knowledge to their peers. The School Division was so impressed that the students and teachers were able to implement IMPACT effectively.

5. PROJECT SMaLL PROGRAM INTERVENTION For the K to 12 reform agenda to succeed, the school principals and teachers have to be empowered to be catalysts for change. In SY 2010-2011, SEAMEO INNOTECH undertook a case study documentation to understand how the concept of SBM and the role of “educational community” are able to improve the performance of small schools in the Philippines. This report hopes to present how the SBM model and effective leadership can emerge from the analysis of professional practices in small schools management in the field. However, it is challenging to grasp the realities of small schools across a variety of culture among a number of schools in the country. For this reason, only two model schools were identified to participate in the action research conducted by SEAMEO INNOTECH in cooperation with the DepEd Regional and Division Offices in Cebu. For two years, Project SMaLL was implemented in two small multigrade schools- the Hawanay ES, in Talisay City and Mainit ES located in Carcar City using the IMPACT system. Project SMaLL was implemented in these two 2 pilot schools to develop the capabilities of school heads, teachers, parents and local officials in managing community partnerships, engaging education stakeholders and producing graduates who are ready with 21st century skills. The following are the project milestones: Preparatory Work

School visits held on March 22-24, 2010 in Carcar and Talisay Cities. This is part of the environmental scanning and needs assessment and culminates with the selection of pilot schools.

Workshop on quality indicators of multigrade instruction at SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2010. In this workshop, the project parameters and areas of collaboration and complementation were clarified with the Multigrade Regional Coordinator and SDS Woodrow Denuyo. Other solutions were discussed such as the establishment of an integrated school in Carcar.

Advocacy and consultation meetings with DepEd, local partners and stakeholders. These were conducted on April 21-23, 2010 culminating in signing of letter contract to formalize the partnership between SEAMEO INNOTECH and DepEd–SDS. These meetings provided the opportunity to promote the IMPACT Learning System to the parents, teachers, schools


heads, LGU and DepEd Schools Division Officials. SDS Denuyo presented his idea of establishing an integrated school in Sitio Mainit and Hawanay within the school premises. He wanted to ensure that the completers of Grade 6 can continue their high school education in the same school.

Project orientation and advocacy meetings, September 23-25, 2010 and May 30, 2011 were implemented to clarify and develop shared understanding of Project SMaLL: its goal, focus, priorities and planned initiatives, with various key stakeholder groups and explore areas of collaboration for the successful implementation and sustainability of the project. The participants were school heads, teachers, students, DepEd officials, school community leaders and parents of the pilot small schools. Through this consultation, the deliverables and commitments of the project were firmed-up.

To address the issue on hardship allowance for teachers, the Center sought advice from DepEd Central Office on the policy in the issuance of hardship allowance for multigrade teachers and notified the Regional Coordinator on Multigrade Instruction for guidance and follow-up with the Schools Division.

Training Programs Conducted

A training program on the Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers (IMPACT) Learning System was participated in by 8 multigrade schools including Hawanay and Mainit ES wherein 29 teachers were trained on September 24-October 1, 2011. This 6-day training aimed to appraise and build on the skills of multigrade teachers and school heads in implementing the IMPACT System in their respective schools. It involved lecture-discussion, simulation and actual demonstration exercise. Observation of actual classroom demonstration with the pupils at the Mainit Elementary School highlighted the activity.

Training on Collaborative Management of Small Schools was conducted on May 30 to June 3, 2011 for 36 participants including school principals, teachers, parents, community representatives and barangay officials. This training aimed to accelerate adaptation and/or integration of best practices on community/village engagement and multi-stakeholder partnerships for participatory, collaborative governance and effective management of small schools. The expected gain is to enhance the School Improvement Plan of the small schools.

On-Line Mentoring and Coaching Sessions. An on-line forum was set up using SEAMEO INNOTECH’s online/i-FLEX learning management system for Project SMaLL participants to keep them updated on the status of action plan implementation and to share learnings and insights from actual field experiences. Guide questions for reflection were uploaded with online forum. Reflections from participants were likewise gathered thru online forum.


Monitoring of Project SMaLL

To determine the extent of action plan implementation and to document best practices in managing small schools using the IMPACT Learning System, SEAMEO INNOTECH gathered information on project status through survey, focus group discussion and sharing of knowledge and experience after the training on collaborative management of small schools. The school visits were held on August 15-17, 2011 and August 22-24, 2012.

Operationalizing the IMPACT Learning System in Small Schools in Cebu, Philippines

Project SMALL supported the adaptation of the IMPACT (Instructional Management by Parents, Communities, and Teachers) technology where parents, teachers, and community members collaborate to provide children quality education at less cost. IMPACT was developed to address the high student population and dropout rates. IMPACT learning materials are based on the national curricula of the DepEd. IMPACT institutes multigrade instruction as a pedagogical strategy involving older students (grade six) guiding younger students (grade one) supported by programmed instruction, peer learning, self-instruction and individualized tutorial and remediation. In SY 2012-2013, IMPACT was implemented in 31 elementary schools with 4,932 enrollees (Philippine EFA 2015 Review Report).

The IMPACT Learning System was adopted in two elementary schools in Cebu to strengthen the educational processes in the multigrade learning system with family and community participation. This learning system is a technology-enhanced alternative delivery mode (ADM) for primary schools developed by SEAMEO INNOTECH for DepEd in 1974 with funding support from the International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada.

The IMPACT Learning System was designed to address the pervasive condition of overcrowding in Philippine public schools, as well as the lack of teachers, textbooks and other learning materials. Its input quality threshold is as high as 1:120 teacher-pupil ratio and the high ratio is not a big problem for IMPACT application.

It improves teaching and learning by providing complete learning modules for self-directed learning and to guide students who are trained as programmed teachers. The system, involves parents and the community as itinerant-teachers for a meaningful learning experience in a rural primary school setting. This education innovation model embraces the principles of child-centeredness, inclusive education, community-based learning led by teachers, parents, students and community volunteers serving as facilitators for active, participatory and collaborative lifelong learning.

The IMPACT system includes targeting all types of learners, instructional modes, grouping of pupils according to grades (families) rather than section, instructional supervision, and rating system. The key strategies employed in the implementation of the system are the programmed teaching, peer group learning, individual study, flexible promotion, program and itinerant teachers, and interdisciplinary approach.


Studies have shown that the IMPACT system has consistently demonstrated cost-efficiency (reducing the cost of elementary education by up to 50 percent without sacrificing quality) and has positively contributed to the improvement of instructional quality and pupils’ academic performance (Philippines 2010 MDG Progress Report Cities IMPACT Learning System).

For teaching skills enhancement and to ensure a rich learning exchange among teachers, SEAMEO INNOTECH tapped as resource persons, the IMPACT practitioners from the Culianan Learning Center which had adopted the IMPACT Learning System way back in 1980.

The school heads, teachers, parents and local authorities were convinced that project SmaLL is a good project for their school-community because the benefits of the IMPACT technology in improving the small primary schools in Cebu were explained to them during the orientation and consultation meetings.

6. CHALLENGES & SUCCESSES

The implementation of the IMPACT Learning System in the two pilot schools was faced with a set of issues that needs to be addressed as part of any strategy to improve the effectiveness of small schools in disadvantaged areas in Cebu. These issues are not unique to the small school system but are evident in large schools as well where there has been devolution of decision-making authority and resource management. These issues and concerns are:

Perception that small multigrade schools are second class schools. Due to the physical demands of working in far-flung and hard to reach communities, it had been the practice among the DepEd Schools Division to assign young, oftentimes, newly recruited-less experience teachers to the multigrade schools. It would seem that physical fitness for the assignment is given more consideration than any other qualification. The practice is so prevalent that others consider it as part of being inducted to the teaching profession. Teachers, generally do not stay long in multigrade schools.

Others see assignment to multigrade schools as a phase for getting experience in teaching necessary for promotion. Promotion of performing teachers often meant being transferred to better situated schools. This may have caused the wrong perception that the better teachers are those in bigger schools. The disadvantaged situation of the multigrade schools, their generally poorer performance compared to that of regular schools and the high turn-over rate of teachers contribute to the perception that multigrade schools are second class schools.


Another misconception is that small schools adopting the multigrade system implement a watered-down version of the basic education curriculum that regular schools use. In reality, small schools use the same curriculum even if the strategies multigrade teachers used differ from their counterparts in regular schools. In practice, the same scheme and tests are used for both regular and multigrade schools to assess the performance of students nationwide, such as the national achievement test which measures the students’ mastery in the core learning areas.

Need to further strengthen parental and community involvement. There is a need to encourage more parents who are not totally convinced about the IMPACT Learning System. It is natural for parents to be concerned about how their children are taught. The IMPACT Learning System is very different from what parents know as the traditional way of teaching learners with a professional teacher usually in front of the classroom. Convincing parents of the effectiveness of the system and the benefits the learners gain from the system is not easy. Thus, to enable them to better appreciate and support the program, some volunteer parents were trained on the IMPACT system. Orientation on IMPACT during the advocacy stage was crucial for getting the acceptance and support of parents.

Also, a greater number of parents especially the fathers are busy on their livelihood. Mostly mothers who are plain housewives are the ones free to participate in the school activities. The school needs to capacitate the volunteer parents to enable them to fully understand and promote the IMPACT Learning System to other parents in the barangay. Once they completely understood and personally observed the benefits of programmed teaching and peer group learning and based on the positive feedback of students, they will be encouraged to participate and strongly support the IMPACT.

Insufficient materials, space and facilities, rooms, human resources. A typical problem of newly converted schools to the IMPACT system is how to resolve the lack of adequate learning space to accommodate learners from 6 levels under one instructional supervisor. But this has been remedied by assigning those bigger classrooms in the school to the instructional supervisors. Others use the hallway portion of the classroom for peer-group learning. Small schools usually don’t have big classrooms. But, with the help of local officials, parents and benevolent community members, learning kiosks can be constructed through donations of labor, materials and funds.

Another issue is the lack of school funds to print a complete set of IMPACT materials to ensure that all students will have access of the reading/learning materials. In anticipation of this problem, the Schools Division Office committed to finance and facilitate the printing of the complete set of IMPACT materials. SEAMEO INNOTECH provided the master copy of the videos and learning modules and gave permission for DepEd to reproduce these materials not only for the pilot schools but also to other interested primary schools.


The preparation of supplemental instructional materials is oftentimes considered a burden for teachers because they are obliged to develop these materials and if funds are not available, they will use their own money to purchase the needed supplies. The IMPACT learning modules are usually supported by other instructional materials which are needed by programmed teachers in all subject areas. These materials should be developed by the instructional supervisors ahead of time, usually during summer break.

The pilot schools tried to resolve this issue by tapping the ADM and/or SBM funds which were downloaded from the DepEd regional office to the schools division office. School heads would allocate some amount under the ADM/SBM fund with permission from proper authorities to purchase supplies for use in the preparation of instructional materials (DepEd order No. 53 s. 2011, Policy Guidelines on the utilization of funds for Alternative Delivery Modes in formal basic education and DepEd Oder No. 69, s. 2012, Multi-Year Guideline for School-Based Management Grants (FYs 2011-2013).

The two pilot small schools were the recipients of SBM funds under FY 2011 to ensure continuity of project interventions which will have direct contributions to the improvements of learning performance.

Other fund source came from the barangay council, school alumni and other benevolent members of the community.

Parents and barangay local officials were also invited by the school head for a dialogue on how to raise funds for this matter. They were also convinced to assist in preparing the instructional materials especially those parents and community members with basic graphics skills and arts inclination.

Under the current DepEd leadership of Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro is pushing for the implementation of ADM for all school divisions in the country. However, it will be difficult to scale-up the adoption of IMPACT in all small schools in the country without sufficient funding from the general appropriations of the government and by relying only on external funding organizations.

Learning management. In the IMPACT learning set-up, programmed teachers sometimes can feel bored and weary over their responsibilities. Sustaining the interest and motivation of programmed teachers becomes a challenging task for instructional supervisors. Students who serve as programmed teachers play an important role in the IMPACT Learning System, hence, they should always be inspired and excited to do their tasks of coaching/teaching other learners. There is a need for teachers to closely observe the energy level of the programmed teachers and think of ways to further sustain their interest and willingness to support other students as a learning partner.

Professional development of teachers. Aside from the hardships due to the geographic locations of the school, a multigrade teacher must also teach with limited resources. The teacher must also teach several classes at the same time all the while making sure that all competencies required in the curriculum are covered during the entire school year. Working with minimum and sometimes no supervision at all, the teacher must also take


on the task of representing the school to in community affairs that concerns the education sector. This being the case, the multigrade teacher must be good in multi-tasking to be able to perform the roles of a supervisor under the IMPACT Learning System, teacher-mentor, administrator and an advocate. At present, very few teacher training institutions are able to teach all necessary competencies a MG teacher would need.

Monitoring, accountability and assessment. Foremost among the tasks of the instructional supervisor is to monitor and supervise the learning activities of all learners under one family. The so-called family is composed of learners from levels 1 to 6. It is the responsibility of the teacher assigned as instructional supervisor to ensure the quality of learning that is taking place in a family. If the teacher is not fully aware of the role of instructional supervisor, the IMPACT may not run smoothly and effectively. Thus, to pre-empt this, all teachers of the pilot schools were properly trained on their role particularly in monitoring and assessing students’ performance. Some volunteer resource teachers could help in the learning process, by taking half of the peer-group learners from levels 4 to 6 as a separate family particularly in teaching the core subjects such as English, Science and Math. The instructional supervisor can take charge of monitoring the performance of pupils from levels 1 to 3 (SEAMEO INNOTECH IMPACT Guidebook).

During the orientation and training on IMPACT, the common question raised by teachers was how to comply with DepEd assessment requirement since the IMPACT Learning System is quite different and not integrated in the DepEd system. This issue has been clarified with the fact that a small multigrade school is under DepEd, it has to comply with DepEd’s reporting and assessment systems.

After one year of implementation, most of the school staff, the learners, parents, and other key stakeholders of Hawanay and Mainit Elementary Schools expressed their satisfaction and commitment to sustain the IMPACT system. But, since project SMaLL has been completed after the first monitoring visit, the next challenge is how to ensure equity and sustainability of IMPACT implementation, particularly in Hawanay Elementary School, because the schools division supervisor who is the main champion and project proponent was no longer assigned in the Division Office of Talisay, Cebu.

Passive implementation of IMPACT in small schools (i.e., ningas-cogon attitude). Without a well-planned strategy or blueprint for the adoption and mainstreaming of IMPACT in DepED, this may discourage its full implementation in other small schools. Learning from experience, the previous department orders were apparently ignored in the actual implementation at the field level if there is no clear-cut implementing guidelines for the expansion of IMPACT program or other proven ADMs in small schools. Also, experience shows that school implementers (principals and teachers) would sometimes revert back to their comfort zones especially if there are changes in leadership at different levels.


Leadership at the school and division levels play a crucial role in scaling up the innovation. Acceptance and putting serious efforts for the full implementation of the IMPACT Learning System will make a difference in the move to scale-up. Assigning the right persons will best determine if the IMPACT Learning System is properly mainstreamed and sustained.

The above challenges were somehow addressed along the way of implementing the IMPACT system in Cebu. On a more positive note, the project was able to achieve some pockets of success in small school management through the application of the IMPACT Learning System in the two pilot schools.

Downward trend on drop-out rate in pilot small schools under the e-impact system. Quality education can be attained at almost the same cost as in conventional schools without sacrificing quality as shown in the Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) conducted by SEAMEO INNOTECH in selected IMPACT schools in the country which resulted into PhP 64,328.23 for regular schools and PhP for 60,658.90 (IMPACT schools).

From SY 2008-2009 to SY 2011-2012, there was a downward trend on the drop-out rates in Mainit and Hawanay Elementary Schools, which is almost zero, when the IMPACT Learning System was adopted by the two pilot schools. The common reason for school leavers is transfer of residence outside Barangay Tapul. There was also an upward trend on the completion rate for both schools from SY 2008-2009 to SY 2011-2012 as shown in Table 8:

Table 8: Drop-out and Completion Rates in Project SMaLL Intervention Schools

Drop-out Rate Hawanay ES Mainit ES

SY 2008-2009 5.63% 3.64%

SY 2009-2010 3.4% 0%

SY 2010-2011 0% 0%

SY 2011-2012 0.93% 0%

SY 2015-2016 0%

Completion Rate

SY 2008-2009 - 58.79%

SY 2009-2010 - 70.47%

SY 2010-2011 76.92% -

SY 2011-2012 94.00% -

The existing combination/multigrade system was improved with the introduction of IMPACT system as a teaching and learning strategy and parents’ resistance were addressed. To further improve the teaching and learning system, a modified multigrade system during the 1st semester of SY 2011-2012 was implemented in the 2 pilot schools. Aware of the fact that most parents would prefer the monograde classes over the combination classes, the Schools Division Superintendent suggested that the existing scheme of combination classes will alternately have classroom-based (academic) and practicum/outdoor activities daily. In this scheme, the pupils will have to be in school for half-day only and spend most of the day at home.


At the start, this setup was not favourable to the mothers, as they do not have time to look after their children at home while they are working or doing household chores. To overcome parents’ resistance, the SDS initiated consultation meetings with parents to re-orient them and to level-off on their roles in their children’s education, and to encourage them to venture into family business and/or involve in school community-based projects.

Hawanay Elementary School

Project Small as entry point for the establishment of an integrated school in Hawanay ES. The young and dynamic Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) of Talisay and Carcar Divisions provided clear directives and motivated the school and the community to continuously implement the IMPACT innovation. He visited the school regularly to monitor and assess their progress. The SDS’ primordial mission was to “bring the school where the community is”. To realize this, he planned to establish an integrated pilot school consisting of preparatory, elementary and high school. With potential funding support from the First Congressional District in Cebu, he committed to explore the possibility of introducing the IMPACT and APEX educational technologies in transforming Hawanay ES into an integrated school.

For the envisioned integrated school, the SDS offered the Alternative Learning System

(ALS) and adopted the Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) program for the out-of-school youth and parents who would wish to finish high school education as well.

The SDS stressed to the parents and to the community the importance of resource

sharing to realize their goal. Community resources were tapped (e.g., labor from the parents/community as counterpart) and any non-monetary contributions equivalent to 20-30% of the total project cost to augment the school’s MOOE resources.

Due to geographical isolation and low income, most elementary graduates in Sitio

Hawanay were not able to continue their high school education. Hence, the creation of an integrated school was envisioned by the Schools Division. The creation of an integrated school is already part of the school improvement plan when Project SmaLL was implemented to ensure that the graduates of Hawanay ES will have access to secondary education in their own community. Its establishment was accelerated to strengthen and support the project SMaLL initiatives. The SDS in partnership with the local authorities, parents and other community members was able to establish an integrated school. During the monitoring visit in 2012, the graduates of small school in Sito Hawanay were already enrolled in the Integrated School.


During the monitoring visit of SEAMEO INNOTECH, the SDS proudly announced that the high school department will soon be Wi-Fi ready through the support of GILAS Foundation. Equipped with the right information technology, the schools will be a resource to the community to help create opportunities for food production, self-sufficiency and food security of the wider community. The SDS also vowed to work out the increase of teacher-aid volunteers’ salaries to encourage them to stay in the school-community.

Created strong relationships among school, family and community that provide students with a strong support system for their academic and life skills development.

The SDS of Talisay and Carcar Cities was very interested to explore how SEAMEO

INNOTECH’s Applied Academics for Excellence (APEX) technology could be introduced at the elementary level. He wanted to build the capacities of all Division Supervisors and Subject Coordinators on school-community-management to enable them to provide curricular assistance, train the teachers and provide quality assurance and technical advising to Hawanay and Mainit ES and other multigrade schools.

After the training on IMPACT, most of the parents were coming to school to attend

conferences. The willingness of the parents, teachers, pupils and local government to work together as a team given limited financial resources is very important for the school improvement. The school head reported in 2012, that they had made positive changes slowly and they took pride in what they can do.

Building a learning culture.

The IMPACT Learning System enabled the school to build a learning culture that empowers students to become self-directed learners, take leadership roles and social responsibility for their own future, to build self-confidence, socially sensitive, spontaneous, uninhibited in their expressions, skills in self-study, independent learning, sense of responsibility and commitment, leadership skills, motivation, can communicate well, initiative.

During the 2012 monitoring visit conducted by SEAMEO INNOTECH, the school head

of Hawanay ES reported that he was touched and moved to see their pupils doing their best as Programmed Teachers and Peer Group Leaders. It was fulfilling to see pupils go up front and act as little teachers and seeing in their eyes their willingness to make their peer groups learn. The pupils are more involved in the learning process than before. They come to school excited as to how they are going to deliver their topics.

Empowered teachers make a difference in student learning.

The school head of Hawanay reported during the monitoring visit that her four teachers are doing their best to implement the IMPACT Learning System as well as in making visual aids with the help of some parents.


Both schools in Sitio Hawanay and Mainit are fortunate to have teachers who have positive attitude, relatively young and dedicated to their vocation. When asked if they plan to stick to their schools, most of the teachers expressed their willingness to stay longer even until retirement, for some teachers. They will remain as multigrade/IMPACT teachers especially if they have the competencies required of a multigrade teacher and access to learning materials to facilitate the teaching and learning process.

These multigrade/IMPACT teachers were further motivated as they were finally granted hazard pay by the DepED Regional Office after several years of teaching in disadvantaged schools. The Division Office also provided additional incentive to multigrade/IMPACT teachers.

Improved Teaching and Learning through IMPACT Instructional Modalities.

Students of Hawanay ES had expressed their gratitude to parents and teachers for supporting them in their studies. Majority are generally happy with the IMPACT system and wanted that it will be adopted beyond project life. They truly appreciated the efforts of their parents in providing for their basic needs to keep them in school.

The school head served as the instructional coordinator and teachers acted as

instructional supervisors. They in turn trained the students as programmed teachers and peer group leaders, the parents and community volunteers as resource/itinerant teachers. Likewise testing teachers were assigned to assist in IMPACT implementation. The school and the community adopted the following instructional delivery modalities of IMPACT:

Programmed Teaching Peer Group Learning Contracting Individualized Study or Self-Instruction Transition Learning Learning Through Tutors Itinerant Teachers Basic Skills Practice Skills Training by Community Resource Persons Parental Support as Learning Partners

Provision of Teaching-Learning Materials. In the course of implementing the IMPACT program, SEAMEO INNOTECH provided the complete set of instructional materials to Hawanay ES and trained teachers on how to develop their own instructional materials. The Schools Division Office took the responsibility of the reproduction and printing of all instructional materials to be used by teachers and students, such as: Complete set of the IMPACT Learning System modules Two (2) sets of TCL 29” TV Two (2) units Samsung DVD player Two (2)sets of Education and Livelihood Skills Alliance ELSA Audio lessons (12 discs) Two (2) sets of ELSA Science, Math and English Lessons (27 discs)


The following instructional materials were used for IMPACT programmed teaching and peer-group learning in Hawanay and Mainit ES:

Item Programs under Programmed Teaching of IMPACT Simple Item Program (SIP) Simple Item Program for Groups (SIPG) Reading Item Program (RIP) Reading Item Program for Groups (RIPG) Word Sounding Program for Group (WSPG) Comprehension Item Program for Group (CIPG) Chain Program for Problem Solving Writing Program The Review Game Program (RGP)

Peer-Group Learning (PGL) Contracting Progress Chart

During the project, the pilot schools were using the Content-Based Instruction and the Philippine Elementary Learning Competencies (PELC) among teachers. Teachers were also using big books to stimulate student’s interest for reading.

Improvement in learning environment and resources. Before the project started in 2010, the school had 3 instructional rooms and 3 non-instructional rooms. It had four non-standard classrooms and one sub-standard comfort room for both male and female students and teachers. There is no electricity in the school. An old basketball court in front of the school building serves as children’s playground.

After the project, the school with the help of parents and the local community was able to raise funds to construct new facilities such as multi-purpose hall, stage platform for school assembly and retrofitting of classrooms to accommodate the requirements of IMPACT. They collapsed the individual classrooms to create a bigger learning space for the teaching and learning approach of the IMPACT Learning System. The school and the community acted on their school improvement plan. Together they implemented simple projects using low-cost and recycled materials in collaboration with the parents and the community. They were actively engaged in community mapping; preparing database information charts; construction of improvised handwashing facilities following the GIZ Fit for School model of tippy tap hand washing facility; school vegetable gardening and school ground beautification. They beautified the school by planting flowers and other ornamental plants inside the school.


Improvement in Learner Assessment and Performance:

Enrolment: Based on the school profile, the enrolment rate in Hawanay ES is steadily increasing since the school had formally opened. In SY 2005-2006 the school had 18 students only. After 8 years, the enrolment went up to 114 students (633% increase) for SY 2011-2012. Every year the enrolment rate is increasing at an average of 32.21% in the span of 8 years. There are more male students than female as evidenced by the gender ratio at 1:1.46.

Drop-out: From SY 2006 to 2009 the drop-out rate was 5.63%. In SY 2009-2010 drop-

out rate decreased to 3.4% and eventually declined to zero in SY 2010-2011. Drop-out rate remains to be steadily low (0.93%) for SY 2011-2012.

Completion rate: the school garnered a higher rating of 94% in SY 2011-2012

compared to SY 2010-2011 (76.92%). There was an increase in the cohort survival rate for SY 2011-2012 (88.23%) from SY 2010-2011 (76.92%).

Academic Achievement: For the past three (3) years, the overall National

Achievement Test (NAT) results showed a remarkable increase from 36.90 for SY 2009-2010 to 59.11 for SY 2010-2011 garnering an increase in all five subjects. However, for SY 2011-2012, NAT results dropped to 39.30. NAT findings in SY 2011-2012 revealed that the Filipino subject remains to yield the highest score with a NAT average of 46, followed by Mathematics (41.83). The low ratings were enlisted to Araling Panlipunan (38.68), Science (35.68) and English (34.33).

The School Head had reasoned out that the school performance was influenced by the sudden change in the school which is under the adjustment period of testing the IMPACT Learning System technology and likewise, change in school leadership.

Realizing the School Vision. The Hawanay ES envisioned to produce functionally literate, God-loving, nationalistic, and value-oriented individuals who are equipped with life-long learning skills to make them productive members of the community. The school will attain this vision by providing quality education to all learners for their intellectual, moral and spiritual development through competent, accountable, dedicated and sincere teachers/leaders and cooperative stakeholders in strong partnership with the community. Accountability, respect, commitment and self-worth are the core values of the school.

Beginning 2012, changes were slowly introduced to pave the way for the transformation of the school into an integrated school as envisioned by the school-community. During the school monitoring visit in August 2012, the school newly launched the first year secondary education program with a new school head and a new high school teacher.

Improving Community Participation and Support. The school was actively supported by the Parents, Teachers and Community Association and the Local Government Unit. The school community had long enjoyed the full support of the Barangay Captain (Mr. Jose A. Juarez) who had been serving Barangay Tapul for three terms already.


All the trained parents and local government officials continued to actively support the implementation of the school improvement plan (SIP), which they jointly developed. Having a strong sense of ownership by all stakeholders, all planned deliverables were accomplished by the school through the concerted efforts of the community.

The parents and local officials in particular expressed their willingness and commitment to support the IMPACT program as itinerant teachers. Since Project SMaLL is a community-based project, the Schools Division was closely monitoring the school improvement plan (SIP) under the school based management program of DepEd. Moreover, the School was granted additional resources for IMPACT application using the SBM funds. Thus, the school and community are more inspired and committed to actualize the vision and mission of the school. To encourage poor children to go to school, the parents were engaged in school feeding programs, classroom cleaning, school gardening projects, sports development and other extracurricular activities. Also, a number of families were beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer program of the government. This all the more, made the implementation of IMPACT successful in Hawanay ES.

Mainit Elementary School (Mainit Es)

Improved curriculum instruction. In a similar manner with Hawanay ES, the school head served as the instructional coordinator and teachers acted as instructional supervisors. They in turn trained the students as programmed teachers and peer group leaders, the parents and community volunteers as resource/itinerant teachers. Likewise testing teachers were assigned to assist in IMPACT implementation.

The teachers shared that they developed more patience, and understanding the students from different grade levels with different attitudes because under IMPACT they have to supervise the whole grade levels in one multigrade class. The school and the community adopted the following instructional delivery modalities of IMPACT: Programmed Teaching Peer Group Learning Contracting Individualized Study or Self-Instruction Transition Learning Learning Through Tutors Itinerant Teachers Basic Skills Practice Skills Training by Community Resource Persons Parental Support as Learning Partners


Peer group learning and programmed teaching were highly appreciated by teachers in Mainit ES as it gave the students an opportunity to experience as a teacher. The IMPACT was effective in developing student’s mastery and in generating support of parents providing the additional learning materials needed by their children.

The students and teachers showed their patience, hardwork and acted as models on how to use the IMPACT technology to enhance quality of learning. They considered IMPACT as an effective instructional delivery mode.

Access to more adequate and relevant teaching-learning materials. Students of Mainit Elementary School gave positive comments about their teachers and parents regarding their roles in IMPACT. Majority were happy to see their parents and teachers working together to assist them in their studies using the IMPACT technology and the new learning materials that were given to them. One of the teachers (Ms. Irene Lapinid) was extremely passionate in using the multimedia for the first time. She noted that multimedia could help generate more interaction with the students because they could see the real things in television using the DVD and CDs on science lessons. The multimedia made teaching easier because the teacher doesn’t need much effort to explain the lesson to the pupils because they themselves learned from actively listening, watching and participating in the discussion during and after the video presentation. Use of video is powerful in getting the attention of students because they can picture out clearly the lessons in the IMPACT modules and it is better than imagination, according to Teacher Irene. Teachers realized that there are other options for effective teaching and they should not rely on books, pictures and charts alone.

In the course of implementing the IMPACT Learning System, SEAMEO INNOTECH provided a complete set of instructional materials to Mainit ES. The Schools Division Office took the responsibility of the reproduction and printing of all instructional materials to be used by teachers and students, such as: Complete set of the IMPACT Learning System modules Two (2) sets of TCL 29” TV Two (2) units Samsung DVD player Two (2) sets of Education and Livelihood Skills Alliance ELSA Audio lessons (12 discs) Two (2) sets of ELSA Science, Math and English Lessons (27 discs)

The following instructional materials were used for IMPACT programmed teaching and peer-group learning in Mainit ES:

Item Programs under Programmed Teaching of IMPACT Simple Item Program (SIP) Simple Item Program for Groups (SIPG) Reading Item Program (RIP) Reading Item Program for Groups (RIPG) Word Sounding Program for Group (WSPG) Comprehension Item Program for Group (CIPG) Chain Program for Problem Solving Writing Program The Review Game Program (RGP)


Peer-Group Learning (PGL) Contracting Progress Chart

Renovation of learning environment and resources. The Mainit ES has 5 academic classrooms which they renovated to accommodate the requirements for the eIMPACT education program.

Improving student participation and performance. In SY 2008-2009, the Mainit ES continued to offer primary education for Grades 1 to 5 with a total enrolment of 69 pupils only. Beginning SY 2009-2010, the school opened up the Grade 6 level with 93 students. Within four (4) years, the school has nurtured 85 students at the average per year. The gender ratio is almost equal (1:1.1) but slightly in favour of females. By SY 2010-2011 the school enrolment rose to 92 with 10 drop-outs (Mainit Elementary School Report). After four years, the Mainit Elementary School, has zero drop out as of SY 2014-2015, according to Ms. Imelda Dayondon, the School Principal.

Likewise, the enrolment had improved from 69 to 89 after from SY 2008-2009 to SY 2011-2012 as shown in Table 9 below:

Table 9: Enrolment Data of Mainit ES

SCHOOL YEAR MALE FEMALE TOTAL

2011-2012 44 45 89

2010-2011 42 47 89

2009-2010 41 52 93

2008-2009 34 35 69

Drop-out rate had been reduced from 3.64% to zero from SY 2008-2009 to SY 2010-2011 after 3 years. The completion rate had increased from 58.79% (SY 2008-2009) to 70.47% (SY 2009-2010). One of the teachers commented that her pupils became more responsible in their studies and more confident in their abilities to act as leaders during programmed teaching and peer group learning. Students gained better self-confidence in delivering the tasks assigned to them in programmed teaching and peer group learning. They learned to work independently and teach and learn from others as well. They felt proud for having supportive teachers, parents and LGUs.


Students’ Reactions: It is easier to understand the IMPACT modules because it is sequential, there is

continuity of the lessons, compared to our textbook which is sometimes confusing. Due to programmed teaching, we are no longer shy to stand in front of our classmates. My parents guided me in my studies using the IMPACT modules I knew my teacher has many tasks to do. So, I feel happy to assist my teacher in

teaching my classmates as a programmed teacher; I learned many things in school; My classmates performed better today than in the previous year. They could easily

learn the lessons today; I liked my classmates to teach me. There is fun when my classmate is the one teaching.

Operationalizing the School Vision. The Mainit elementary school’s mission is to provide quality education that is accessible to all and lay the foundation of lifelong learning and service for the common good. This mission supports DepEd’s vision to be globally recognized for good governance and developing a functionally literate and God-loving Filipinos. The school leadership promotes the culture of excellence, integrity and accountability and the values of maka-Diyos, makatao and makabayan.

Since the school is located within the protected areas of Carcar, the Local Water District initiated the development of the hot and cold spring in Sitio Mainit in 2010.

Hence, the SDS encouraged the community to protect the school environment and to harness the community’s potential for eco-tourism industry. The school believed that it would generate jobs, and human resource development is critical to produce home-grown talents, giving balance to job market supply and demand in the community. The SDS envisioned that the students could be trained as tour guides to international and local tourists who will visit the hot and cold spring of Sitio Mainit, in particular. The school hopes to become enterprising green school, once the creativity of students is honed, enabling them to market local produce such as souvenir items/handicrafts and other agricultural by-products. The Division Office provided technical support to transform the small schools into green schools. Through the leadership of SDS Denuyo the school was able to connect with concerned government agencies to help them fulfill this mission from concept preparation, funding approval of the proposed green campus plan and provision of seedling materials. Through the concerted efforts of the school community, new fruit-bearing trees, cash crops and cut-flowers, will be planted and produced within 3 to 5 years. This project is supported by the government through the Guadalupe Upland Agricultural Resource Development Organization (GUARDO). Farmers will be invited to teach students and parents some tips in planting in cooperation with Anislagan Farmers Association (ANISFA). This livelihood project will be implemented as part of the agricultural extension project of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to support the poor families so they can send their children to school with the needed resources.


The Division Supervisor (Dr. Catherine Cabahug) conducted regular monitoring visits to the school and was surprised to see that the school was on the right track in implementing the IMPACT Learning System based on what was planned. The regular visit of the Division kept the school alive in improving the instructional process using IMPACT.

More committed teachers. The teachers of Mainit ES are relatively young and dynamic. In SY 2009-2010, one of the new regular teachers (Rosalyn Embalzado) had been teaching for two (2) weeks only. Like a rite of passage, the newly hired teachers are usually assigned to far-flung and remote schools. The other teacher (Irene Lapinid) had been teaching for 2 years and the third teacher (Sheila Bigno) had 4 year of teaching experience. The school principal had the longest teaching experience of 8 years in elementary level (Mainit ES school profile, 2011).

After several years of service, most teachers who were assigned in remote areas would request for a transfer to a town proper and are replaced by another newly hired teacher. But, it was observed that during the time of visit to Mainit ES, these young teachers were so dedicated that nobody has aspired to move to a more accessible town proper. Having a good road on the way to school could be one of the reasons as teachers can commute with ease compared to Hawanay ES where teachers would toil and brave the challenges of walking for hours in dusty rough road, and ride motorcycles (i.e., habal-habal) to reach the school. Another thing is the support given by DepEd from specialized training, hazard pay, to additional operating expenses.

These teachers decided to stay in a disadvantaged school to teach the underserved children who deserve it. In solidarity with the poor, they immerse, live, eat and guide the parents and the community. Acting as community organizers, they learn to embrace the poor kids and their families that were entrusted to them. They provide hope to seemingly hopeless rural communities and they represent the government in providing basic services to marginalized communities.

Improved parent/community engagement. The parents were fully supportive of IMPACT implementation in the school. They provided assistance in launching the IMPACT Learning System after the orientation and training on small schools management. The school kept on motivating them so that the parents will continue to participate in the academic program using the IMPACT Learning System. The parents were better motivated when their efforts were recognized by the school during brigada eskwela, supplementary feeding.

Prior to the implementation of IMPACT, the school had no electricity, but the local government officials prioritized the installation of electricity and provided other school facilities. The presence of the barangay officials during school assemblies, and PTCA meetings truly inspired the educators, parents, and students when they gave inspirational messages. The LGU’s presence in school activities and financial support encouraged more parents and other stakeholders to support the school.


In SY 2011, the parents were given seeds for vegetable farming in school for planting carrots, pomelo, monggo and patola. To sustain this livelihood program, the school prepared a proposal amounting to 20,000 for endorsement of the Education Committee to be charged against the 10% internal revenue allotment for Sangguniang Kabataan (SK).

The school is optimistic that the local government will pursue its partnership with the private sector in developing income-generating projects for the community. This involves the construction of zip line, zoo/animal park and cave preservation/renovation within the planned development of an eco-park in Sitio Mainit.

Improved technical support from the Regional & Division Offices

The regional leadership was instrumental in pursuing greater access and quality education in Region VII.

Dr. Woodrow Denuyo, the incumbent SDS of Carcar and Talisay City Divisions was very supportive and determined to implement IMPACT and other innovations and other possibilities to improve the performance of small multigrade schools under his jurisdiction.

The monitoring visit and technical support of the Public School District Supervisor or

Education Supervisor to small schools located in disadvantaged areas became more frequent as a result of the project. The monitoring of action plans gave an opportunity for some DepEd Supervisors to visit the remote schools. For some, it was their first time to visit a remote school and, this is due to bad roads especially in Hawanay ES.

DepEd Region VII was optimistic to address the issues, concerns, and challenges and

to come up with workable strategies for the betterment of small schools. Planning for activities that help solve the existing problems and organizing the key personalities to man the different committees are of paramount importance. With the support of the region, small schools felt more confident in applying what they learned in managing their schools, particularly in shifting from traditional teaching and learning approaches to the IMPACT learning strategies. The trained teachers can now serve all schools aged children in their communities and the immediate changes in schools are within reach.

7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CASE EXPERIENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES After a year of implementation, the Mainit ES and Hawanay ES had experienced pockets of success which were culled out from consultation meetings, training results, focus group discussions, and monitoring visits conducted in the 2 pilot schools. There are promising practices in small schools management that are unique ways of improving education services for small primary schools in disadvantaged areas. Most practices are simple in scope and don’t have extensive costs associated with them. They enable students to experience positive learning experience firsthand, as well as enrich their


lives and the lives of others. Each winning practice of the IMPACT Learning System strengthens the capacity of small schools on relationship building, school based management, mentoring through programmed teaching and peer group learning, service learning, or integration of special/life skills with academics through the assistance of para-teachers (itinerant teachers/resource persons from the community), among others. Based on the implementation experience in the two pilot schools in Cebu, there are promising practices on small schools management that other schools in Cebu and in the Philippines at large can learn from and adopt particularly in the following areas: a. Managing Small Schools through School-Based Management

Much of the functions or workload associated with SBM does not vary with the size of the school. For example, mobilizing resources would require the same process whether it is for a school with 80 students or 1500 students. Larger schools have larger numbers of administrative staff to handle the workloads that are associated with SBM functions now devolved to schools. Small primary schools particularly struggle with SBM workloads since they have smaller number of school staff which is determined on the basis of enrolments. These small primary schools have generally one school principal and/or head teacher and 2 to 3 teachers only (sometimes part-time as volunteers), or the same number of staff that they had before the IMPACT Learning System was implemented. While the head-teacher may have had an upgrade in their classification level, that does not necessarily amount to a capacity for increased workload. During the IMPACT training, there was a degree of anxiety among the school heads and teachers about their inability to handle the program completely and about the activities that are not attended to as a consequence. But through the support and regular monitoring visits of the regional and division offices, the school heads were able to overcome the anxiety about SBM demands on small schools. To establish the link between school-based management of resources and improved management of small schools, there did appear to be some evidence that SBM enabled the principals of Hawanay and Mainit Elementary School to modify pedagogy using IMPACT as a model to better address student learning needs, which, in turn was likely to lead to improved student learning. The efforts of the schools heads of Hawanay ES and Mainit ES in managing the IMPACT Learning System were highly recognized by the school-community. They exhibited confidence in implementing a new program which is a 180 degree turn from what they used to do. They were greatly inspired by their mentors from other schools in Libmanan Camarines Sur and Culianan, Zamboanga City, although it is quite difficult at the start, the school heads were happy to continue the program as they see positive change in students’ learning outcomes. The school leaders were open to change and willing to invest their time, talent and resources to effectively and efficiently implement the IMPACT Learning System.


The school heads were both motivated and competent to implement the program because they were properly trained by IMPACT experts and practitioners and they had the full support from the Division Office, parents and other members of the community. They were able to apply their skills in engaging the community and able to convince the teachers, students, parents, local leaders and other members of the community to work towards a common goal of improving student’s learning using the IMPACT Learning System which according to the school heads, has revamped the elementary curriculum, instruction and assessment. Motivation, dedication, persistence, and passion to push for innovation and change by the school heads, teachers, students, and parents and local leaders and division superintendent/supervisors made the difference in these small schools. Tha Hawanay ES was able to make a smooth transition in terms of school leadership because of clearly defined roles, responsibilities and accountabilities and community acceptance and support to the new leadership. The IMPACT implementation was properly endorsed to and supported by the new school head after receiving adequate orientation and feedback about this program. Before the project intervention, educators claim that education is their sole business. They believe that the single most important school-based factor in a child’s education is the quality of teacher. But, with the IMPACT infusion in the instructional process, the pilot schools had realized that other individuals and institutions have equal and important roles to play that can help improve the quality of education and quality of life of the students. The parents, teachers and local officials from both schools were generally satisfied on the way the school manages the new learning process as reflected in the academic performance of individual learners after only more than a year of IMPACT implementation. The continuing support of parents and the community in the renovation of school facilities to suit the physical requirements of the IMPACT system, technical assistance in the new learning process and financial support to create a better learning environment had shown how SBM in action, propels the innovation in the two pilot schools. The cooperation and regular feedbacking with the stakeholders on the status of program activities bring more synergy to the IMPACT activities and other support programs undertaken in the pilot schools. Moreover, all teachers of Mainit and Hawanay ES in particular are committed to continue the IMPACT program even beyond its project life.

b. Classroom management The two pilot schools were able to pass the most difficult part of the IMPACT Learning System which is to ensure a very organized and participatory management of classrooms with at least 6 simultaneous activities taking place in each group having 6 to 10 members each. The “family” concept in each group nurtures a sense of belonginess and respect among the pupils. The role of programmed teachers and peer group leaders or the so-called little teachers, greatly contributes in organizing and managing the simultaneous activities.


The role of the teacher is to orchestrate all activities way ahead of the scheduled activity. Thus, it will take a lot of patience, commitment and innovation of a teacher to prepare in advance and facilitate simultaneous activities. The teacher’s role is transformed from being a source of knowledge to that of a multi-skilled learning facilitator, serving as coach to the programmed teachers and peer group leaders and a graphics artist when it is time to prepare for the audio-video materials to be used by programmed teachers and peer group leaders. They become reflective teachers when they reinforce and synthesize the learning outputs at the end of activities and assess new ways to better improve the learning process at the end of each class. They served as curriculum planners when they organize, prepare and innovate for the next learning activities. Also, as homeroom advisers, they have to discuss issues with pupils and their parents and provide tutorial services to those in need under a learning agreement with the concerned pupil and parents

c. Access to quality education One of the positive results of adopting the IMPACT Learning System in small schools in Cebu is the gradual decrease in drop-out incidence. This was made possible through the provision of modules to students who cannot go to school for a longer period due to valid reasons but are given access to undergo self-study. The teachers, school head and per group members will find time to check the learner’s progress in completing the assigned modules and assist in their self-study until such time that they are ready to return school. As shared by the students and parents, the learning modules of IMPACT are easy to understand, reader-friendly and easy to follow. As such, learning is easy, fun and faster under the IMPACT Learning System. The system allows pupils to learn at their own pace. A pupil who completes a module ahead of others advances to the next module. Thus, some pupils may finish all the modules on/or before the 6th year while the slow learners may be able to complete them in more than 6 years. Since the peer group learning and tutorial services are ingrained in the IMPACT Learning System, teachers and peers can coach the slow learners to enable them to complete the required competencies in each module.

d. Building school-community partnerships At the onset of Project SMaLL, a series of consultations were conducted with the school division officials, school heads, teachers, parents and the local government officials to orient them about the adaptation of IMPACT to improve the quality of elementary education in Cebu. Confidence building requires a certain degree of transparency and respect so that collaborative efforts maybe forged in the interest of learners. After the orientation, all key stakeholders had agreed to adopt the IMPACT technology in the pilot schools and eventually expand it to other small schools in Cebu after the project. In the absence of a legal document, a word of honor or pledge of commitment by the stakeholders was enough to bind the agreement to implement the IMPACT system in pilot schools and other partner schools in Cebu.


“The proof of the pudding is in the eating”- true to this statement, the commitment of the stakeholders to support the pilot schools were evident as they contributed in the renovation and improvement of school facilities and learning environment to support the IMPACT program. The Hawanay Barangay Council for instance is a long-time partner of the school because the barangay captain incidentally has been re-elected several times and one of the councilors is the husband of the school head of Hawanay ES. The council regularly allots a fixed amount to contribute to the various needs of the school and assists the school in mobilizing additional resources in the form of labor, materials and financial contributions from other development partners. Any improvement that is visible through regular monitoring visits, meetings and assemblies where the school projects and accomplishments are being discussed, will help motivate the other stakeholders to contribute and to rally support for the small school. The pilot schools were able to mobilize community resources with persistence and continued collaboration with the PTA, local government units and the community at large. Most noteworthy is the social marketing skills of school heads and teachers which enable them to convince and gain the support of the parents and local authorities. They were able to articulate and clearly explain the IMPACT system and its benefits in improving learning outcomes. Even with the changes in school and barangay leadership, the school was able to transition because there was proper turnover of responsibilities and endorsement of on-going projects to be sustained. The barangay officials were visible in major school activities to show support and regularly extend financial support to the schools from their internal revenue allotment including provision of labor and materials in the construction, repair and maintenance of school facilities and, in accessing additional resources from other sources of assistance within and outside the community (i.e., from municipal, and provincial levels). The school communities and LGUs were, in varying degrees, supportive of the school activities. True to its name (Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers), parents and other community stakeholders, such as the barangay officials, actively participate in the learning process by assisting in the different sessions and provide support in coming up with the necessary educational inputs such as the construction of kiosks, shelves for the modules, teaching aides and other minor infrastructure needs. Community specialists or experts are also occasionally invited to share their knowledge during learning sessions. For example, cooking and livelihood are taught by parents, carpenters and other community resource persons. The parents and teachers’ association (PTA), when fully motivated, is a rich-source of labor and materials when fully informed, engaged and mobilized. They are active players in transforming a conducive learning environment for the pupils and contribute to the physical improvement of the school. They even provide and maintain some of the school facilities such as cleaning and beautification of school gardens and classrooms.


Parents were oriented on their roles as co-teachers/mentors of their children. They were trained as special/itinerant teachers. Some parents (primary incompleters) who were attending the daily class were also learning by participating in the multigrade classes. Teacher Sheila requested the PTA to encourage and support their children to participate in quiz bee contest, other co-curricular and sports activities such as volleyball games. The key to the continued collaborative activities is accountability of the resources provided by the community to the school. Transparency and accounting for all contributions remain to be the motivating factors for continued assistance of parents and other partners.

e. Learner-centered and self-directed learning strategies are key factors for effective learning During the school monitoring visits conducted by SEAMEO INNOTECH, students are generally observed to have higher level of cognitive and socio-economical skills compared with their performance before the project began. Students interviewed are more socially sensitive, spontaneous, and uninhibited in their activities and expressions. They communicate well with their groups, teachers, parents and visitors; and are more responsible, committed and exhibit leadership skills. The Hawanay and Mainit ES adopted the programmed teaching and the peer group learning methods. Both Hawanay and Mainit ES have benefited from the project, particularly in the printing of IMPACT learning modules and teacher-training on small schools management and IMPACT program implementation. In terms of academic results, both schools reported that their elementary graduates are performing well in high school. Indeed, IMPACT has contributed to the improvement of instructional quality and pupils’ academic performance. Students are generally reported to consistently achieve higher level of cognitive skills compared with students in conventional schools; more socially sensitive, spontaneous, and uninhibited in their activities and expressions; communicate well with their groups, teachers, parents and visitors; and be more responsible, committed and exhibit leadership skills. Other behavioral changes among pupils were observed by teachers and parents such as:

demonstrated sense of fulfilment and pride

feeling of acceptance and belongingness

higher morale and driving force to achieve more

showed leadership skills, interest to learn, self-directed

more-behaved and disciplined


f. Creating a Positive School Climate (Leadership, Relationships/Roles of Teachers, Parents, Students, Local Community) Through the application of the IMPACT Learning System, teachers reported they felt better equipped in multi-grade instruction using the IMPACT methodologies and students were trained on instructional leadership as programmed teachers and peer group leaders. School teachers had a feeling of satisfaction and sense of pride as supervisors of the learning process. They realized the integral role of parents and stakeholders as indispensable factors in education. They were able to establish harmonious working relationship with the stakeholders. It is easier to teach due to minimized writing of lengthy lesson plans which gave more to focus on actual teaching and learning process. The parents and the community were actively involved in the delivery of lessons as itinerant and resource persons. They fully supported IMPACT implementation and other school improvement projects. They also achieved a sense of pride and fulfilment to see their children as little teachers and peer group leaders. They felt strong ownership in the education projects they showed care and concern for the safety and well-being of the school. The foremost desire of parents was to improve the academic performance of their children, and they see it happening under the IMPACT Learning System.

g) Pursuing Plans for School Improvement The desire for continuous improvement has motivated the Mainit ES to request the LGU Sangguniang Bayan (through the education board official) to allocate funds for the construction of the school’s perimeter fence for security reasons. The perimeter fence will prevent outsiders to vandalize the school. The school also planned to create art projects such as graffiti, school garden filled with flowers and other ornamental plants to enhance the fence and façade of the school.

h) Managing the Learning Environment (School Facilities and Resources) The schools built make-shift learning kiosks for peer group learning sessions and maintained a 1:1 pupil-module ratio. Classrooms were renovated to become MG structured or MG friendly. The Schools Division Office supported the renovation of classrooms to create a larger space for students attending parallel sessions. The classroom was redesigned by removing the walls that divide the sections or grade levels. Practically, all grade levels have to occupy a single room that is wide enough to accommodate all enrolees and good enough for effective supervision by the class teacher-facilitator. The two pilot schools were given initial funds by SEAMEO INNOTECH to build some make-shift learning kiosks outside the classroom for peer group learning sessions. The makeshifts are made of indigenous construction materials that can easily be replicated in case additional makeshifts are needed in the future. The materials are commonly solicited from the parents and the local partners.


Schools were given complete set of IMPACT learning materials per student and video materials, TV set and DVD player and digital camera for teaching. SEAMEO INNOTECH donated the master electronic copies of the IMPACT learning modules and materials for the reproduction. Other resources being used by teachers are the big books to stimulate student’s interest for reading. Using the school funds from the MOOE, and LGU, the pilot schools were able to reproduce the voluminous IMPACT learning modules and materials that are needed to achieve a 1:1 pupil-module ratio.

Recommendations to Further Improve and Mainstream the IMPACT Program The recommendations to sustain the innovations in small schools in Cebu and in other schools division in the Philippines are set out below. These recommendations focus upon consolidating the achievements so far made and improving the level of DepEd support and advice to schools. The recommendations are proposed as a means of better meeting the objectives set for improving learning outcomes for small school learners: 1) Expanding the Role of School Principals

With the institutionalization of SBM in DepEd, the role of principals has expanded exponentially to enhance their educational leadership responsibilities. Under the IMPACT Learning System, the school heads performs other roles such as instructional coordinator of activities relevant to curriculum, teaching, learning, student welfare, and supporting students with special needs. He also serves as a resource manager to administer the complexities of school finances and resource accessing. As functions are increasingly devolved in SBM, the role of principals will have to include critical roles in school performance such as being: an expert relationship-builder and skilled resource manager.

2) Engaging the Parents and Local School Board (LSB) Parents and the community have a critical role now that schools are being increasingly responsible for the management of school-community projects and budgets. Through IMPACT powered by SBM, they need to have more meaningful and empowering decision making in school governance. The Local School Boards were not significantly involved during the capacity-building on small schools management and IMPACT training. However, during the consultation meetings and school-community assemblies, the local school board showed up together with the municipal mayors. Based on interviews on the role of local school board in public schools, it showed that school councils have lesser involvement on school management policies and practices, staffing policies and practices and school-community relations than principals. This is despite a high degree of devolution and SBM having been in place in the Philippine education system for many years. School board involvement in decision-making should go beyond their legislative responsibilities for school budget appropriation, priority setting, and monitoring resources or performance.


Also, parental contribution to education decision-making should be strengthened. More parents should be oriented, trained and engaged in IMPACT implementation and other school development/improvement projects.

3) Creating Strong Support-Systems The School Divisions of Talisay and Carcar were very supportive of the IMPACT program because they are quite open to innovation and very much willing to invest in new programs that would bring the school closer to the community. It is recommended that there’s a need to recognize the exemplary performances of Programmed Teachers (PTs) and Peer Group Leaders (PGLs) at the end of the school year to encourage improvements in their learning activities. Other PTs and PGLs may observe best performing peers to learn how best to deliver the learning activities, to share better ways to deliver the lessons and to help other PTs and PGLs to perform better through peer mentoring. In this way camaraderie, and cooperation will enhance their relationships as learning partners. Those pupils who are doing home study may be encouraged to do self-study if support from peers, family members and teachers are available. Other support systems are necessary to encourage the pupils particularly those who are in difficult situations to remain in schools and to complete the modules together with other pupils.

4) Building on Current Structures The IMPACT Learning System is recognized and fully supported by DepEd Schools Division as one of the best practices in improving elementary education that resulted in training of all teachers from small schools in Talisay and Carcar Divisions. The implementation of IMPACT in Cebu utilized the current structure as required by DepEd. The Division Offices became more consistent in monitoring and supervising the development programs in small schools. The visits are done to ensure that the innovations and agreements are being followed as planned. At the school level, the current structure need not be altered but the roles of educators and administrators could be modified to conform to the requirements of the innovation. The school head aside from managing the entire school could be designated as instructional coordinator or resource manager. The teacher’s role could be renamed as learning facilitator thus a teacher could be designated as instructional supervisor or resource coordinator (who oversees the entire learning process in a ‘family” and facilitates the processing and acquisition of knowledge on specific-subject areas with the pupils). Alternately a teacher can also be assigned as a testing coordinator and itinerant teacher. Building on current structures and performing variety of roles are some practices of IMPACT which are practical and easy to adapt as this will not affect DepEd’s current bureaucratic structure.


5) Promoting Inclusive Practices for Disadvantaged Children DepEd is intensifying its efforts to complete its EFA target to attain universal basic education by 2015. It is for this reason that all effective and proven alternative delivery modes that promotes inclusive education need to be reviewed, enhanced and upscaled by DepEd. Using the IMPACT learning approach, multigrade education in small schools was further improved to promote inclusive education. With capacity building intervention, the school with the help of parents and other members of the community has the ability to support and develop inclusive quality education for marginalized and disadvantaged children. More disadvantaged learners in the Philippines are benefitting from the evidence-based practices under the IMPACT Learning System. Thus, it is recommended that all Division Offices should be trained on the following key strategies:

Programmed Teaching – a parent or an elderly pupil who have already mastered the basic literacy and numeracy skills by following a pre-arranged lesson served as a learning facilitator or a little pupil-teacher

Peer Group Learning – fast learners from Grade IV to VI classes are trained to lead a lower grade level

Itinerant Teaching –locally funder teachers are employed for their special skills, training and expertise such as: music, agriculture and the like

Resource teachers/special mentors – selected residents of the community which can be a parent or an ALS student (trained out-of school youth) who have special skills, training and expertise are tapped by the school to teach life skills to enrich some learning areas on Home Economics, Industrial Arts, Elementary Agriculture, Music, Arts and Physical Education.

Alignment of IMPACT modules and multi-media resources with the enhanced basic elementary curriculum under the K-12 framework – modules that are aligned with the existing basic education curriculum of DepEd and the use of relevant multi-media resources developed by SEAMEO INNOTECH are provided to all learners, teachers, parents, itinerant teachers and resource persons. These modules are very useful for students with difficulties and would need home-based schooling in case they cannot go to school due to physical impediments.

6) Continuing Capacity-Building Educators and school administrators may move in and out of school in the form or resignations, transfers, promotions and retirements. Just like what happened to Hawanay ES, which is a satellite school of Tapul ES. In the middle of Project SMaLL implementation, a new school head (full-fledged) was assigned to Hawanay ES because the former officer-in-charge has to return to a regular school in Barangay Tapul. Following the existing pre-service and in-service training programs of DepEd, the new school head is expected to be trained on his new assignment and expectations. But, these capacity-building programs are focussed on the general competencies required for school heads.


Small schools that are adopting the IMPACT Learning System will need additional sets of competencies to be able to absorb, adjust and manage the school. DepEd’s human resource development programs should be able to anticipate the new and emerging competencies needed by school staff from small schools in particular. SEAMEO INNOTECH had provided the basic competencies in improving small schools through the integration of the IMPACT program. But, DepEd should be able to support the continuing development needs and innovations of school heads and teachers who are adopting alternative delivery modes. Below are the priority areas for further training and development:

Resource Management Skills. To address the difficulties experienced by newly promoted principals in understanding the historical budget expenditure in their school, and developing their first budget for the school, it is recommended that new principals be trained in resource management and budgeting at the time of preparation of their first budget in the new school and that they be further supported with a mentoring program for at least their first year as a principal.

SBM training for aspiring school heads. Consideration should be given to making training in SBM mandatory for aspiring principals. Such training would emphasise the links between educational outcomes, educational decision-making and resource management and include tendering and managing contracts, asset management, financial management, building relationships with school boards and overall school management.

Training for Local School Boards. To improve the effectiveness of the local school board operation, it is recommended that training for school boards be provided, reviewed and supplemented by coaching. Priority should be given to ensuring school boards at their initial meetings fully understand their responsibilities and relationship to the principal, parents and community.

Regular training for school heads and teachers on ADMs and other relevant programs for disadvantaged communities. To respond to the expressed need for training and in recognition of the high-turnover in principals and school teachers in remote schools, it is recommended that: Training be developed and/or upgraded and regularly scheduled for principals in SBM, including building relationships with school boards and other stakeholders, basic financial and asset management, contract management, and other core competency requirements for a successful school head in the 21st century.

Training be developed and/or upgraded and regularly scheduled for school teachers who served as instructional supervisor under the IMPACT Learning System, for instance: in priority setting and managing competing priorities, project management as a tool for planning and time management, people management (mentoring peer group leaders, itinerant teachers and programmed teachers), instructional materials development, and other basic competency requirements for 21st century teachers.


DepEd needs to allocate funds for training the school heads and teachers of small schools to further improve the processes and localize the IMPACT program.

Enhance training design Provide more inputs on change management and new tools on how parents can

assist their children in homework/take home assignments; Train school heads as change managers; Raise levels of advocacy and social mobilization being undertaken by the local

government officials and parents; Include motivational support for school principals to take more time in engaging

the community to take active role in education management.

7) Sustainability Measures a. Education leaders have the innermost desire to make their schools better but they

have to:

learn how to improve policy and practice

investigate how 21st century learning skills could revolutionize student’s school experience

examine how to implement new research findings about small schools management

seek ways to attract and retain the best teachers in their districts, and

optimistically and enthusiastically look at what they could do in and outside classrooms to improve

b. Action plans to strengthen school, family and community relationships should be monitored and revisited for iterative planning purposes.

c. The online mentoring for small schools cannot be sustained if the school don’t have

computer facilities. The school teachers and administrators have to go to the nearest internet cafe and/or use their personal computers and internet facilities. For consistent monitoring the ASDS and Division Supervisors should regularly visit the pilot schools.

d. Strengthen/stretch possibilities for social networking to help the poor school-

communities get international funding support from cause-oriented groups e.g., business communities, alumni association, Bill Gates Foundation, among others.

e. SEAMEO INNOTECH may consider the small schools in Cebu as part of its adopted

schools for resource sharing e.g., available learning materials, used laptop/desk top computers, printers, etc.

f. The Regional office may need to conduct an evaluation of the benefits of IMPACT and

its effect in improving the learning achievement of pupils based on the monitoring results to be conducted by the Division Office. This will help inform the decision to scale up and expand the implementation of IMPACT to other schools in Cebu province.


8) Improve Policy and Financial Support

On July 31, 2011, DepEd had officially acknowledged the adoption of IMPACT as of the ADMs and provided funds for the training of regional and division champions and master trainers and teachers, reproduction of modules and other learning materials, and monitoring and evaluation (DepEd Order No. 53 s. 2011). By virtue of this recognition, the IMPACT system could be scaled-up by all Division Offices not only in Cebu but in all provinces of the country that pass the set criteria. The pilot schools in Cebu maybe tapped as resource persons in the IMPACT orientation and training of all school heads of small schools in Cebu if resources for capacity-building are available at the regional and division office. The Talisay and Carcar Divisions in Cebu for instance can expand the number of small schools to implement the IMPACT Learning System as an ADM. Partnership models and cooperation strategies with other IMPACT implementing schools in the Philippines can be derived from their experiences such as tapping their local counterparts as resource persons and facilitators.

Through the successful experience of the pilot schools, it has been demonstrated that small schools management such as multigrade instruction can be more effective using the IMPACT learning methodologies. The IMPACT Learning System in fact is one possible solution in disaster-affected school-communities to ensure learning continuum during post-disaster recovery. The mainstreaming of IMPACT in basic education as a flexible learning option provides small schools with more handle in providing inclusive and quality education not only during normal school days but even in times of emergencies.

Many remote rural areas, which have similar situations as those with the pilot schools, are ideal settings for implementation of IMPACT in Cebu. The replication in other small schools may vary depending on the quality of educators and administrators; success is likely to be achieved if they have the commitment, motivation and dedication to implement the IMPACT Learning System.

The opportunity for the scale-up of IMPACT as preferred ADM for elementary education cannot be overemphasized with the current implementation of the enhanced Basic Education Act or the K to 12. Under the BESRA and K to 12 frameworks, the institutionalization of the IMPACT program in DepEd can help improve the delivery of inclusive quality education in small schools. The post-2015 EFA agenda also offers another opportunity for funding agencies to support ADMs like IMPACT especially for small schools in underserved areas.

Given the approval of the law for the institutionalization and funding of the ADMs like the OHSP, the IMPACT program needs to be regularly monitored and evaluated by DepEd using the national standards on ADM implementation. The ADM guidelines should be issued by DepEd to make the IMPACT implementation more effective and efficient. To date, a total of 338 public elementary schools are implementing the IMPACT program in the country. This will continue to rise as the implementing guidelines on ADM are well disseminated.


9) Community Advocacy

Strengthen parents and community participation in small schools management through intensified information campaigns and consistent welcoming stance to entice greater participation and support from stakeholders.

Provision of financial and technical assistance to small schools can be better facilitated through public-private partnership as manifested in the 2 pilot schools in Cebu which can be showcased as model schools in the promotion of IMPACT as a viable ADM option not only for big schools but more importantly for small schools in the country.

10) Recognition of Program Partners

Recognize the contributions and support of parents, the community and other partner organizations. Publicly and/or privately acknowledge the work and commitment of partner organizations and express appreciation. There are various forms of recognition which can be given such as: certificates, awards, thank-you letters and/or acknowledgement in newsletters, at meetings, and in the press if available.

11) Professional Development

The efficient operations of small schools which are adopting the IMPACT Learning System is dependent on the presence of trained, motivated, innovative and committed teachers who are willing to go the extra mile to pursue a common goal. School heads and teachers come and go due to professional advancement: promotion, transfer and separation, but with proper turnover of responsibilities and accountabilities and the will to pursue a common objective will ensure the sustenance of the innovation.

School heads and teachers are more likely and able to stay longer in the schools if they are residents of the community or in nearby communities. In this case, they can relate to the actual situation of the locality and can provide extra hours beyond what is required of them. However, it will be difficult for other school heads and teachers if they live in urban or sub-urban areas away from the school. DepEd therefore needs to continuously support the school heads and teachers in small schools so they will be motivated to stay longer in the school regardless of their residency.

Given the multiple tasks of teachers in small schools, and to keep them abreast with the recent trends in instructional technology, they need to be trained on other competencies needed by teachers for the 21st century. School heads and teachers visited have access to mobile phones and laptop computers.

For instance, SEAMEO INNOTECH developed an online course on GURO21. GURO21 (Gearing Up Responsible and Outstanding Teachers in Southeast Asia for the 21st Century) is a menu of flexible learning courses designed to enhance the capabilities of Southeast Asian teachers in addressing the teaching-learning requirements of the 21st century. The courses under the GURO21 program are based on a Competency


Framework for Southeast Asian Teachers developed and validated by teachers, education experts, practitioners, and other stakeholders including the Parents and Teachers Organizations’ representatives from the eleven (11) Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) member states.

Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) need to offer the multigrade pedagogy in the pre-service training for teachers using different alternative delivery modes such as IMPACT for an early appreciation and deeper discussion on the ins and outs of multigrade instruction.

As of SY2015-2016, the net enrolment rate is increasing in both schools, and were able to continuously implement the innovations introduced by Project SMaLL with some modifications to adapt to their existing conditions. The Mainit ES continued to implement the multigrade approach using combination classes and still offers complete grades (Grade 1 to 6). As reported by the school teachers and school principals for SY 2015-2016, both schools are using the IMPACT modules and the ICT equipment provided under Project SMaLL as they find it very relevant to the new K to 12 curriculum.


CHAPTER V: THE MALAYSIAN EXPERIENCE

Sekolah Kabangsaan Sungai Perah

Sekolah Kebangsaan Chenderong Kelubi

Map source: http://go2travelmalaysia.com/tour_malaysia/tour_malaysia.htm

http://go2travelmalaysia.com/tour_malaysia/tour_malaysia.htm


The Orang Asli indigenous people in Malaysia have traditionally lived in isolation. Orang Asli

is a Malay term which means ‘original people’ or ‘first people’. The collective term refers to the 18 ethnic subgroups generally classified (for official purposes) under Negrito (2.7%), Senoi (55.5%), and Proto-Malay (41.8%). Each group has its own language and culture with a total population of 178,197 in 2010 representing only 0.6 per cent of the national population of 28 million. For example, the Senoi group is divided into six sub-ethnic groups namely, Jahut, Chewong, Mah Meri, Semai, Semoq Beri and Temiar (Center for Orang Asli concerns Colin Nicolas, 2012). In terms of the distribution of the Orang Asli settlements, the rural areas have 36.9%, 62.4% in the suburban areas and 0.7% in the urban areas. The socio-economic position of most Orang Asli people still lag behind in many areas, compared to the other races in Malaysia. In view of many cultural, political and economic factors, the Orang Aslis’ have yet to receive quality education and health services that they truly deserve. Since its independence, the government of Malaysia has allocated millions of dollars to improve their living conditions. Various programs have been implemented to raise the educational status of the Orang Asli. Sustaining children’s participation in school has remained a challenge in Malaysia’s poor, remote and ethnic communities. Thus, the Malaysian Education Blueprint (2013-2025), which is mainly forward looking beyond the 2015 EFA, outlines the changes and activities to be implemented focusing on improving access to quality education for children in rural areas, closing achievement gaps, raising standards with more emphasis on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), promoting unity among students, maximizing system efficiency, raising teacher quality and improved infrastructure for schools in rural areas. Moreover, in line with the objectives of Vision 2020, and the New Economic Policy, the government of Malaysia is committed to accelerate the improvement of the socio-economic status of the Orang Asli community in particular while maintaining their cultural identity. To protect the education rights of Orang Asli children, the Ministry of Education launched the Orang Asli Education Transformation Plan 2013-2017. It specifically aimed to improve the education outcomes of the Orang Asli children. In 2014, the Ministry focused on ensuring access to schooling and teacher training for the Orang Asli by expanding the number of K9 model schools, raising awareness on the importance of education within the Orang Asli community and increasing the intake for Orang Asli teacher trainees in the Bachelor of Education programme (Program Ijazah Sarjana Muda Pendidikan, PISMP) at the Institute of Teacher Education (Institut Pendidikan Guru, IPG). To prevent dropouts among indigenous learners, the Malaysian Government has launched programs to improve access, equity and governance issues. One of the programs supported by the Ministry is Project SSMaLL, which is designed to complement the initiatives of the Ministry of Education for the Orang Asli communities.


The main features of the intervention focuses on providing technical assistance to strengthen community support in managing primary schools for Orang Asli children. This Chapter discusses the distinct approaches adopted by the Ministry of Education in Malaysia and their experience in managing Orang Asli schools in the villages of Chenderong Kelubi and Kebangsaan Sungai Perah located in Perak State, Malaysia and the model schools under the Comprehensive K9 Development Program in Pahang State and Lun Bawang in Sarawak. This section will examine the current education status of Orang Aslis based on data collected through consultation meetings, training observations, monitoring activities using in-depth interviews with stakeholders and also secondary sources such as annual reports and newspapers. The study employed document analysis of the existing social and educational policies as well as related programs and activities organized by governmental and non governmental agencies. The information was content analyzed and qualitatively reported.

Results revealed successful practices and challenges in teaching and learning, the impact of amenities and infrastructure provided on teaching and learning, and the role of parents in Orang Asli education. Lastly, several suggestions are presented for the purpose of improving the quality of education management for Orang Asli learners.

1. CHARACTERISTICS OF SMALL SCHOOLS IN MALAYSIA Small schools in Malaysia are best characterized in terms enrolment size, characteristics of pupils, location, class size, quality and quantity of teachers and school administration. Size: A “small” primary school operationally defined in Malaysia refers to under-enrolled schools (UES) having an enrolment of less than 150 pupils from Grades 1 to 6 with two grade levels combined in one class. In 2009, there were 2,443 small schools making up 32% of 7,669 primary schools in the country. In the rural areas of Peninsular Malaysia, there were 94 primary schools, majority of which were Orang Asli schools (Figure 6). Smalls schools exist in Malaysia as a result of the natural development of an area with lower population density, such as those located in geographically remote and isolated areas. These include the indigenous people’s settlements. Another factor contributing to the number of small schools is migration of settlers to urban areas resulting in the loss of students in rural schools. Vernacular schools that existed before independence are maintained to meet demands of ethnic communities.

Pupils: Learners from Orang Asli communities live in interior and inaccessible areas where the ethnic groups Nerito, Senoi and Proto Malay and their subgroups are found.


Figure 6: Distribution of Small Schools in Malaysia (2010)

Location: The majority of Orang Asli live in the rural areas of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. Approximately 36.9% of Orang Asli reside in remote jungle areas, 62.4% in jungle peripheries and about 0.7% in urban areas. The two primary schools selected to participate in Project SMaLL were Orang Asli schools located in Perak State where, next to Pahang State, Orang Asli communities are most concentrated. The schools can be reached through land transportation in less than three hours from MOE, Putrajaya or Kuala Lumpur.

There are no secondary schools that are specifically designated for the Orang Asli students, so the Orang Asli students generally attend schools alongside mainstream students in schools located outside their villages.

Class Size: Small schools consist of less than ten pupils per grade level, thus a combination of two classes is commonly adopted, in which pupils belong to about the same age groups. Schools with incomplete grades commonly implement multigrade instruction.

Teachers: Compared to Lao PDR and the Philippines, there are more teachers and classrooms in small schools in Malaysia. To address the problem related to lack of teachers, the Malaysian Ministry of Education ordered a teacher-student ratio of 1:17 in under-enrolled schools. Since 2008, under-enrolled schools now enjoy an adequate number of teachers to handle each grade; moreover, clerical staff and teaching and learning facilities provided are similar to (or even more than) those found in normal schools (Education Development Master Plan, 2006).


Multigrade teaching as well as co-curricular programs and sociology were part of the pre-service training design for school teachers.

Method of Instruction: Some under-enrolled schools in rural and remote areas in Malaysia had multigrade classes prior to 2008. Currently, a handful of under-enrolled schools that employ multigrade instruction still exist but mainly as a result of lack of classrooms. Many under-enrolled schools that need to have combined classes, combined the second and third years as well as the fourth and fifth years. A few schools still combined classes whenever some teachers were called for meetings or tool courses outside their schools (Source: SEAMEO INNOTECH Quality Indicators of Multigrade Instruction in Southeast Asia, 2012). In multigrade classes, students from different grades are separated and, in each grade, put in groups based on their achievemet levels. Based on the Teacher Training Curriculum for Conducting Multigrade Classes, student-teachers are trained to instruct multigrade classes. In Malaysia, both the multi-grade and monograde classes follow the same curriculum. In such a situation, multi-grade teachers adapt to the curriculum considering the prevailing condition in classes. In that case, teachers make changes in subjects according to difference in skills among various grades in a class. Teaching is done based on diversified skill levels of learners of different grades. On the other hand, general subjects which are common to all learners may be taught at a time. Group based teaching may also be introduced (Source: Unique Intervention for Quality Primary Education UNIQUE II. Retrieved from http://www.ahsaniamission.org.bd/unique/home/briefcontent/89).

Education System: Although education is the responsibility of the federal government through the Ministry of Education, each state and federal territory has an Education Department to co-ordinate educational matters within its territory. The main legislation governing education is the Education Act of 1996. The education system is divided into preschool education, primary education, secondary education, post-secondary education and tertiary education. Primary education is compulsory by law.

Primary education in Malaysia begins at age seven and lasts for six years, a period referred to as Year (Tahun) 1 to 6 (also known as Standard or Darjah 1 to 6). Year 1 to Year 3 are classified as Level One (Tahap Satu) while Year 4 to Year 6 are considered as Level Two (Tahap Dua). Students are promoted to the next year regardless of their academic performance. Before progressing to secondary education, Year 6 pupils sit for the Primary School Achievement Test (Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah, UPSR). The subjects tested are Malay comprehension, written Malay, English, Science and Mathematics (Primary School Education, Malaysia.gov.my).

2. MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES IN ORANG ASLI SCHOOLS

Poverty has been identified as one of the major contributing factors that hinder Orang Asli’s active participation and competition in the mainstream economic, social and political spheres (Nicholas, 2005; Asian Indigenous & Tribal Peoples Network, 2008; Kamarulzaman & Osman, 2008; Abdul Razaq & Zalizan, 2009).

http://www.ahsaniamission.org.bd/unique/home/briefcontent/89

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_federal_territories_of_Malaysia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_education

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_education

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ujian_Pencapaian_Sekolah_Rendah

http://www.malaysia.gov.my/EN/Relevant%20Topics/Education%20and%20Learning/Non%20Citizen/nTheNationalEducationSystem/nPrimaryEducation/Pages/PrimarySchoolEducation.aspx

http://www.malaysia.gov.my/EN/Relevant%20Topics/Education%20and%20Learning/Non%20Citizen/nTheNationalEducationSystem/nPrimaryEducation/Pages/PrimarySchoolEducation.aspx


In early 18th and 19th Centuries, most of the Orang Asli people were kept as slaves. They were treated unfairly and called offensive names, such as “jungle beast’ and “sakai” which means “slave”. They were viewed as a less civilized group, and as an object of intellectual curiosity rather than of administrative interest (Idrus, 2011).

Today, the Orang Asli communities have settled down mostly in Asli Reserved Lands. There are approximately 147,412 Orang Asli people living mainly in Pahang and Perak in West Malaysia (Department of Orang Asli Affairs, 2006). The average life expectancy for Orang Asli is reported to be 53 years, much shorter compared to the national average of 73 years (Rusaslina, 2010).

The main sources of living for Orang Asli people are hunting, farming and fishing. Recently, some have become rubber tappers, independent farmers and laborers (Means, 1999). Although there are other source of income for their families, as reported by Ramlah & Aslina (2013), most Orang Asli parents still depend on forest products such as bamboo, rattan, herbs, fruits and vegetables which they sell. Among the Negrito groups there are a small percentage who are semi-nomadic. Orang Asli people who live in urban areas are engaged in both waged and salaried jobs.

According to the Center for Orang Asli Concerns, the poverty rate among Orang Asli was 76.9% in 2008, and the Malaysia Statistics Department has classified 35.2% of the population as being “hardcore poor”. In view of this, the Malaysian government has worked to continuously develop the quality of its education system to produce ethical and knowledgeable human capital to meet changing demand of globalization and the challenges of its national development agenda (Vision 2020, MoE Malaysia, 2006). Most recently, the Government launched the new blueprint to map its education system, to synergies its aims and contents to the needs of growing nation (2013).

Since 1957, after Malaysia obtained its independence from the British, there have been many government programs that aimed to improve the quality of life for the Orang Asli communities. The government has launched several education policies and programs to raise the educational attainment of Orang Asli communities. The Ministry has also provided greater autonomy for district education offices to resolve all educational issues related to their areas. The Ministry remains committed to protect the education rights of Orang Asli children. Launched in 2013, the Orang Asli Education Transformation Plan 2013 – 2017 is specifically targeted at improving the education outcomes of the Orang Asli children and to address he performance gap between urban and rural schools by increasing enrolment and improving access to education for Orang Asli students.

In 2014, the Ministry focused on ensuring access to schooling and teacher training for the Orang Asli by expanding the number of K9 model schools, raising awareness on the importance of education within the Orang Asli community and increasing the intake for Orang Asli teacher trainees in the Bachelor of Education programme (Program Ijazah Sarjana Muda Pendidikan, PISMP) at the Institute of Teacher Education (Institut Pendidikan Guru, IPG) (Source: Malaysia Education Blueprint Annual Report 2014).


2.1 Supportive and enabling educational policies for Orang Asli

2.1.1. Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 The Malaysian government is committed to fully support the Orang Asli schools not only to reduce drop-out but to ensure that no aboriginal child is precluded from attending any school by reason only of his/her being an aborigine. The government protects the rights of Orang Asli children for quality education and ensures that no aboriginal child attending any school shall be obliged to attend any religious instruction unless there is prior consent of his father, his mother or his guardian (Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954, Malaysia). The Institutions established to support the Orang Asli education programs includes the following:

JHEOA (Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli) renamed to Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (JaKOA) was established to implement a three-tiered educational program aimed at preparing Orang Asli children to enter the national education stream (Asian Indigenous & Tribal Peoples Network, 2008; Kamarulzaman & Osman, 2008).

Orang Asli Foundation

Center for Orang Asli Concerns

Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli Graduates Association

Non-government/private organizations

Private Companies

Managing Orang Asli Education Programs under JHEOA Before 1995, the educational needs of Orang Asli children were the responsibility of the Department of Orang Asli Affairs or JHEOA (Mohamad, F. Investigating the State of Education among Orang Asli Children in 21st Century Malaysia). Education was a key mechanism in the JHEOA campaign to assimilate Orang Asli and to improve their standard of living by giving them new occupational opportunities (Mohd Tap 1990: 257-258, 296 n.26). The program was to supplement, not replace, the national educational system, as a way of compensating for the Orang Asli's isolation from government schools and their lack of familiarity with formal education (Mohd Tap 1990: 259). JHEOA, later renamed as JAKOA, was established to ensure that the Orang Asli communities come into the mainstream of the national economic development. The focus was to upgrade the quality of life of the Orang Asli community through educational programs and other support services such as land development, economic and social development, resettlement, provision of infrastructure and public amenities, training and human development (Nicholas, 2005).


The Department of Orang Asli Affairs ran a three-tiered educational program aimed at preparing Orang Asli children to enter the national education system. It included about eighty schools in remote areas. In 1987, JHEOA maintained 14 hostels in the urban areas to accommodate the Orang Asli children (Mohd Tap 1990: 260). Students who continued after three years of schooling would go to centralized primary schools in larger Orang Asli communities where they could continue schooling through primary six level. Students who passed their exams at the end of sixth grade could go to regular government secondary schools in nearby rural or urban areas (Department of Orang Asli Affairs, JHEOA or JAKOA, 2009). As of date, JAKOA continues to provide financial support to Orang Asli children’s education to alleviate the burden of Orang Asli parents in school finances and their children’s education. The following table shows the financial assistance are given to Orang Asli students (http://www.jakoa.gov.my/en/orang-asli/pendidikan):

Table 10: Financial Assistance for Orang Asli Students, JAKOA

TYPE OF ASSISTANCE ASSISTANCE RATES

Transport Fare (based on location) RM13.10 – RM30.00/day

Secondary School Student Allowance RM2.00 /Student

Food rationing supplies for students in rural schools RM2.00 /Student

Dormitory Personal Needs (toothbrush, bathing soap and others) RM200.00 /Student

Fees and Others (Students that do not receive the KWAMP) RM120.00(Secondary School) RM80.00(Primary School)

School uniforms (Standard 1 and Form 1 only) RM 45.00(boys) RM 46.00(girls)

The requirements for getting financial assistance under the Student Education Encouragement Scheme are listed below:

Applicants are Orang Asli under the Act 134: Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 (amendment 1974).

Parents/guardian income less than RM 2,000.00.

Students who study at Full/Partial Support School only are eligible for this aid.

Orang Asli children also receive financial support if they participate in the following Education Programs:

UPSR, PMR, SPM and STPM Examination Motivation/Excellence Program

Score A Program

Fun Education Program

Study Visits

http://www.jakoa.gov.my/en/orang-asli/pendidikan


However, despite the financial benefits, access to quality educations is still affected because there was not enough supply of Malay teachers who had knowledge or training on the Orang Asli culture and traditions (Asian Indigenous & Tribal Peoples Network, 2008). Managing Orang Asli Schools under the Ministry of Education, Malaysia Due to problems encountered in managing Orang Asli schools, the government decided to turn-over the Orang Asli communities to the Ministry of Education (MOE) Malaysia to provide sufficient educational opportunities for Orang Asli communities. In 1995, the Department of Orang Asli Affairs handed over its educational program for the Orang Asli to the Ministry of Education. Since the MOE has taken over the management of all Orang Asli schools, these schools follow the national curriculum (Tijah & Joseph, 2003; Nicholas, 2005, 2006; Asian Indigenous & Tribal Peoples Network, 2008; Rusaslina, 2010). As of 2013, a total of 93 primary schools that are being managed by the MOE in remote areas have 100% Orang Asli enrolment (Malaysia Education Blueprint Annual Report, 2013).

2.1.2 Malaysian Clusters of Excellence Policy

The government of Malaysia had implemented several educational programs, such as the Clusters of Excellence (CoE) initiative to address the issues surrounding the well-being of Orang Asli especially in eradicating poverty. The CoE was introduced by the Ministry of Education to accelerate excellence in educational institutions through the establishment of school clusters based on their niche in academic, co-curricular and sport activities. This is one of the core strategies in the Malaysian Education Development Master Plan (EDMP) 2006-2010. The CoE Policy upholds that it is imperative to develop different approaches, standards, and performance indicators to help schools characterized by various types of diversity in achieving excellence (MoE Malaysia, 2006). The Policy envisaged the selection of 300 schools within their own categories with clear niche areas, which will then become models of excellence for other schools of the same type. The CoE Policy was implemented in mid-2007 with the naming and inclusion of 30 “excellent” schools into the Clusters of Excellence. To improve their performances in these niche areas, the schools were given some degree of decentralization in the form of guided-autonomy in the areas of school management, human resource management, financial and physical resources management, curriculum management and implementation, and co-curricular management and implementation (MoE Malaysia, 2009).


Guided autonomy allowed the Orang Asli schools to introduce flexible working hours; to hire consultants, external coaches and trainers; to select suppliers; and to offer academic subjects and co-curricular activities not available in other schools. In 2008, before the implementation of the CoE, the dropout rate of Orang Asli children at the primary level was 39.1%. This number has been significantly reduced to 29% in 2010 and to 26% in 2011. However, there are still room for improvement, thus, the MoEM is working on reducing dropout rates to 15% by 2015 (Advancing the Orang Asli through Malaysia’s Clusters of Excellence Policy, Journal of International and Comparative Education, 2012, Volume 1, Issue 2).

2.1.3 Orang Asli Transformation Program On 21 June 2012, the government introduced seven initiatives to raise the educational attainment of Orang Asli as follows: (1) Strengthen administration at the school, district education office, state education department and ministry level; (2) Put elements of basic vocational education in lower secondary schools; (3) Reduce the dropout rate of Orang Asli students by 6 per cent each year; (4) Increase the intake of Orang Asli students for the Bachelor of Teaching Special Program; (5) Improve the infrastructure for Orang Asli education; (6) Strengthen collaboration with strategic partners; and (7) Create a performance detection system for schools and Orang Asli students (The Sun Daily, 21 June 2012). The Orang Asli Education Transformation Program intends to enhance the quality of leadership and management at all levels so that issues and problems of Orang Asli children can be resolved quickly, particularly with regard to reducing or eliminating the dropout rate among Orang Asli children. Basic vocational education was introduced to make education more relevant to Orang Asli children as it is a subject that they may be able to readily relate to. The program also moved to increase the number of Orang Asli teachers, because they are familiar with the culture, tradition and problems of Orang Asli children. Furthermore, they can become role models for the children and guide them to succeed academically. The government allocates US$7 million annually for this program to improve the educational attainment of Orang Asli students (Journal of International and Comparative Education, 2012, Volume 1, Issue 2).

2.1.4 The 2013-2015 Roadmap for Under-enrolled School (Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025)

The 2013-2015 Education Roadmap was formulated by the Government of Malaysia as part of its commitment to work with parents and local stakeholders in determining the future of under-enrolled schools and to scale up efforts to improve educational quality. To create and scale learning


environments that are conducive for all students, the Ministry will facilitate the relocation of schools on a case-by-case basis based on discussions with the local community. The Ministry aims to improve learning outcomes and reduce operating costs at all under-enrolled schools to match the performance of other public schools.

The Roadmap will be undertaken by MOE Malaysia in three waves:

e.1 Wave 1 (2013 to 2015): Implementing Short-term “quick-win”

Improvements. Some enhancement initiatives were implemented to include LINUS 2.0, parent and community engagement toolkits, and infrastructural improvements. The Ministry has rolled out a School Improvement Toolkit that caters to the unique challenges that under-enrolled schools face. The toolkit provides real-life case-studies of successful leadership, administration, lesson delivery, and parent engagement models. Principals and teachers participated in coaching sessions and observation visits to top-performing under-enrolled schools. Tailored teacher training were implemented to provide teachers with the skills necessary to lead multi-grade classes. The Ministry also review the teacher–pupil ratio and ICT innovations on distance learning to ensure that all Orang Asli students have access to the full spectrum of the curriculum.

e.2 Wave 2 (2016 to 2020): Introducing Structural Change. Two options will be made available to communities regarding the future of under-enrolled schools: relocation or maintaining the status quo. Relocated students will have access to scaled-up learning environments, interaction with more diverse peers, and a broader range of co-curricular activities. School relocations may lead to higher transportation costs, student adjustment difficulties, and the loss of community identity. As such, communities can alternatively choose to maintain the status quo and risk not benefitting from the scaled-up benefits available only at larger schools. The PPDs will hold discussions with local stakeholders, parents, and school leadership to arrive at the best possible option/outcome for the community. Should communities opt for relocation and depending on the situation, the Ministry will subsidize the school transportation and provide access to school counsellors for newly relocated students. For communities that choose to maintain their schools, the Ministry will continue the implementation of Wave 1 measures and introduce educational software, teaching aids, and virtual learning environments specifically designed to raise educational outcomes at schools in remote areas.


e.3 Wave 3 (2021 to 2025): Completing Structural Changes. The Ministry will hold regular dialogue with communities with under-enrolled schools. It will regularly evaluate the education outcomes of schools and students relocated during Wave 2 to ensure that any issue that may arise is addressed promptly, in a manner suitable to the situation. For all remaining under-enrolled schools, the Ministry will evaluate the impact of the various Wave 1 and 2 measures, identifying areas for improvement and replicating successful practices.

2.2. Integrated Curriculum for Orang Asli and Penan (KAP)

The Ministry developed the primary school curriculum for Orang Asli and indigenous people (Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah Orang Asli dan Penan - KAP). The KAP curriculum was introduced in 2007 to overcome student absenteeism. The KAP curriculum was introduced in 2013 and reviewed based on the Primary School Standard Curriculum (KSSR). The review resulted in the modification of scope and depth of content, skills, assessment, and teaching andlearnign approaches which taks into account the needs, experiences, environment, and socio-cultural factors affecting Orang Asli and Penan students. After 6 years of KAP implementation in 6 schools, 3 schools have improved by one band (http://www.padu.edu.my). To make the curriculum more responsive to the learning style and culture of the Orang Asli students the MOE and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had planned to incorporate the Orang Asli folklores and legends into the teaching and learning aids (Nadchatram 2007).

The intention of the program is to introduce story-telling techniques in the classroom of Orang Asli students to encourage reading habits and improve their writing skills. In addition, Chupil and Joseph (2003) used music (e.g., songs) as a medium to educate the Orang Asli children and adults, and incorporated issues of land problem, gender and children education in the lyrics. In another study, Gazali et.al., examined the application of drama technique in teaching Bahasa Malaysia in selected primary schools of Orang Asli and discovered that this technique was effective in terms of teaching and learning. A study done by, Johari and Nazri (2007) suggested that experienced teachers and basic facilities are important in improving the academic performance of the Orang Asli students. The KAP special curriculum was developed taking into consideration the context of the Oran Asli surroundings and culture. The curriculum adopts the national basic education curriculum and adapts the delivery mode to the specific individual learning needs of Orang Asli children using the child-friendly school system based on the following four major principles:

http://www.padu.edu.my/


Child-centered means putting children first; the best interest of the child is central to all decision-making in education. Developing a child, family, community-friendly school model is meant to support a dynamic, constantly evolving improvement in overall education quality for Orang Asli children.

Rights-based education stresses that as rights holders, children should have a say in the form and substance of their education, as should those who facilitate their rights.

Inclusiveness promotes access and retention of children from a wide diversity of backgrounds.

Democratic participation provides that children, parents, communities, employers, political leaders and others have a role in determining the structure, content and process of education. This principle promotes ‘negotiation’ of the curriculum by different stakeholders, including children.

Bridging Program There is insufficient financial support to run and sustain the educational bridging program for Orang Asli children. To address the issues, the local government launched a policy to provide education services and integration initiatives for all Orang Asli communities to function with mainstream communities. This involves providing opportunities for equal footing, integrating them with the advanced sectors of the population, and protecting their traditional beliefs (MoE Malaysia, 2006).

2.3. Special Program: The K9 Comprehensive Model School

In response to the high dropout rates and poor scholastic performance among the children from the indigenous population, the MoE has recently developed and implemented an all-inclusive set of strategies to address the barriers for the Orang Asli (from Peninsular Malaysia) and the Penan (from Sabah & Sarawak) to remain in school. The MOE, under the Rural Schools Transformation Plan launched several initiatives to ensure a 100 per cent migration of primary school students in rural areas to secondary schools. One of these initiatives is the establishment of K9 Comprehensive Model School for Orang Asli and Penan indigenous children with extended lower primary education. Usually equipped with residential facilities, the model school provides six years of primary schooling and three years of lower secondary education until Form 3 (Grade 9) in their respective primary school within the vicinity of the indigenous communities. To resolve the issue of transportation, free accommodation is provided either at the school or at other residential places in nearby schools, in so-called hostels. This way the indigenous children will not have to leave their community to continue their secondary education elsewhere. The K9 model school has a single school administrator for both primary and secondary levels (similar to that in an integrated school).


The K9 program aims to increase the participation rate among the indigenous pupils during the transition from the final year of primary school to secondary school. This program is expected to reduce or stop high percentage of school dropouts of indigenous students the majority of whom come from low-income families. The MOE has planned to develop all primary schools in the rural areas of Peninsular Malaysia into K9 schools. In Sarawak, there are 432 rural primary schools and in Sabah, 221. The indigenous schools are geographically classified based on ease of access to the area, level of hardship faced by the people, and infrastructure. Level I is the least difficult while level III is the most difficult.

2.4 Multigrade education in under-enrolled schools To have a common method in implementing multigrade instruction, the Ministry of Education formulated guidelines. One of these guidelines is that a combined class cannot have more than 20 students and that the student’s age in each class should be about the same. Many under-enrolled schools combined the second and third years as well as the fourth and fifth years. A few schools still combine classes whenever some teachers are called for meetings or take courses outside their schools. To date, several small schools in Sabah and Sarawak are combined into a centralised school (e.g., SK Bum-Bum, Sabah and SK Mata Parang, Sarawak). As the Ministry continued to step up its efforts to increase the number and quality of teachers in schools and to ensure that adequate learning facilities exist in each school, the number of multigrade schools in Malaysia is gradually being phased out. Currently, a handful of under-enrolled schools that employ multigrade instruction still exist but mainly only as a result of lack of classrooms.

2.5 Improving literacy, numeracy and English literacy Based on the achievement levels obtain from the Literacy and Numeracy Screening (LINUS) program in 2012 in which the performance was close to 100% for Bahasa Malaysia literacy and numeracy, the Education Ministry has expanded the LINUS program to include English literacy. Thus, LINUS2.0 was implemented as a support program to further improve Bahasa Malaysia literacy, English literacy, and numeracy among pupils except those with special needs at the end of year 3. Pupils who fail will have to undergo remedial classes until they are qualified to be placed in the mainstream curriculum. All pupils who have not mastered English literacy will be supplied the English Literacy Pupil’s Module while teachers who conduct the classes will be supplied with English Literacy Teacher’s Module.


As an early intervention program, LINUS2.0 also aimed to improve the quality of teaching and learning in English and increase the effectiveness of teaching and learning in remedial English classes. The program has so far been judged to be excellent. The 2013 Year One pupils who had their second screening in September 2013, achieved 63.3 per cent achievement level in writing, reading, speaking and listening skills as compared with 50.1 per cent for the baseline conducted in March 2013 (Shamsuri Sujak, MOE, Malaysia, September 2014. http://www.teo-education.com). To ensure the success of LINUS, the Ministry allocated the best teachers from Year 1 and 2, increased the number of remedial teachers, and created a pool of experts at the district level to drive the LINUS program.

2.6 Support Programs for Students The Ministry of Education has continued to improve the provision of support programs to ensure the health, safety, discipline and well-being of pupils in Orang Asli schools. Among the support programs provided are school health program, school nutrition program, trust fund for poor students, tuition aid scheme, hostel facilities, and guidance and counselling. Financial Assistance for Poor Students: A crucial element in ensuring the success of educational programs is funding. The government allocated approximately MYR 6,770,826,300 to be distributed directly to poor children including the Orang Asli students, in the form of stipends, scholarships, and to schools to support supplementary food programs, text book loan schemes, adult classes for the Orang Asli children’s parents, tuition classes and similar initiatives (The 8th Malaysia Plan, 2005-2009).

The school year begins after the months of November or December which are also the months when it is most difficult to get cash incomes for the Orang Asli families because these are the wettest months of the year. Rubber yield is usually low while collection and sale of forest produce, such as rattan, is not only dangerous but is also less in demand. Thus, January is a time when already poor Orang Asli are expected to spend a considerable amount of money for school expenses when there is very little opportunities for cash incomes. With most families having several children attending school at the same time, sometimes as many as 4 or 5, Orang Asli parents need a sizeable amount of funds at the start of the school year. It has been estimated that, without any subsidy or other financial support, a parent needs RM100.00 to RM150.00 per child to pay for recurring expenses such as school fees, transportation, meal allowance and extra-curricular activity expenses.




Poverty is keeping many Orang Asli children from school, thus to improve Orang Asli’s general quality of life, the Malaysian government provided financial assistance, free textbooks, school uniform, school bus and food supplements from the Government, through the Orang Asli Affairs Department (JAKOA). Social Integration Programs in the school communities are also in place. Moreover, motivation talks from successful Orang Asli professionals are conducted 2 to 3 times a year.

Transportation and Mobility Most Orang Asli villages lack good and accessible roads. The means of transport to schools are poor and usually unsafe, while boat rides are expensive. For example, no one in the Temuan community of Ulu Batu, Selangor had ever been to school because of the costs involved, even though the school was about 7 kilometers from the village. However, when the JHEOA (JAKOA) agreed to arrange for transport, several children, of varying ages, began to go school. Currently, a private company has adopted the village, so that much of the children’s school needs are taken care of, thus ensuring that the children remain in school.

As stated in the JAKOA Annual Report (2010), RM2.7 million has been allocated to provide transportation for Orang Asli children in Pahang State to commute between home and school in 2010 (Bemen Win Keong Wong & Christopher Perumal). Recently, the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) provided transportation service for Orang Asli pupils at 94 primary schools with hostels nationwide to enable them to return home every fortnight. As of October 2015, there are 16,905 Orang Asli pupils staying in school hostels across the country as young as seven and they only return home during long school holidays. Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this was part of the improvement measures taken by the Jakoa in a bid to prevent Orang Asli pupils from leaving the hostels to return home without the knowledge of teachers (www. Themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/jakoa). Feeding Program

With the exception of the Supplementary Food Program and the Tuition Aid Scheme, which was suspended in 2010 for a review, the number of students in targeted support programs has been increasing. Most notably, in the milk program, the number of students has more than tripled from just fewer than 400,000 in 2006 to over 1.4 million in 2013. The recipients of other support programs for poor students have been relatively stable with some fluctuations during the same period (Educational Support Programs MOE, Finance Division).


2.7 Support for Orang Asli Parents The Ministry promotes adult education to increase the participation and involvement of parents in school activities. One such program is the Orang Asli/Penan Adult Class Program or KEDAP. This program aims to increase parents’ literacy to enable them to assist in their children’s education, improve pupil attendance and reduce poverty. Each class uses the KEDAP curriculum that focuses on functional literacy, basic literacy, numeracy, communication and social skills. Parents also receive incentives to augment loss of income; provide their children food, clothing, good health, books; and enable them to visit their children in school. KEDAP classes are held 2 hours everyday, 3 to 4 days a week for a total of 100 days a year. In SK Batu Bungan, parents in the KEDAP class are able to recognize alphabets and numbers and read simple sentences. It has been evident from research studies from around the world, that to ensure the success of a child's education, the parents must be involved, no matter their level of expertise or education. It is their commitment to their children's education that counts in the academic success of the children (Mazlan, MOE Malaysia).

2.8 Support for Teachers

The following support for teachers come in two forms: Professional Development and Incentives: 2.8.1 Professional Development

One initiative to increase the quality of education in rural schools is the placement of 'expert teachers' in district education offices around the country. These are teachers who are experts in their respective subjects, like Bahasa Malaysia, English or Science. They act as reference points for teachers from all the schools in the district (Mazlan, MOE Malaysia). The teachers were trained on Pensiangan Salinatan Model of Remote Schools Teacher Professional Development Program (PMPS). The objectives of PMPS are to increase school teachers’ knowledge in the subjects they teach, increase their skills in indigenous pedagogy, and enhance their personal development towards excellence. As part of the in-service training, all new and experienced teachers in under-enrolled schools and indigenous communities such as Orang Asli schools, were trained on content knowledge, indigenous pedagogy, classroom management, leadership, excellent work culture, pupil learning skills, language, culture and art, multi-grade teaching, program for low-achieving school, writing and documentation, management, research, motivation programs, and raising parental awareness on education, how to conduct remedial program, and distance learning.


The training of these remote school teachers was facilitated by the adoption of Orang Asli/Penan schools by the Institute of Teacher Education (ITE). Each ITE is responsible for monitoring and helping the schools implement and expand the out-reach programs. The in-service program for Orang Asli/Penan school teachers included, among others, a short course organised by ITEs, a four weeks course in special remedial programs for Orang Asli and Penan students, a 14-weeks course for Orang Asli/Penan teachers, effective pedagogy course for Orang Asli/Penan teachers and a training for professionalism development of Orang Asli school teachers. These courses are designed to help teachers manage the out-reach programs, namely the special programs for early intervention, the KIA 2M program on Reading and Writing Intervention in Malay Language for the Orang Asli children, Orang Asli/Penan Adult Class Program (KEDAP), and Redefining Schooling Program or the Integrated Curriculum for Orang Asli and Penan (KAP). KAP aims to develop knowledgeable Orang Asli children with good morals, and love for school and their socio-cultural heritage, and to mainstream themselves in society. Lecturers from ITEs visited pilot schools to help teachers implement the curriculum, specifically in terms of materials and teaching strategies, and to discuss modules with the teachers involved. Apart from the above short courses, the Bachelor of Education Program is offered to increase the academic achievement of remote school teachers. These teacher-trainees attend lectures during school holidays in selected ITEs, and are taught by lecturers from the ITEs. The program is carried out nationwide, in collaboration with Open University Malaysia (OUM). The teachers are required to teach in their own school after completing the program. The curriculum for this program is designed to increase their pedagogical skills, in the hope that they can apply the knowledge and skills in their future teaching assignments. Moreover, postgraduate diploma courses are also being offered to those who are posted in rural and interior schools (Dropout Prevention Initiatives for Malaysian Indigenous Orang Asli Children, Professor Dr. Sharifah Md Nor, 2011).

2.8.2 Intake of Orang Asli Teachers

In order to provide better understanding of the local context and better serve the indigenous community, the Ministry aims to increase the intake for Orang Asli teacher trainees in PISMP. PISMP for Orang Asli teacher trainees was implemented in Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuala Lipis, Pahang in 2012 with an intake of 25 trainees. In 2014, the number of Orang Asli teacher trainees rose to 31.


The Ministry will continue the intake for Orang Asli teacher trainees according to the projection of teacher requirement in the future. The Ministry will focus on improving learning outcomes by providing more tailored interventions to schools. The Ministry will continue to forge strong collaboration with other government agencies, the private sector and community in ensuring the Orang Asli students benefit equally from the Malaysia education system. The Ministry will focus on improving school infrastructure in Orang Asli communities, ensuring availability of a sufficient number of well-trained teachers, and allowing for flexibility within the curriculum to adapt to local context and students’ needs (Malaysia Education Blueprint Annual Report 2014).

2.8.3 Incentives for Teachers To further narrow the education gap between schools in the cities and those in rural areas, the Ministry also focused on enhancing the welfare of teachers. Small schools in Malaysia are given per capita grants. The old rate was based on enrolment which proved to be inadequate for small schools. Hence, the rate was improved by the Ministry to provide greater benefits, such as better method of teacher placement and teacher norms; provision of teacher-quarters; greater opportunities for teacher-training; and provision of incentives. To entice teachers to go to remote areas, the ministry introduced the remote schools incentive that gives teachers and support staff allowances based on how remote the schools are. Houses have also been built for teachers so they can more easily go to school. House rental subsidy allowance (rental ceiling) are given for trained temporary teachers from Peninsular Malaysia who are posted in Sabah and Sarawak (moe.gov.my/v/praperkhidmatan). Such incentives have successfully made sure that more teachers continue to serve in remote and rural areas.

2.9 Learning Environment

Under the new Malaysia Education Development Plan 2013-2025, another priority program is infrastructure expansion. The Ministry aims to repair, rebuild, and refurbish the school buildings for Orang Asli to make them at par with other schools. To increase enrolment in secondary schools, the MOE will concentrate on building and upgrading schools so that all children in Sabah and Sarawak will be able to get quality education in comfortable surroundings. All facilities enjoyed in normal schools are also at par with the facilities in under-enrolled schools. Outdated school buildings in remote areas are also being upgraded using cabins or relocated sites to conform to government specifications. Remote rural schools without electricity, water, telephone lines and wireless or satellite internet connectivity are provided with hybrid solar systems, water supply and VSAT technology. VSAT uses a new two-way satellite ground station with a dish antenna to allow broadband internet access. These facilities and amenities enable teachers in interior locations to utilize SchoolNet, which connects schools nationwide and provides access to information about teaching and learning, management and



assessment. Efforts to create smart schools were initiated by the Ministry with special features such as integration of ICT in teaching and learning management, establishment of access centres with internet connectivity to increase pupil’s contact time with ICT, and training of teachers on ICT (e.g., NORTHERN WEB) (Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025).

3. STATUS OF THE ORANG ASLI EDUCATION SYSTEM

Despite the remarkable achievements to improve the status of indigenous people’s education and success stories of model schools in indigenous communities under the MOE administration, a number of emerging challenges would need to be continually addressed for the next twelve years as reflected in the Malaysian Education Blueprint: 2013-2025. The following section provides information on the current state of Orang Asli Education System, root problems and significant improvements. It presents the brief history and basic information of the Orang Asli Schools in Malaysia, issues and challenges in teaching and learning as well as solutions to overcome the challenges and sample illustration of successful model schools serving the indigenous people of Malaysia.

1. The Continuing Education Challenges in Indigenous Communities

1) Enrolment Rates

The Ministry strives to ensure Orang Asli students are enrolled in schools, attend schools, and complete their primary and secondary education. The Ministry has identified several factors which hinder Orang Asli participation and progress in education such as economic, geographic and cultural factors. The Ministry in collaboration with Department of Orang Asli Development (Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli, JAKOA), has provided support including transportation, hostels, allowances, food and school supplies, and intervention programmes for students to ensure they attend school every day and successfully complete their schooling. As a result, the enrolment of Orang Asli students from preschool to Form 6 has steadily increased to 41,207 students in 2014, see Table 11 below. This is a 6% increase from 2012 or an addition of 2,336 Orang Asli children receiving education (Malaysia Education Blueprint Annual Report 2014).

Table 11: Orang Asli Enrolment in Basic Education from 2011 to 2014

LEVEL 2011 2012 2013 2014 No. of Schools

Primary Education (Pre-school to Year 6)

28,177 28,567 28,619 27,978 464

Secondary Education (Remove Class to Form 6)

9,979 10,304 10530 13,229 389

Total 38,156 38,871 39,149 41,207

(Source: MOE, School Management Division, 2013-2014)


Secondary Education Enrolment

The above data reveals an increasing rate for secondary enrolment. However, it also shows that only less than fifty percent of 2013 primary graduates were able to enroll in secondary education in 2014. This accounts for the lower enrolment numbers at the secondary level compared to enrolment in primary level.

It is quite common among Orang Asli children to decline opportunity to pursue secondary studies in regular National Schools. About four out of every 10 primary school students in rural areas, be it in Peninsula Malaysia or Sabah and Sarawak, do not make it to secondary school. Data showed an evident pattern of decreasing enrolment between primary and secondary school enrolment. Only 30% of Orang Asli students complete secondary school, less than half the national average of 72%. (“Dropout Prevention Initiatives for Malaysian Indigenous Orang Asli Children”, Md Nor et al, (2011); Day School Management Division).

Higher Education Enrolment

The enrolment of Orang Asli children in local institutions of higher learning in Malaysia in 2009 also indicates the measly number of Orang Asli children attending higher education, when the population of these higher learning institutions are made up largely by three main ethnic groups in Malaysia (Annual Report JAKOA, 2009).

For matriculation level, only four Orang Asli children enrolled in this level in 2009. At undergraduate level, 43 Orang Asli children managed to get places to study. In sum, the total enrolment of Orang Asli children in higher education institutions in 2009 was merely 97 students, suggesting a weak participation pattern among these communities with regard to pursuing higher learning.

Unregistered ECCE Experience

In 2000, 47 percent of Grade 1 students were reported to have ECCE experience in contrast to the data obtained in 2013 when 93 percent of new entrants had attended some form of preschool. These gains offer a clear demonstration that significant and rapid results in education are possible. The difference between gross enrolment ratio (GER) and the percentage of children with preschool experience most likely reflect enrolment in private unregistered ECCE (MOE JAKOA).

2) Absenteeism

In general, absenteeism characterizes primary and secondary schools for the Orang Asli community. Absenteeism among students varies across the different communities of Orang Asli. Compared to the mainstream learners, absenteeism is higher among Orang Asli students.


There are some Orang Asli children who attend physically well-endowed schools, which are located in less remote areas. Still, this fact does not guarantee the Orang Asli’s children full attendance in school. A secondary school teacher lamented, “You see, this (boarding) school is beautiful with ample facilities, but our students are more interested to stay home; when they go home for the holidays they stay home indefinitely” (MOE, Malaysia). With the support and intervention provided, the attendance rate has also steadily improved from 76.7% in 2013 to 78.8% in 2014 in Orang Asli schools (Source: Malaysia Education Blueprint Annual Report 2014).

3) Dropout Rates The actual number of years an Orang Asli child remains in school leaves much to be desired. Studies done by the JAKOA and by independent consultants all reveal that the dropout rate among the Orang Asli school children, at all levels, is disproportionately high compared to the national average. Many of the Orang Asli students drop out of school at the end of grade six, and before sitting for the Malaysian Certificate of Education Examination (SPM), taken at form five (grade eleven). For every 100 Orang Asli children entering Primary 1, only about 6 will be expected to reach Form 5 eleven years later that is, 94 per cent would have dropped out by then. The dropout rate is also high between the transition from Primary 6 to Form 1 (Grade 7). For example, for the Year 2000 cohort, Year 6 to 7 had the highest dropout rates, at 47.23 per cent, followed by grade 7 to grade 9 (23.26%) and grade 9 to grade 11(24.27%). In 2003, of the 3,333 Orang Asli school children who finished Standard 6, only 1,869 continued into Form 1 (Grade 7). That is, a total of 1,464 (43.9 per cent) had dropped out after primary school (JHEOA 2008). Despite the efforts and programs expended by the Malaysian government, drop-out rates for Orang Asli students are higher and consequently educational outcomes are poorer when compared to the national average, (Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025). Prior to 1993 the drop-out rate in primary schools for Orang Asli was 45%. In 2008, the dropout rate of Orang Asli children at the primary level was 39.1%. This has been significantly reduced to 29% in 2010 and to 26% in 2011. The MOE Malaysia is also working on reducing this to 15% by 2015 (Nor Aniza Ahmad and Abd Razak Ahmad).

4) Transition and Completion Rates

Over time and given the drop-out reduction efforts of the MO, the transition rate among Orang Asli students from primary to secondary level has increased from 75% in 2013 to 78% in 2014. Similarly, a greater proportion of Orang Asli students managed to successfully complete their secondary education up to Form 5. The completion rate has risen by another 8% to 59% in 2014 (Malaysia Education Blueprint Annual Report 2014).


5) Academic Performance

One of the main reasons for the increasing drop-out rate is the students’ poor academic achievement. While enrolment among the Orang Asli students has gradually increased, their academic performance has not improved over the years. In UPSR National Achievement Test 2014, the performance of Orang Asli Schools has regressed to an average grade point of 3.77 from 3.73 in 2012 and 2013, which was far behind their peers. On average, a student in an Orang Asli School scored 37 points fewer in a paper compared to his or her peer in other schools. More than half of the Orang Asli students completed Year 6 without a minimum mastery in reading, writing, arithmetic (Malaysia Education Blueprint Annual Report 2014). The level of achievement in education of Orang Asli students is among the lowest as compared to the other ethnic groups in Malaysia. A study conducted by JAKOA found that the lack of enrolment of Orang Asli students at both secondary schools and also in higher education is due to the low level of schooling. For every one hundred Orang Asli students entering year one (Grade 1), only six students will continue up to Form 5 (Grade 11). Around 94 percent of these students cannot be traced, neither graduated or not (The Roles of Administrators in Aboriginal Schools: A Case Study in a Malaysian State Norwaliza A. Wahab, Ramlee B. Mustapha, and Abdul Razaq Ahmad International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 6, No. 5, May 2016 DOI: 10.7763/IJSSH.2016.V6.674 370 International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 6, No. 5, May 2016, 371). In terms of school quality, the majority of Orang Asli schools are in the average performance category (Band 3, 4 and 5). However, the percentage of Orang Asli Schools in Band 6 and 7, which are categorized as the poor-performing schools, has fluctuated around 30% which is significantly higher compared to 0.7% for other primary schools (Malaysia Education Blueprint Annual Report 2014).

6) Cultural Uniqueness and Differences

The centralized educational system, common curriculum and examinations make the quest for equalizing and contextualizing educational opportunities for Orang Asli a very challenging task indeed (The International Journal on School Disaffection © Trentham Books 2011. Orang Asli School).

6.1) Lingusitic Differences

It seems that the Orang Asli children need to be competent in not only one but two second languages (Malay and English languages) to survive in the local educational system. This is quite a tall order for these Orang Asli children who live in remote environment, challenged by poor school facilities and teachers who are not familiar with their socio-cultural needs.


Majority of the Orang Asli children do not have the chance to attend kindergarten before entering Primary 1 and this drawback is reflected in the slow learning process of speaking, reading and writing. By examining the same issue, Abdull et.al. (2011) concluded that majority of the Orang Asli students have problem in reading Bahasa Malaysia. They measured the students’ ability by looking at the 3Ms - Membaca, Menulis, Mengira, which means reading, writing and calculating. They discovered that a majority of the students achieved another set of 3Ms - Main, Makan, Menyanyi which is playing, eating and singing.

6.2) Ethno-Cultural Differences Studies have found that Orang Asli is a unique community adhering to their traditional system and beliefs. In the eyes of Orang Asli, learning is a process of becoming a good person rather than a means of competing for awards and certificates (Nicholas, 2005).

Hence, to Orang Asli, learning does not necessarily take place in schools. This is in contrast with the national system of education, which places emphasis on a fixed curriculum and examination results. In another study, Abdul Razaq and Zalizan (2009) suggested that it is in the nature of Orang Asli children to be hyperactive. Orang Asli’s traditional way of life—hunting and gathering in the jungle—is in their blood and thus contributes to this hyperactive behaviour. While it is easy to blame Orang Asli children for having short attention span in class (Kamarulzaman & Osman, 2008) teachers—and the MoE Malaysia—sometimes fail to take notice of the contrast in the pedagogy when it comes to the education of Orang Asli. It is quite uncomfortable for Orang Asli children to sit through six hours of lessons a day when what is being taught is oftentimes viewed as not being relevant to them. The way the Orang Asli children learn is different from that of urban children as they learn through the indigenous language, arts, rituals, folklore and taboos which do not have a fixed syllabus and timetable of learning (Karubi, Goy & Wong 2011). Thus, following a rigid national curriculum as practiced by teachers has placed the teaching method for Orang Asli students in an unfavorable position (Nicholas 2010, BIMP-EAGA Conference 2012).

Underlying factors for Low Enrolment and High Drop-out Rates a) Geographic Constraints

Johari and Nazri (Case Study, 2007) suggested that the distance between school and home and the experience of the teachers have a significant impact on the Orang Asli students’ academic performance. When the location of the school is far to walk from home, enrolment and attendance tends to decrease. Although the authorities provided a van to transport the students from home to school and vice versa, the


departure time from home as early as 5.30 a.m. challenged the commitment of children and parents, particularly when they had to bathe with cold river catchment water and make early breakfast available to children. In one Orang Asli school in Johor, the road condition was unbearable during the monsoon season. It was not accessible to all because the routes to the school were through an oil palm estate, which was privately owned. Visitors were required to produce relevant documents in order to gain passage. There were no paved roads through the estate. Since teachers lived far away from the village, they were quite detached from the community as they only spent time at the school during weekdays from 8 in the morning till 2 in the afternoon. It is for this reason that a block of quarters was built for teachers at the school. Unfortunately, the six units available were left dilapidated without any takers. Teachers preferred to commute from the nearest town even though the journey took almost one hour to complete (Journal of International and Comparative Education, 2012, Volume 1, Issue 2). Increasing dropout rates have been attributed to geographical location of schools, poverty, lack of infrastructure, misalignment of pedagogy used in schools, low self-esteem of learners, community’s distinctive values and way of life, negative attitude towards education, and concern for cultural-heritage preservation, among others (Mohd Asri, 2012, Datuk Mazlan Mohamad, School Management Division, MOE Malaysia).

b) Low Socio-Economic Status When the children enter Primary 1 with all the difficulties already mentioned they require relatively longer time than ordinary students to complete their basic education. (Johari, 2002) affirmed that children who come from upper and middle class families adapt themselves relatively faster in school compared to those who come from lower class like the Orang Asli families. The advantages of children from upper and middle class are the support of educated parents and accessibility to educational toys which could assist in enhancing the learning process. The Orang Asli children, however, did not enjoy any of these. Many Orang Asli families could not afford the expenses of sending children to secondary school. Orang Asli students at secondary schools—and some in primary schools—have to live in hostels far from their families. Some hostels are not well-managed, thus, parents often resist sending their children to school if it requires them to leave home.


2. Benchmarking on Orang Asli & other Indigenous Model Schools The following successful educational programs were implemented by some of the outstanding/model schools to address the emerging education challenges of Orang Asli and other indigenous people in Malaysia:

2.1 Comprehensive Special Model Schools (K9)

The Ministry implemented several programs to ensure that Orang Aslis children have access to quality education. During the training on Collaborative Management of Small Schools, the Comprehensive Special Model School concept was introduced to inspire and motivate the school principal, teachers, parents and community leaders to further upgrade the learning facilities and to encourage more Orang Asli students to stay in school. The Comprehensive Special Model Schools (K9) were established by the Ministry to provide education from primary to lower secondary level for indigenous students. The K9 schools aims to provide Orang Asli students a minimum of 9 years of education, and to reduce the drop-out rate between Year 6 and Form 1. The Ministry makes sure they stay in school until they reach the age of 15 and provides free hostel accommodation for pupils who come remote areas. In 2014, two more K9 schools were opened, bringing the total to 7 schools. SK Pekan Pensiangan was opened in Pensiangan, Sabah with 22 teachers and an enrolment of 165 indigenous students. The school also provides a hostel for student accommodation. SK (Asli) Bukit Kemandol was opened in Kuala Langat, Selangor with 23 teachers and an enrolment of 203 students.

Table 12: List of K9 Comprehensive Model Schools by Year (MOE Malaysia)

School Year School/District/State

2008 1) SK Bandar 2 Pekan, Pahang 2) SK Long Bedian Baram, Sarawak

2013 3) SK RPS Pos Kemar Hulu Perak, Perak 4) SK RPS Banun Hulu Perak, Perak 5) SK RPS Betau (JHEOA) Lipis, Pahang

2014 6) SK (Asli) Bukit Kemandol Kuala Langat, Selangor 7) SK Pekan Pensiangan Pensiangan, Sabah

A total of 3,102 Orang Asli students are currently enrolled in K9 schools. The first batch of 298 students will be completing the 9 years of education provided in K9 schools in 2015. This presents a pressing need for the Ministry to look into options to ensure this cohort of students successfully transition and complete their upper secondary education.


In 2014, the Ministry has also conducted outreach and engagement programmes with Orang Asli parents and the community to raise awareness on the importance of education and to promote the availability of schools and hostels for Orang Asli students. For example, an outreach programme was conducted in RPS Banun, Perak in collaboration with JAKOA, Department of Human Resources and Yayasan Emkay. The programme aims to publicise the availability of the newly built student hostel catered to secondary level students and to encourage their enrolment. The Ministry has since enhanced facilities for K9 schools, building four hostel blocks in SK Betai, as well as two hostels and two classroom blocks in SK RPS Kemar. The Ministry has also upgraded hostels that house students from different schools, improved existing school infrastructure and built new schools in Orang Asli settlements. The Orang Asli learners simply sign up and attend the learning sessions. Motivational learning activities are conducted for them to remain in sessions, and sustain their interest to learn new knowledge and skills. This program is designed for children from nearby settlements, indigenous children who come from remote areas and are in need of accommodation, and indigenous children from nearby schools. The main goals of the Comprehensive School K9 Model are the following:

Increase participation rate of indigenous children in secondary school;

Reduce pupil absenteeism to 0%;

Be a center of excellence/model school for the indigenous community;

Create an integrated class for all learners. The following strategies/programs have been implemented to encourage indigenous children to attend school:

Let’s Go to School (Jom Sekolah) which serves as an outreach program;

Indigenous and Penan Adult Class (KEDAP), which aims to reduce illiteracy among the indigenous and familiarization with the school environment;

Adat Kesemo which intends to maintain the elements of indigenous culture. The Orang Asli learners are trained in contemporary dance with the influence of Malay Dance and Sewang.

As a supportive mechanism, collaborative programs with key stakeholders have been jointly implemented such as:

Parents Teachers Association. The school fosters collaboration with parents.

EASTMAN Chemicals. The school involves private sector in the provision of information technology equipment and similar rewards for potential pupils.

Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA). The department continues to serve as a reference and advisory body in matters affecting the education and development of indigenous people.


Some of the good practices of the Comprehensive School K9 Model are as follows:

Exceling in co-curricular activities. The District Office actively promotes sports activities to further develop the interests and abilities of Orang Asli learners in athletics, particularly in football.

Implementation of rewards system for high achievers and full attendance in learning activities

Provision of nutritious food

Transportation through the support of the JHEOA

2.2 National Model School Case Story: SK Bakelalan, Lun Bawang, Sarawak (Source: The Sk Bakelalan Story: Pudun Tadam, SEAMEO-World Bank Workshop Presentation on Small Schools Management, Miri, Malaysia, March 2010)

The action research on small schools also includes a literature review of boarding schools that were able to successfully support the academic achievement of indigenous (IP) learners. One sample case documented through secondary source by SEAMEO INNOTECH is the SK Bakelalan – a boarding school for Lun Bawang people, an ethnic group recognized by the the Malaysian Constitution as native of Sarawak. The Lun Bawang people are categorised under the Orang Ulu people. Historically, the Lun Bawang community is one of the earlier settlers in the mountainous regions of central Borneo Island for centuries (Tom Harrison; 1959 S. Runciman, 1960). Like the Comprehensive Special Model School, the SK Bakelalan is a boarding school for pre-school to primary grade six learners, located in Lun Bawang Village in the remote highlands of northern Sarawak. In 2010, the community had a population of 1,200, 100% of whom were original settlers, and majority of whom were Christians. Eighty five percent of the people are farmers and 2% are engaged in retail business among other livelihoods. A farmer earns 300RM per month for a living. Due to low income, the parents’ highest educational attainment is usually until Form 3. The school occupies 1.4 hectares. It was founded in 1945 and was taken over by the Federal Government in 1972. The school buildings are old. In SY 2010, the school had 107 pupils enrolled taught by 13 teaching staff and supported by 7 non-teaching staff. By 2013, the school had 109 students attending primary education and pre-school classes. Many of the children are boarders, if their home is too far for a daily commute. Even if it’s close enough, they would be encouraged to board from the age of nine to get them accustomed to staying away from their parents as they would need to move to town for their secondary education. They go home on the weekends from Friday when school ends at 10am. On other days, school is 7am to 1pm. SK Ba Kelalan was once a school afflicted with the same ills as many other interior schools: low motivation and academic achievement, poverty, and lack of amenities. Before year 2000, students, teachers and parents faced several challenges. The nearest public library was 150km away from the school. The nearest tuition center was a distance of 150km from the school. They did not have access to internet to enhance learning of students. The school had limited financial and human resources.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orang_Ulu


The community was formerly identified as Murut, (which means ‘rotten’), a derogatory term used by the Rajah Brooke, whose government wanted the community to be wiped off from the face of Borneo Island. Rajah Brooke was quoted as saying, "Let them die …. Furthermore they are like an old shoe that has no value any more ….the country would be better off if the Muruts were allowed to die out" (Jungle Fire, Drunk Before Dawn, A New Dawn Over Sarawak). The Lun Bawangs were once affected by alcoholism, epidemics, and joblessness, and were on the brink of extinction. However, through a paradigm shift initiated jointly by teachers, parents, the community and students, their lives started to change for the better. Their children’s passing rate in public exams before 2000 was about 20% but by 2009, it was above 90%, an impressive development after almost 10 years (Figure 5). From having a bottom 10 ranking in 2000, the school became a top achiever in the district, and was awarded as the most promising school in 2003, an excellent school in 2007, a Cluster of Excellence school in 2009, and garnered the International Commonwealth Education Good Practice Award in 2009.

Figure 7: Performance of SK Ba Kelalan School

From a school struggling with a UPSR pass rate of just one in five, it is now regarded as a model school with a consistent 90-plus per cent pass rate. Its secret: a return to the old ways. It got the community to participate in the school, just as how they did in the past for big projects. The headmaster of SK Ba Kelalan, Mr. Pudun Tadam, summarized the secret to success of SK Ba Kelalan: “The true success of a school or education system is not measured in the percentage of straight A’s in an examination, but in its ability to transform the community” (The Sk Bakelalan Story: Pudun Tadam, SEAMEO-World Bank Workshop Presentation on Small Schools Management, Miri, Malaysia, March 2010).


Lun Bawang was a community on its way to extinction but was transformed through the power of religion and education, and more importantly, through the community’s willingness to participate in educational reforms (Pudun Tadam). The Lun Bawangs managed to get themselves organized in the development of education for their children by getting all families to act as one body for the good of the school community. The nine villages in Ba Kelalan were persuaded to take part in the school in the traditional ‘musang’ (gotong-royong) method. Each village adopted one section of the school which it maintained and beautified, without pay. In return, the school pledged to raise the educational standard. With community support, the school is now a lot better, it has 24-hour electricity from a generator funded and maintained by the government, and water comes from a gravity-feed pipe from the mountain streams. Internet access arrived some years ago but it’s not stable. The children get free textbooks, and free food. The school-community devised its own motivational programs to lift up the spirit of school children, among which were sports excellence programs, examination-focused programs, English language programs, reading excellence programs, and programs especially tailored-fit to help children who could not read, write nor count. To sustain the school performance, the community adopted the following strategies: (1) identify a good practice within the community; (2) adopt and adapt the good practices; and (3) create an additional good practice to make it even more effective.

The following are good practices that the small schools can learn from SK Ba Kelalan:

Shifting stakeholders’ paradigm on development: Courage and belief that nothing is impossible if the community sets

progressive and realistic targets.

Limiting promises to small and deliverable goals, such as “One graduate per family; produce scientists by 2030”.

Investment on emotional involvement by developing committed and motivated teachers and administrators who have caring and nurturing attitudes.

Focusing and improving the two most successful programs, namely:

MUSANG or Gotong Royong, which means culture of cooperation. An individual or family appeals to the surrounding community to give assistance in accomplishing certain complex tasks without expecting anything in return other than being treated with just a common meal. This is a good practice that has been observed for generations and is a powerful concept of the “working spirit” of the Lun Bawang tribe.


COMIC stands for “community in the classroom”. This is a program to further improve the effectiveness of “musang”. Various activities are carried out under this program which includes after class peer tutoring; grade six students assisting lower grade pupils; parents coming inside the classroom to assist in learning activities. There are three basic principles guiding the implementation of this program: a. Involving parents and community. Parents and teachers welcome and

encourage all community members and guests to teach pupils music and traditional dance, and to clean and beautify classrooms.

b. Managing the boarding school. Pupils are assisted within the 3-month adjustment period; parents are asked to pick up their children every Friday.

c. Seeking government support on community-based projects.

Sustaining the effective implementation of co-curricular programs:

PRO-ACE (Sports Excellence Program) exposes children to different sports

activities to develop their physical health. This program motivates students to go to school thus increasing their attendance and class participation.

APULO (I too can/I too am able (D’s) develops self-esteem and self-confidence of Orang Asli Learners.

FOKUJI (Exam focus) offers review of lessons and tips on how to take tests.

ENGLAINS (English language) provides extra time for English lessons.

KARYNJIM (Reading Program for non-readers) provides extra time for

developing slow readers. This is a program customized to meet the needs of students in Year 2 who are unable to read, write nor count. The program involves students and their parents. Through this program, the pupils are eventually able to follow lessons in normal classes.

NILAM (Reading Excellence) provides extra time to practice English skills

among performing pupils.

BERDIKARI (Learning to be independent teaches pupils practical skills such as cleaning their rooms; organizing beddings and keeping school materials.

ELITE SCIENCE aims to increase livelihood through farming by inviting local

resource persons, e.g., botanist to teach science through practical means and community-based projects.

HOMESTAY Program allows foreigners and visitors to be adopted by Orang

Asli families to train their children on life skills.


LEADERSHIP program for students encourages community service and immersion so that at least one from the community can lead the school-community in the future.

SK Ba Kelalan has done a number of projects with outsiders from forest conservation to bird-watching and river cleaning. The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) built a small enchanting forest park for the school. This openness to the outside world despite its remote location, must be one of the biggest secrets of it success.

2.3 National Model School Case Story: Penderas Primary School

Another case study entitled: The “Orang Asli” Education in Malaysia was written by Nor Aniza Ahmad and Abd Razak Ahmad to share the success story of Penderas Primary School – a boarding school for Orang Asli learners, located in the state of Pahang, approximately 200 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur (http://www.idp-europe.org/eenet-asia/eenet-asia-8-EN/page14.php). The Orang Asli students in Penderas Primary School belong mainly to the Jahut group who live in jungle fringes. The school was founded in 1960 and was originally administrated by the Department of Orang Asli Affairs. However since 1993, the Ministry of Education has taken over the management of all these schools. Since then, these schools have followed the national curriculum. Prior to 1993 the drop-out rate in primary schools for Orang Asli was 45%. Over the years, the drop-out rate has dropped to 1%. However, the drop-out rate at the secondary school level still remains high compared to the national average (Nor Aniza Ahmad and Abd Razak Ahmad, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia). For two consecutive years (2006 and 2007), the school received a national award of excellence in the Primary School National Assessment, and students also excelled in their co-curricular activities. One of the students, Zuhaizah Jasni, received the national student award of excellence in 2007. The commitment shown by the school administration, especially the headmaster, is evident in instilling the importance of education and career development. According to Mohd Sahri Sahalan, the school Headmaster, “We achieved success in educating the Orang Asli students in this school by revising its vision and mission to be student-oriented, comprehensible and achievable. As a result, we developed an integrated system to narrow the achievement gap between Orang Asli and mainstream students in this school.” Challenges faced by the school management, students and parents were clearly identified and acted upon by all stakeholders. The school’s new vision and mission (i.e., to improve teaching and learning and to encourage academic excellence among all students) were widely disseminated and supported by all parents and teachers. The strategic actions taken by the school can be summarized into five areas: (i) Management of teaching and learning; (ii) Student development; (iii) Parental engagement; (iv) Culture and society; and (v) School infrastructure.


The following are good practices that the small schools can learn from Penderas Primary School:

Management of Teaching and Learning

Organizing quality improvement activity. On a Monday, teachers discuss and plan for improvement in teaching and learning strategies for the week. In so doing, teachers are made conscious about improving teaching skills and in monitoring students’ progress. This activity motivates teachers to: (a) change the perception students and parents about the importance of education and career development in order to improve their quality of life and to contribute to nation building; (b) to develop and use optimal teaching aids; and (c) to implement quality objectives for each subject with regards to the amount of workload and/or homework given to students.

Monitoring and ensuring discipline and punctuality among the teachers. This

strategic action enables teachers to become effective role models. This includes identifying and counselling teachers who are struggling with their teaching performance.

Engaging students in co-curricular activities. For one hour in the morning

(from 7.30 a.m. to 8.30 a.m.) twice a week, these activities to foster a more student-oriented social environment.

Conducting weekly management meetings. These meetings provide

opportunities to discuss unresolved issues between teachers and the headmaster.

Organizing staff development programs. These programs can boost

productivity, creativity and motivation among teachers.

Student Development. Among the activities pursued with regard to student development are as follows: Identifying potentials in students;

Offering rewards in the form of incentives and prizes to encourage academic

achievement;

Having the headmaster take lunch with Year 6 students;


Inculcating in students an interest in reading and in learning through various

reading programs such as: NILAM Program. In this program, each book read by a student is self-

recorded. “Bookworm” Program. Students are encouraged to make reading a leisure

activity. “Chat with the Teachers” Program. On Fridays, students are allocated a

ten-minute chat with their teachers.

Conducting motivational lectures and trips to universities. This activity instills the importance of higher education, and creates awareness of career development options among students and their families.

Parental Engagement. Among the specific ways of engaging parents in their children’s education are as follows:

Organizing educational visits for parents to other successful schools to create

awareness of best practices by other teachers and parents.

Invitation to successful adult Orang Aslis to give motivational talks to parents and students.

Parental involvement is one of the critical factors for a child’s educational

success. KEDAP (Indigenous Parents Adult Class Programme) provides parents with mastery of basic skills in reading, writing and arithmetic to enable them to guide and assist their children in reviewing their lessons at home. Under this program, parents are also taught basic skills in ICT, English communication and life skills. Since the start of its implementation in 2008, 18,195 parents of Orang Asli and indigenous students in Malaysia have benefitted from KEDAP as of 2013 (Source: MOE, School Division, 2013).

Table 13: Number of Parents who have attended KEDAP (2008-2013)

Year/Location 2008 Phase 1

2008 Phase 2

2009 Phase 3

2010 Phase 4

2011 Phase 5

2012 Phase 6

2013 Phase 7

TOTAL

Peninsular Malaysia (Orang Asli)

425 1650 2,200 1590 4110 2550 2790 15,315

Sarawak (Penan) 50 50 175 270 420 270 210 1,445

Sabah (Indigenous) 75 50 200 150 420 360 180 1,435

TOTAL 550 1750 2,575 2010 4950 3180 3180 18,195

(Source: MOE, School Division, 2013)

Culture and Society. The school community participates in the cultural festivities of the Jahut community in the area such as weddings, traditional healing or funeral ceremonies as well as music and dance festivals.


School Infrastructure. Activities pursued with regard to infrastructure were: Increasing the quality and quantity of teaching aids and books in the school

library.

Restoring and upgrading classrooms, and beautifying the school to create a comfortable and conducive learning environment.

Improving the hostel management, and upgrading its amenities.

Improving cleanliness, safety and maintenance of available infrastructures.

The education challenges of Orang Asli and the continuing efforts of MOE Malaysia to provide equal and inclusive learning opportunities for all indigenous communities in the country served as valuable inputs in designing the Project SMaLL interventions for the two pilot schools of Malaysia. The inspiring story of SK Bakelalan, for example was highlighted in all project orientations and trainings conducted by SEAMEO INNOTECH on Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning in Malaysia, Lao PDR and the Philippines.

4. THE PILOT SCHOOLS UNDER PROJECT SMaLL: SCHOOL CONTEXT

The Project SMaLL Team initially identified the Comprehensive Special Schools (for Orang Asli) as the pilot schools. However, based on consultation with the MOE, visiting the nearest Comprehensive Special School would require more resources due to distance, travel time and budget as most of the schools are located in remote rural areas, mostly in Sabah. As such, the Schools Management Division of the MOE, has recommended the nearest State, which is in Perak. Together, with the the MOE, SEAMEO INNOTECH identified the two pilot schools namely: SK Sungai Perah and SK Chenderong Kelubi, using the following criteria:

Categorized as under-enrolled (UES) – total enrolment not more than 150 (Years 1 to 6)

Presence of indigenous/ethnic school children living in the very interior/inaccessible areas

Located in the rural remote area within the same locality; may be reached by land transportation (within three hours or less from MOE, Putrajaya or Kuala Lumpur, for easy monitoring and follow-through interventions)

The following section describes the condition and experience of the two pilot schools before and after the implementation of Project SMaLL.


Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Chenderong Kelubi Socio-Economic Profile The town/kampung of Chenderong Kelubi is located in Tanjung Tualang, Perak, Malaysia. It is composed of six cluster villages namely: Sarok, Kaku, Kemiyan, Estet, Sg. Perah, and Padang Bakong. This community is headed by the Batin. No other position is appointed or elected other than the Batin. But the Batin appoints his own secretary and a few more to help him perform his job (Dino Itam, 2011). In 2011, there were 225 families or 1,300 people living in Kampung Chenderung. About 92% of the households are Orang Asli Semai. Instead of planting rice, the Semai’s opted to plant rubber in the 1950’s, which offered better yield than rice. Since 1980s, the Semai’s have focused not only on cultivating oil palm but have also ventured into other businesses. Many small-scale farmers earn between RM1,500 and RM4,000, depending on the price of the oil palm’s fresh fruit bunches. Only one percent of the Orang Aslis work outside Chendurung Kelubi. The school is quite far from nearby cities, such as Ipoh (65km), Kampar (35km), Teluk Intan (60km). Private industries operating within the town proper includes a factory, Tesco Mall/supermarket, hotel and restaurants. Jobs commonly available are welding, mechanic, maintenance work, truck driver, and shop assistant. Public services include a government hospital, police, Orang Asli Affairs Department, communication provided by Telekom Malaysia, Water Supply Department and the Tenaga Nasional Berhad for electricity. Type and Location of School

Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Chenderong Kelubi is a public (national) primary school specially designed for the indigenous people of the Orang Asli Semai. It is situated in 31800 Tanjong Tualang, a remote rural area of Perak Tengah District in the state of Perak, Malaysia. The roads to school are surrounded by lush greenery, oil palm plantations, and kampung houses built on open land marked with grazing cows. The school is located in a rubber tree plantation, with mangroves and palm trees. A new road was constructed in 1994 replacing the tarred roads which

the village had for over 20 years. In 2011, there were no public transportation. Thus, children went to school through biking, walking, motorcycle, or van. They traveled from 0.5 to 2.5 km from their residence to school.


Physical Resources SK Chenderung Kelubi is fully financed by the government through the Ministry of Education. The pupils were provided and supported with school fees, books, stationery and school uniforms. The school grounds has an area of 1 acre. School buildings were built in 1964 and in 1984 which held 6 classrooms. In 1989 and 1994 the ministry approved the construction of two school buildings worth RM25000 and RM200000 respectively. In SY 2010-2011, the school had 4 blocks of classrooms (Grade B) with an enrolment of 153 pupils. The school facilities now include 6 academic classrooms, science laboratory, industrial education workshop, educational resource center (library), canteen, office space, sports facilities and a storeroom. Other buildings house the cafeteria, life skills room and a recovery room. Telecom Malaysia provides internet service but access is quite slow. Administration In 1964, the school was part of a central school under the administration of the headmaster of SK Changkat Pinggan which was renamed as SK Sri Changkat in 1979. SK Chenderong Kelubi was separated from SK Sri Changkat in 1985 under the administration of a new headmaster, Encik Amran bin Rais. In 1995, management of the school was transferred from the Orang Asli Affairs Department (Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli – JAKOA) to the Malaysian Ministry of Education. However the provision of school fees is still supplied by the JHEOA. Under the management and administration of the MOE, the school now has four blocks of buildings and schools designated as Grade B. When Project SMaLL was introduced in SY 2011-2012, the Headmaster was Mr. Harun B. Mohd Yusuf. As of 2014, the incumbent school principal is En. Muhammad Aimaduddin B. Pandak Abdul Aziz (Source: http://bit.ly/fxzulu). School Vision and Purpose SK Chenderong Kelubi is envisioned to be the best Orang Asli school in Malaysia by 2015. The mission is to provide quality teaching and learning through efficient administration and effective leadership. Educational programs are meant to improve student learning and encourage academic excellence through remedial classes. The school is committed to develop the talents, potentials, enthusiasm and fighting spirit of the Orang Asli through co-curricular activities. The School Charter outlines the following goal: To be united and ready to serve, towards excellent teaching and learning, changing the “paradigm” of the local community and professionalism, for Allah and the country. The school year is split into two terms. The first term starts in early January and ends at the end of May. The second term usually starts in mid-June and ends mid-November but may last until early January.

http://bit.ly/fxzulu


The Learners Primary school education for Orang Asli children like any other public schools in Malaysia starts from seven to 12 years old and is compulsory. It generally lasts for six years. There are two levels in primary education as follows:

Level One (Tahap Satu) - years 1 to 3

Level Two (Tahap Dua) - years 4 to 6 In terms of religion, majority (94.8%, 145) of the Orang Asli pupils are non-Muslims. Only 5.2% (8) are Muslims. About 51% are boys and 49% are girls (Table 14).

Table 14: Distribution of Orang Asli School Children in Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Chenderong Kelubi

SY 2O11 NON-ISLAM ISLAM SUB TOTAL TOTAL

Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys

YEAR 1 15 11 1 - 16 11 27

YEAR 2 12 11 1 - 13 11 24

YEAR 3 12 14 2 1 14 15 29

YEAR 4 8 15 - - 8 15 23

YEAR 5 14 9 - - 14 9 23

YEAR 6 13 11 - 3 13 14 27

GRAND TOTAL 74 71 4 4 78 75 153

From 2007 to 2009, the school received seven academic awards for excellent performance on the Primary School Achievement Test, also known as Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR). In year 6, the Orang Asli pupils must take the UPSR to test their understanding of Malay, English, science and mathematics (Table 15).

Table 15: Achievement Awards of SK Chenderong Kelubi

No Year Awards From

1 2007 Special Award for Small School (District) District

2 2008 Excellent Achievement Award in UPSR (5A) State

3 2008 Excellent Increment Award in 5A UPSR State

4 2008 Excellent Award in UPSR Zone (PKG)

5 2008 Anugerah Melepasi Tahap SPR District

6 2008 Excellent Award in UPSR 2008 (Achievement 5 A) Indigenous Pupils State

7 2009 Excellent Award in UPSR 2009 (Achievement 4 A 1 B) Indigenous Pupils State


Like any other Orang Asli school, Malay language is the medium of instruction for Year 1 to 3 while the English language is used for Year 4 to 6. In SY 2006-2007 the enrolment was 145 but in SY 2011-2012 it increased to 153. For the past six years, the average enrolment in SK Chenderung Kelubi has been 152. The average enrolment for boys is 77 and for girls 74.5 (Table 16).

Table 16: Enrollment in SK Chenderong Kelubi

From SY 2006 to SY 2010 the average participation and completion rate of SK Chenderung Kelubi was 151 Table 16 below indicates a higher completion rate in SY 2007-2008 than enrolment rate. But in SY 2009-2010, the completion rate was 100% in relation to the average enrolment rate for the same school year.

Table 17: Performance Indicators for SK Chenderung Kelubi

From SY 2006 to SY 2009, the national achievement test scores of the Orang Asli had an average mean percentage score of 46.225. The highest average score was garnered in native language (86.025), followed by Science (59.8), mathematics (59.4) and English (51.775). Data show that Orang Asli performed better when mother tongue was used compared to when second language such as English was enforced, as shown by lowest ratings in four subjects (Table 18).

Table 18: UPSR National Achievement Test Scores: SK Chenderung Kelubi, SY 2006-2009

YEAR Math English Science Bahasa Melayu (Comprehension)

Bahasa Melayu (Writing)

Average Scores

2009-2010 48.1 48.1 59.3 77.8 77.8 40.7

2008-2009 50.0 45 65.0 80.0 80.0 45.0

2007-2008 62.2 58.3 66.7 95.8 79.2 50.0

2006-2007 69.2 53.8 57.5 80.8 88.5 46.2

2005-2006 56.2 50.0 50.0 87.5 43.7

Ave Score 57.4 51.04 59.7 84.38 45.12

(Source: SK Chenderong Kelubi)

School Year

Year I Year II Year III Year IV Year V Year VI Total

M F M F M F M F M F M F

2011 16 11 13 11 14 15 8 15 14 9 13 14 153

2010 15 10 11 15 10 15 16 09 12 13 14 15 155

2009 11 15 12 14 17 08 12 13 15 14 11 11 153

2008 12 14 17 08 10 12 15 14 11 12 17 09 151

2007 16 08 10 12 15 14 12 11 09 17 15 13 152

2006 10 13 14 14 11 12 09 17 14 15 11 05 145

Performance Indicators 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Participation Rate 145 152 151 153 155

Completion Rate 45 152 151 153 155

Average Enrolment Rate No data 145 152 151 155


The Teachers There are 6 classes and one remedial class managed by teachers with an average class size of 26 per year level (Table 19). In SY 2011-2012, the school had a total of 17 personnel, 14 of whom are teaching with an average of 5.5 years of teaching experience. The teachers are relatively young with an average age 42 years old. Each class teacher handles 10 students (ratio of 1:10). The textbook to student ratio is 10:1. Four teachers have a Bachelor’s Degree while 10 of them are graduates of technical courses. The school has three non-teaching staff. Only 3 teachers are non-Muslim, while the rest (14, 82.35%) are Muslims. There are more female teachers (10, 59%) than males (7, 41%). In this school, there are two Orang Asli teachers.

Table 19: School Quality Indicators, SK Chenderung Kelubi

Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sungai Perah The second primary school supported by the MOE to participate in and benefit from Project SMaLL is SK Sungai Perah. This section describes the school community and the new interventions implemented by the school as a result of the training on collaborative management of small schools. The Community The village of Kampung Sungai Perah had a population of 460 people with 63 households in the year 2011. It is under the political subdivision of Parit – a main town in Perak Tengah district, Perak, Malaysia. The village is headed by En. Alang Rindang Alang Toi. He is supported by a council composed of 4 members and a secretary. Most of the Orang Asli people work as rubber tappers and factory workers. The village has 3 small shops and an existing livelihood project funded by Risda and JHEOA. The security of the village is safeguarded by RELA Corps, (Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia or Volunteers of Malaysian People) a paramilitary civil volunteer corps formed by the Malaysian government to help preserve national security, peace and welfare of the Malaysian citizens and to reduce illegal immigrants.

Class Data Year I Year II Year III Year IV Year V Year VI

Number of Classes 1 1 1 1 1 1

Average Class Size 25 25 25 26 26 26

Teacher Student Ratio 1:2 1:2 1:2 1:2 1:2 1:2

Textbook-Student Ratio 10 10 10 10 10 10


Type and Location of School SK Sungai Perah was established in 1962 as a national school (Sekolah Kebangsaan). The school was initially administered by the Department of Orang Asli Affairs. Then in 1985, the Ministry of education took over full management of the school. In 2013, SK Sungai Perah was administered by a headmaster with the help of 10 teachers and 2 support staff.

The total number of pupils is 66, making SK Sungai Perah one of the schools that belong to the Group less school pupils (SKM). SK Sungai Perah consists of 3 main buildings, with floor covering, containing offices, classrooms, computer laboratory and other facilities. Its pupils are made up of 100 per cent Orang Asli minorities. Resources In 1989, a new building was built by the JPN Perak/PPD Perak Tengah to address the needs of 7 pupils; then in 1999 another building was built to solve the lack of classrooms. As of 2011, the following facilities are found in the school: 5 academic classrooms, science laboratory, industrial/workshop room, ICT-computer room, library, canteen, school office, and sports facilities. SK Kebangsaan Sungai Perah was founded on August 1, 1962 as SK Pos Sungai Perah. Earlier, the school was organized completely by the Education Division of the Orang Asli Affairs Department. In early 1970’s, the school was administered together with SK Parit, under the supervision of Perak Tengah District Education Office. Mr. Musa became the central administrator in Parit and was given the privilege to manage SK Sungai Perah. In 1983, Mr. Muhamad was elected as the first headmaster at SK Sungai Perah. Eventually in 1984, the school was renamed as SK Sungai Perah and was controlled by the Education Office completely. However, the fees and school aids were still sponsored by the Orang Asli Affairs Department (JAKOA). There were 4 teachers, including the headmaster, managing the school at that time. School Vision and Purpose The school envisions to uphold the quality of education at SK Sungai Perah as an excellent, magnificent and glorious educational institution. It aims to give quality service to improve the academic performance of SK Sungai Perah pupils. The schools’ motto is “To be the best, to excel and strive in 2015”.


School Facilities The school is endowed with 5 academic classrooms, 4 non-instructional rooms, an office, an industrial education workshop, a computer room, sports facility, library and canteen which are used by 69 students and 17 education personnel. The Learners The number of students in SY 2011 was 78. From 2009 to 2011, the students’ attendance rate rose from 82% to 92% (Table 20).

Table 20: SK Sungai Perah Attendance Rate from 2009 to 2011

2009 2010 2011

82% 88% 92%

For six school years (from 2006 to 2011), the average student enrolment was 64 students, 30 for males and 34 for females. The enrolment had gradually increased from 47 students in SY 2006 to 69 students in SY 2011 (Table 21).

Table 21: Enrolment Statistics for School Year 2011, SK Sungai Perah

School Year

Year I Year II Year III Year IV Year V Year VI Total M F M F M F M F M F M F

2011 2 6 3 5 7 6 10 9 7 6 4 4 69

2010 2 6 7 7 10 9 7 6 4 4 5 7 74

2009 7 7 10 9 7 6 4 4 5 7 3 5 74

2008 10 9 7 6 4 4 5 7 3 5 2 4 66

2007 7 6 4 4 5 7 3 5 2 4 3 5 55

2006 4 4 5 7 3 5 2 4 3 5 4 1 47

Total 32 38 36 38 36 37 31 35 24 31 21 26 385

(Source: Head Master Rahman) School Achievements Table 22 below shows that pupils have better aptitude for sports activities since 81% of the awards they won were in Sepak Takraw-kickball (2 awards), hockey, and Futsal-football and scout camping (4 awards). About 19% of the total awards garnered were in recognition of their skills in story telling in English and Bahasa Melayu (3 awards). Likewise, the school received 3 awards for students’ Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR). Since 2008, Orang Asli pupils have participated in story-telling activities to enable them to gain confidence and to improve themselves in communication skills. The students had won the competitions through the cooperation of their teachers, parents and guardians. Pupils became motivated to learn English and speak the language in school.


Table 22: School Awards of SK Sungai Perah from 2007-2010

Performance

In terms of academic performance, Orang Asli students are required to take the UPSR (Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah), a national examination taken by all students in Malaysia at the end of their sixth year in primary school before they leave for secondary school. Students in national schools (sekolah kebangsaan) are required to take four tests: Bahasa Malaysia, Mathematics, Science, and English in addition to an aptitude test. The standard mark for an 'A' grade is 80 and above; however, should the year's cohort perform badly, the marks may be lowered by the UPSR Council to 70+ or higher for an 'A'). Introduced in 2009, the aptitude test is used to evaluate students' potential for future work, and are written in the language familiarly used by the majority of students in a school such as Malay Bahasa. From SY 2006 to 2010, the Orang Asli pupil’s average score for the past 4 years was 49.25. The percentage of pupils who passed the UPSR had increased from 20% to 25% of the total examinees from 2006 to 2009.

The highest average score of the learners was on Bahasa Malay (70.48%). The lowest average score (25.38%) was in English (Table 23).

No Year AWARDS

A. CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

1 2008 Appreciation from State Education Department for UPSR Exam Result

2 2009 Appreciation from State Education Department for achievement in UPSR Exam Result

3 2010 Appreciation from State Education Department for UPSR Exam Result

B. CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

1 2007 Futsal (football) State Championship, Second Place

2 2008 Story telling competition in Bahasa Melayu, 10/30 place

3

2009

Story telling competition in Bahasa Melayu, 8/30 place

4 Sepak Takraw (kickball), 3rd place, District tournament

5 Zone Track Game, First place

6 Scout Camping, 2nd place (Persembahan)

7 Scout camping, 5th place (group)

8

2010

Story Telling in Bahasa Melayu, 8/30

9 Sepak Takraw (Kick ball), First in Zone tournament

10 Zone Track Game, First place

11 Scout Camping performance, 2nd place, District level

12 Scout Camping, 5th place (group)

13 Hockey Competition, 3rd place, District level

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_school

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_school


Table 23: SK Sungai Perah UPSR Results, Year 2006-2010

YEAR Math English Science Bahasa Melayu (Comprehension)

Bahasa Melayu (Writing)

Average Score

2010 45.5% 18.2% 45.5% 45.5% 63.6% 43.66%

2009 62% 25% 75% 75% 62.5% 59.90%

2008 14.3% 6.7% 46.7% 76.9% 38.5% 36.62%

2007 50% 37.0% 50% 75% 75% 57.40%

2006 20% 40% 40% 80% 60% 48.00%

Average 38.36% 25.38% 51.44% 70.48% 59.92% 49.12%

If the passing mark is raised to 70 for an “A” grade, the cohort group would be described as performing well in Bahasa Malay reading and comprehension, however, they would need to improve in English, Mathematics, Science and Bahasa writing.

Since English is already a third language for the Orang Asli and Bahasa is their second language, Orang Asli learners may find it difficult to master English writing and speaking and Bahasa writing.

In comparing the planned UPSR targets (Table 24) with actual UPSR results (Figure 8) there is an upward trend in UPSR results from 2008 to 2010. Likewise there is improvement in the percentage of school attendance in Sungai Perah. In 2009, 82% of students enrolled attended classes; in 2010 it rose to 88%; and in 2011 it further increased to 92%. School interventions to prevent early school leavers have been successful given the 10% increase in class attendance.

Figure 8: SK Sungai Perah Attendance Rates


Table 24: School Improvement Plan. SK Sungai Perah, SY 2008-2012

YEAR UPSR score Student Attendance

Co-curricular Achievements

2012 60% 90%

2011 50% 90% Archery New Sports & International Sewang Dance

2010 35% 90% With co-curricular activities

2009 20% 85%

2008 45% 80%

School Graduates

The School is proud to have eight (8) Orang Asli graduates who are now employed in various professions in Malaysia. Some are working as nurses (2 graduates), a teacher at SK Pusing, hospital staff/aid, policemen (2 graduates), assistant lawyer in Ipoh, and an administrative assistant in the Ministry of Defense. Another 2 former students were accepted in the Universities of Utara, Malaysia and Sabah, Malaysia.

Teachers In SY 2011-2012, the school had a total of 17 personnel. The average age of the young teachers was 40 years old. Four teachers had a bachelor’s degree in education, 7 were graduates of technical courses, and 6 were non-teaching staff. The faculty was composed of 74% (11) male teachers and 26% (4) females as shown in the photo.

There were 6 classes and one remedial class managed by teachers, with an average class size of 11 students per year level. The teacher-student ratio was 1:1.

5. PROJECT SMaLL PROGRAM INTERVENTION Project SMaLL was implemented in two Orang Asli schools in Perak, Malaysia to strengthen the capabilities of school heads, teachers, parents and local officials in managing community partnerships, in engaging education stakeholders, and in preparing indigenous children for lifelong learning. The following are a summary of project activities conducted by SEAMEO INNOTECH for SK Sungai Perah and SK Chenderung Kelubi from SY 2010 to 2011:

5.1 School visit and consultation with stakeholders of SK Chenderung Kelubi, SK Sungai

Perah schools completed on February 17-18, 2011. Advocacy and consultation meetings with Ministry of Education and local partners were held to assess the basic needs of small schools, culminating in pilot site selection. The meeting held on February 17, 2011 was attended by 29 participants representing parents, Orang Asli community officials, MOE officials, Head Masters and teachers in Middle Perak District.on. In succeeding meetings, there were 18 participants from SK Chenderung Kelubi (February 18, 2011) and 19 participants from SK Sungai Perah (February 19, 2011). The participants in these two meetings were composed of 7 MOE officials also attended including representatives from Perak State Education Department (JPN),


Middle Perak District Education Office (PPD) and Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA), Village Heads and School-Teachers Representatives.

5.2 Project Orientation and Local Planning workshop was held to clarify and develop shared understanding of Project SMALL, its goal, focus, priorities and planned initiatives, and to explore areas of collaboration for the successful implementation of the project. This was participated in by stakeholders of the two schools, which included the following:

MOE representative/s from the Orang Asli Affairs Department; State, District, Village & School Level Officials covering the two beneficiary schools in Perak.

Parents of the students in two beneficiary schools.

Teachers and Headmasters of the two beneficiary schools

5.3 Capacity Development Interventions. A six-day Training Course on Collaborative Management was organized and facilitated by SEAMEO INNOTECH through the support of the Perak Provincial Education Service on February 21-25, 2011. A total of 17 participants completed the course, 9 teachers, 2 headmasters from SK Sungai Perah and SK Chenderong Kelubi Primary Schools, 6 MOE Officials from Middle Perak District Education Office, Education Planning and Research Division, Schools Management Division, Institute of Leadership Training, Policy and International Relations Division. The training aimed to accelerate the adaptation and/or integration of best practices on community engagement and multi-stakeholder partnerships for participatory, collaborative and effective management of small schools. The expected gain was enhancing the Orang Asli school-community integration plan. Specifically, it aimed to achieve the following objectives: (a) enhance core competencies vital to creating a supportive, safe, child-friendly and context sensitive learning environment as well as building and strengthening family, community, school partnerships; (b) build consensus and create a shared platform on how best to initiate, support and sustain community/village engagement and multi-stakeholder partnerships; and (c) enhance existing school strategic framework (vision, mission, guiding principles/values) and school development plans to ensure alignment with overarching educational goals of the country.

5.4 Action Plan Implementation by two pilot schools in Perak State. The two pilot schools were given one year to implement their action plan to improve the delivery of education services for Orang Asli learners with the help of parents and the community.

5.5 On-line coaching session. An on-line forum was set up using the SEAMEO INNOTECH i-Flex learning management system for Project SMaLL participants from Malaysia. All participants were enrolled to keep them updated through on-line service on the status of action plan implementation, and to share learnings and insights from actual field experiences. Guide questions for reflection were uploaded for the participants.


5.6 Action Plan Monitoring. Monitoring in Orang Schools in Perak State, Malaysia was conducted on September 19-23, 2011. This activity aimed to determine the extent of action plan implementation and to document best practices in managing small schools. Methodology used for data gathering included survey, focus group discussion and sharing of experiences with school-community leaders, teachers, and parents in applying the knowledge and skills learned during the training on collaborative management of small schools.

Education Programs Implemented in SK Chenderong Kulubi under Project SMaLL All teachers, including the headmaster, parents and village leaders of SK Chenderong Kelubi completed the six-day Training Course on Collaborative Management organized and facilitated by SEAMEO INNOTECH through the support of the Perak Provincial Education Service in February 2011. The training aimed to accelerate the adaptation and/or integration of best practices on community engagement and multi-stakeholder partnerships for participatory, collaborative and effective management of small schools. The expected gain was enhancing the Orang Asli school-community integration plan. After the training, the school together with the community prepared an action plan to create a supportive, safe, child-friendly and context sensitive learning environment as well as to build and strengthen family, community, school partnerships to achieve the vision, mission and goals of the school. Specifically, the action plan of SK Chendurung Kelubi under project SMaLL was focused on maintaining an open communication and improving the relationship between the school and the community. It also aimed to implement and foster cooperation programs between the school and the community as a foundation to improve students’ academic achievement. During the monitoring visit in September 2012, Orang Asli teachers and selected officials from the community, reported the following activities that they have implemented.

Parent-Teacher Monthly Discussion Program The school conducted a monthly meeting with parents and teachers to discuss results of the recently concluded examination for Orang Asli learners particularly for Year 6 aimed to determine if they were ready for secondary education.

Let`s Learn Together Class Program The school launched the “Let’s learn together class program” held every Saturday for Year 6 students. Several topics were discussed under this program, as follows: For Students: Tuition class, motivation, learning to score, action research, self-access

learning, multiplication, effective teaching and learning process, WAJA, planned scheme for Malay language, MASMATIK, PROTIM, vocabulary enhancement and planned homework.

For Teachers: action research and use of effective teaching and learning process For Parents: KEDAP or Adult Class held three times a week during Monday, Tuesday

and Thursday.


KEDAP: Adult Education Program for Parents This program was scheduled on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday every week. KEDAP aims to improve parents’ literacy, and enable them to assist in children’s education, improve pupil attendance and eradicate poverty. The curriculum focuses on functional literacy, basic literacy and numeracy, communication and social skills. Parents receive incentives for loss of income such as food, clothes, health, books and study visits. The adult class is conducted for 2 hours per day for 3 weeks, a total of 100 days a year. Through the adult class, parents are able to recognize the English alphabet and read simple sentences.

Traditional Handicraft Making This project is designed for parents to be able to demonstrate in schools how to make handicrafts using palm leaves. Classes are held during regular school days and during Adult Classes (KEDAP) for natural and indigenous parents and teachers in Chenderung Kelubi. When school monitoring visit was conducted in 2013, parents and teachers proudly showed their creativity in making handmade products using the palm oil leaves. A dedicated project team was formed to implement the above action plan on project SMaLL. The team was composed of the headmaster who served as the adviser, a chairman for administration, 2 chairpersons for PK HEM, 3 chairman for PK Koku, and a secretary. They also appointed a Master BI and 3 KEDAP Masters.

Success Story Since 2011, within a span of 4 years, the village of Chenderung Kelubi has shown improvements. The school population had increased from 153 to 170 Orang Asli children. There is also a Kemas (Jabatan Kemajuan Masyarakat) kindergarten for children between the ages of four and six, and further education is available in nearby towns. Some 90% of the Semai people live in brick houses with modern amenities and home appliances. Besides cultivating palm oil, many villagers have taken on other jobs to earn extra money. The village has been slowly transformed as a developed Malay settlement in Perak and has managed to advance economically with hard work, dedication and quality education as key factors (Chandran, Sheila, Perak Orang Asli Reaping the Benefits, March 2015).

The following case story demonstrates that with access to quality education and proper guidance from competent school teachers and enabling school leadership in SK Chenderong Kelubi, the Orang Asli children are able to develop their capabilities to succeed in life.

An Orang Asli girl from Kampung Chenderong Kelubi scored nine As in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination in 2014. Azfieza Laili, 18, is one of the 11,289 students who scored straight As (highest rating) and the first Orang Asli from Kampung Chenderong Kelubi to achieve this outstanding performance. Azfieza scored four As in Bahasa Melayu, History, Mathematics, and Physics, an A in Additional Mathematics and A- in English Language, Moral Education, Chemistry, and Biology. A bright student since primary school, she obtained seven As in the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) in 2012, and five As in the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) in 2009.


Azfieza studied between five and seven hours a day, remained always focused in class and asked for help from her teachers who provided guidance and support. Azfieza found Biology and English especially challenging but her classmates were willing to assist her, and group studies have been helpful to her too. She has been studying at the boarding school since Form 1. Her parents have sacrificed much for the sake of her schooling, and have always encouraged her to study hard, instilling in her the importance of education. She managed to excel in school but also has found time to help with her father’s oil palm plantation during school holidays. She intends to pursue a degree in petroleum engineering at Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Tronoh, Perak. Azfieza believes that the secret of her success is pure hard work and concentrating on her lessons in class.

Education Programs (School Action Plan) Implemented in SK Sungai Perah under Project SMaLL For AY 2011, the school developed and implemented monthly activities to ensure the active participation of Orang Asli parents and students, as shown in Table 25 below.

Table 25: SK Sungai Perah, Monthly Activities for AY 2011

All teachers, including the headmaster, parents and village leaders of SK Sungai Perah completed the six-day Training Course on Collaborative Management which generally aimed to develop the competencies of the school-community in creating a supportive, safe, child-friendly and context sensitive learning environment as well as in building and strengthening family, community, school partnerships to achieve the vision, mission and goals of the school. Specifically, SK Sungai Perah aspires to be a catalyst for the development of students’ mind and their scientific awareness among the Orang Asli/aboriginal communities. To realize this vision, the following action plan developed during the training on collaborative management of small schools was implemented and completed by SK Sungai Perah under Project SMaLL.

MONTH ACTIVITY (2011)

January Parent and Student Motivation

February Teachers and Parents Society –AGM

March Operational Target Increment (OTI) 1 Test

April World Book Day

May Mid-Year Examination

June Annual Sports Day

July UPSR Trial Examination

August Pre-UPSR Examination

September UPSR Public Examination

October School Tour to Ipoh

November Annual Awards Day

December Family Day


GOAL 1. The first goal was Academic, i.e., to improve writing skills of students.

The specific objectives were:

Improve students’ vocabulary by acquiring a set of vocabulary in class.

Improve students’ skills in writing sentences by constructing a few simple sentences during teaching and learning session.

Improve students’ skills in writing an essay by constructing a paragraph of an essay in the class.

GOAL 2 was also Academic, i.e., to enhance Reading, Writing and Calculating through a Remedial Class.


Improve students’ reading skills by reading 10 words, 1 sentence and 1 paragraph a day.

Improve students’ writing skills by writing a sentence and a paragraph a day.

Improve student’s math skills by calculating 10 questions for level 1 and 20 questions for level 2 a day.

Improve study habits by preparing a Pupil’s Study Timetable together with parents The following activities were conducted:

A study timetable workshop was held on 7th April 2011 for the pupils and their parents to enable them to make their own study timetable for a week. The workshop was carried out by the teachers of SK Sungai Perah.

A remedial class was held to improve the students’ skills in reading, writing and calculating. In this program, students were able to: Read ten (10) words, four (4) sentences and one (1) paragraph a day. Write four (4) sentences and a paragraph a day. Answer ten (10) questions for level one (1) and twenty (20) questions for level two

(2) a day.

GOAL 3 was Behavioral, i.e., to improve attendance and discipline.


Attain zero absenteeism through house visitation and mentor-mentee approach

Reduce incidence of discipline-related problems

Ensure school safety at all times through emergency preparedness such as conduct of fire drill as a precaution and preventive measure.

Activities pursued to achieve these goal and objectives were as follows:

a. Reducing Absenteeism

Pupils were motivated by teachers weekly.

Parents were letters by the school if their children were absent, requesting to come to school to meet with the principal.


The Student Affairs/Teacher visited absentee students’ houses, to motivate and invite the pupils to return to school.

b. Discipline

The school held an activity to motivate student, and ton give good advise on discipline.

The school improved its monitoring by enforcing good school habits and attitudes.

The school improved management by conducting department heads meetings every Monday to discuss problems on students affairs.

c. Safety

The school conducted fire demonstrations regularly, once in three months and once in six months with the help of fire and rescue department.

GOAL 4 addressed the Climate of Partnership, i.e., building Community Strength.


Build community awareness through brainstorming, constructing community vision and mission, together with the Parents Teacher Association.

Build family awareness through after school activities with parents and family motivation.

Enhance community knowledge by: 1) opening an English class for the community, 2) preparation class for students handled by community, and 3) remedial class conducted by the community.

The activities performed were:

Training village teachers to enable them to carry out remedial classes every Sundays and Mondays.

Organizing Wawasan Community Classes by engaging 3 village teachers to help students who were unable to master reading and writing. Classes were held in the school during weekends and evenings on Sundays (10-11 am), Mondays (7-8 pm), Fridays (7-8 pm) weekly from August to December 2011.

Monitoring Wawasan/remedial program in cooperation with the Deputy President of Parents Teachers Association (PTA). The Wawasan class/students were divided into lower, intermediate, and intermediate groups.

Implementing the English community class for 16 parents conducted every 3 months on Wednesdays for 1 hour

Conducting “One Malaysia” aerobic session twice a year opened for all school-community members and stakeholders every Saturday.

Organizing a community motivation session held on November 11-12 at Ulu Kenas Resort, Kuala Kangsar in partnership with the parliament of Parit. This program aimed to motivate parents to become good parents to their children and members of the community.


Launching the community’s vision and mission inaugurated by the PTA and Parit Parliamentary Representative, Drs. Mohd Nizar Bin Zakaria. The vision was to improve the community’s strength and involvement in achieving their vision and mission.

Organizing an English Language Community Class every Wednesday at from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. A teacher (Pn Jayakumary) was assigned to teach parents on vocabulary, reading and writing.

Launching “One Malaysia Aerobic Session” on July 2, 2011 and October 15, 2011. This program was introduced to the school‐community to promote healthy lifestyles through daily exercises for the purpose of keeping them fit and active.

GOAL 5 focused on Academic Program, i.e., improve Writing Skills in English.


Improve students’ writing skills by giving them one word a day in English class.

Improve student’s writing skills by constructing sentences based on words given and a picture.

Improve students’ skills by constructing a paragraph or an essay.

The following are the results of interventions:

Given the remedial classes (i.e., Writing Skills in English), the Orang Asli learners’ performance in English was below 80 (A). Based on the UPSR results in 2011, only 7 out of 69 Orang Asli students obtained passing scores, with most scores ranging ranging from B to C. The result showed the influence of cultural issues. Semai language was the native language for students. In contrast, the Malay Language (BM) was the second language which is more significantly used in the classroom. The UPSR results imply that teachers needed to work hard to ensure that all students succeed.

The table shows the UPSR exam results of 7 students after taking remedial classes. Five students (71.42%) obtained passing scores of B and C for OTI-2, 3 and 4, while 4 students (57.14%) attained a passing score of B and C in OTI -1. However, there were no data on the results for the remaining Orang Asli students. Interviews revealed that it was difficult to motivate the Orang Asli learners to take the examination who had various reasons for avoiding them.

Table 26: UPSR Exam Results, SK Sungai Perah


6. CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES

Challenges facing the Orang Asli are multidimensional which require attention to the curriculum, pedagogical skills of teachers, the social-cultural environment, and strategies to reduce the risk factors associated with dropping out, particularly in improving the Orang Asli students’ attitude towards schools and their exposure to the outside world. The following information were gathered from the consultation meetings, training and monitoring activities conducted in the two pilot schools in Malaysia. It has identified the contributing factors that explained why the pilot schools performed better and the continuing challenges the Orang Asli schools faced with or without the aforementioned innovations or Project SMaLL interventions. The Success Factors

a) Full government support to inclusive education

a.1 Increasing Local Autonomy and Flexibility In light of the current national development priorities, the Malaysian Government’s New Economic Model focuses on improving skills needed by a knowledge-based society for inclusive and sustainable economic growth. As a consequence, Malaysia needs a high performing educational system that is inclusive, and yet cost-efficient in developing a knowledgeable society with broad skills ranging from higher order thinking skills to well-developed social and life skills for attaining inclusive and sustainable economic growth. This implies that the content of education does not only needs to be in tune with the demands of the labor market and the economy, but must also contribute to reducing inequities and increasing broader socio-cultural outcomes including sustained national unity without compromising cultural and social diversity. The Malaysian government has made a commitment to allocate resources and develop sound and effective policies in reaching the EFA goals. Thus, many of the education issues, remaining gaps and emerging challenges have been addressed in the Malaysia’s Education Blueprint for the next ten years which aims to turn Malaysian schools into a high performing educational system. The new vision centers around improving the quality and effectiveness of education with a focus on developing the competencies of teachers and school leaders, as well as implementing measures of transferring responsibility and decision-making from the central Government to the schools and the district education offices, thereby allowing increased local autonomy and flexibility. Mechanisms for strengthening accountability, increasing transparency, and parental involvement are essential. In line with Vision 2020, there is more emphasis on higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in the national curriculum in order to develop more “first class talents” or 21st century learners not only in regular schools but also in all Orang Asli schools.


a.2 School Leadership (National, Sub-National and School Levels) The Institut of Aminuddin Baki (IAB), a premier center for training and development of school leaders has designed a program to improve the competencies of school heads in managing Orang Asli schools. Aside from this, IAB offers courses in managing negative perception towards Orang Asli. The course runs for about 3 to 5 days and includes competency development in the areas of communication, understanding the aboriginal communities particularly their social life, and possessing the right attitude. Mr. Sulaiman of the MOE considered school leadership as a high factor for SK Chenderong Kelubi’s success. The school head and teachers need to be competent in planning, leading and managing the different school programs and projects. Mrs. Arba Atun, Officer of Perak State Education Department, mentioned that one of the roles of the Ministry is to make sure that all school activities, including those organized by the state, are well participated by parents and other members of the communities. One concrete example of an activity is the motivation camp led by the State Education Department. During this activity, students are provided with techniques in answering tests and several academic drills (Source: Project SmaLL Monitoring Report, 20-22 September 2011).

a.3 Support to Teachers of Orang Asli Schools According to Mrs. Mrs. Arba Atun, the two pilot schools of Project SMaLL being Orang Asli schools receive all necessary resources from the government in Peninsular Malaysia and other sectors. The hardworking teachers assigned in remote areas are given special allowance based on locations and the level of hardship experienced in the villages. The farther the area is, the higher the allowance. Basic facilities are provided in the schools such as supply of electricity, telephones, clean water and housing for teachers, as needed. The Ministry encourages all teachers to serve Orang Asli schools and communities. Teachers who are posted in said schools undergo a short course on the local dialects and culture. They are provided with books and links to useful websites. They also participate in educational and motivational camp, a 2-day, 3-night activity funded by JAKOA. The activity includes trips to certain towns, museums and other cultural places (The “Orang Asli” Education in Malaysia - A Success Story).

b) Exclusive Education System for Orang Asli children

All parents who participated in the consultation meetings with SEAMEO INNOTECH on February 19, 2011 said that they were very proud that they had their own school facilities in their village. It was accessible and easily reached from their homes.


They also specially appreciated the fact that they had sufficient number of well-trained, competent teachers and a good teaching/learning program which they felt sure would prepare their children for a better future and open up opportunities for them.

To further motivate the learners to go to school, the State provided a bus for the school children. Internet connection was made available in most residences to encourage pupils to use technology in doing their homework.

Essentially, parents dream that their children will do well in school and that they can move on to secondary school. They also dream that their children will have a more comfortable life and a better future, and that they will have less difficulties and challenges in life. Parents say that these are the reasons why they continuously encourage and motivate their children to study, do well in school and plan ahead to finish their studies with good grades.

However, changing lifestyles and demands have brought indigenous children from remote villages to boarding schools. The Orang Asli are encouraged to send their young children to boarding schools away from their villages due to lack of amenities in their own areas. Parents were asked during a consultation meeting with SEAMEO INNOTECH in the village school (SK Sungai Perah) about Orang Asli children who went to boarding schools at the secondary level. The parents disclosed that a number of those who start in secondary school end up coming home because they prefer to work right away to earn more money. This becomes the reason of parents who pull their children out of school. They said that those who complete their high school education are usually high performing students who come from economically well-off Orang Asli families whose parents had higher education and are not the typical Orang Asli.

Other reasons cited for Orang Asli parents not sending their children to secondary school is the distance of the school and the fear that parents have about the safety of their children. Others would not send their children to boarding schools as they are still young and still need their parents. This fear is heightened by the fact the parents are not allowed ro regularly see and have weekly visits or more frequent visits. The representative from the MOE explained the reasons for these arrangements and assured the parents that children were safe in these boarding schools.

Some Orang Asli parents want their children to have a good education and to go to university. They are willing to make sacrifices and send their children to boarding schools. A school teacher who had gone through challenging times in completing his own education, shared that the inspiration and support of the school community and teachers is a very powerful mechanism for encouraging Orang Asli students like himself to pursue his education.


It has been estimated that, without any subsidy or other financial support, a parent will need RM100.00 to RM150.00 per school-going child. With most families having several schoolgoing children at a time, sometimes as many as 4 or 5, Orang Asli parents would need a sizeable amount of funds at the start of the school year. This is where the problem becomes more serious: the start of the school year (Source: Nicholas, Colin: The State of ORANG ASLI EDUCATION and its Root Problems, 2006).

c) Delivery mode adapted to student’s learning needs

The quality of education for Orang Asli children depends on, among others, the degree to which the teachers have the flexibility of adjusting the content to suit the learners’ needs. For example the school integrates the importance of varied sports activities in the curriculum. Taking study or review lessons after classes has not been inculcated as a habit among Orang Asli learners because their way of life is inclined towards physical development. They are better motivated to come to school for sports such as handball, netball, road run). Therefore, they excel mostly in sports and co-curricular activities.

There seems to be an improvement in the enrolment rate of children in the two pilot schools from SY 2011 to 2012. This is an encouraging sign that the efforts of reaching the indigenous communities with programs more suitable for their needs have been fruitful.

Likewise, the enrolment of non-Asli students in the pilot schools has been increasing due to the school’s achievements in academic, co-curricular and, most of all, sports activities. For the past four years, the school received the following awards: Excellent School - 2008; Innovative Teachers (Years 5 & 6 English Peer Teaching); Story Telling; Sailing (5th placer, State and National Level in 2009); Hand Ball, Netball and Road Run – 1st to 3rd placers at the District and State levels.

d) Presence of Supportive Mechanisms

Mr. Aba Samad, MOE official, affirmed that the training on collaborative management of small schools provided them new knowledge, awareness and understanding of the Orang Asli learners and their learning needs. He compared the two Orang Asli schools in Perak with those in Lay Lamay and maintained that the former are more progressive. Life in Perak is easier and the parents, who work in towns, are more open-minded.

In support of this statement, Mr. Sulaiman, another MOE official, added that in Peninsular, most schools are accessible. In just about half a day, one can reach the schools, unlike in Sabah where one has to face the ordeal of crossing rivers.

According to Mrs. Arba Atun, SK Chenderong Kelubi is the number one school besting eight other Orang Asli schools in Perak. Kelubi’s success can be attributed to several factors. First, the school is very accessible to students. Second, most


parents work in towns and are therefore, more exposed to, and receptive of, modern living. They ensure that their children are in schools. Third, the teachers are very hardworking. Lastly, Kelubi, being an Orang Asli school, receives all necessary resources from the government and other sectors.

During the monitoring visit, one parent shared that she was happy to see that her child could read, write and count in Bahasa Malay. The children liked their teachers and they did their homework. She said that before, her child was lazy to go to school, but has now become eager to go to school.

SK Chenderong Kelubi provides uniform, food allowance, facilities and books. Students receive everything they need to learn. Children are treated equally. They are trained on how to get A’s prior to examinations (“learning to score in English”). They are taught how to answer questions and construct a sentence in English. Teachers conduct extra exercises for science and mathematics for low performing students who are not good in mathematics. In this way they are not afraid to go to secondary school.

e) Existing Viable Education Solutions

The following on-going programs were further strengthened by Project SMaLL in terms of motivating and increasing the level of engagement of parents and the community using the strategies taught to all school directors, parents and teachers on how to enhance the family-school and community relationships. These strategies on school-community partnership were anchored on the framework developed by Joyce Epstein of Johns Hopkins University which was introduced by the project during the training on collaborative management of small schools.

Joyce Epstein has developed a framework for defining six different types of parent involvement. This framework assists educators in developing school and family partnership programs to help all youngsters succeed in school and in later life. The school teachers, principals, parents and the community were trained by the Project on the practices or activities to describe the involvement more fully including the challenges inherent in fostering each type of parent involvement as well as the expected results of implementing them for students, parents, and teachers. The following information is excerpted from Epstein's work.


The Six Types of Parental Involvement (Joyce Epstein)

Source: http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Types_of_Involvement(2).pdf

e.1 School Feeding. The level of nutrition at home plays an important role in the mental and physical development of Orang Asli pupils. Parents considered special the school feeding program wherein children from families with lower income were provided with meals while they were in school. They felt that this served as an incentive for parents to send or keep their children in school as well as for the children to want to come to school. e.2 KEDAP Program. In 2008, the Ministry of Education launched the Adult Class for Indigenous Parents or Kelas Dewasa Ibu Bapa Orang Asli dan Peribumi (KEDAP) program throughout the country to teach basic literacy skills (Bahasa and mathematics) among parents and adults of Orang Asli communities. The government provides the participants with allowances, meals and school supplies as part of its overall effort in eradicating hard-core poverty through education.

1. PARENTING: Help all families establish home environments to support children as students Parent education and other courses or training for parents (e.g., GED, college credit, family

literacy). Family support programs to assist families with health, nutrition, and other services. Home visits at transition points to pre-school, elementary, middle, and high school.

2. COMMUNICATING: Design effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school communications about school programs and children's progress. Conferences with every parent at least once a year. Language translators to assist families as needed. Regular schedule of useful notices, memos, phone calls, newsletters, and other

communications. 3. VOLUNTEERING: Recruit and organize parent help and support.

School and classroom volunteer program to help teachers, administrators, students, and other parents.

Parent room or family center for volunteer work, meetings, resources for families. Annual postcard survey to identify all available talents, times, and locations of volunteers.

4. LEARNING AT HOME: Provide information and ideas to families about how to help students at home with homework and other curriculum-related activities, decisions, and planning. Information for families on skills required for students in all subjects at each grade. Information on homework policies and how to monitor and discuss schoolwork at home. Family participation in setting student goals each year and in planning for college or work.

5. DECISION MAKING: Include parents in school decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives. Active PTA/PTO or other parent organizations, advisory councils, or committees for parent

leadership and participation. Independent advocacy groups to lobby and work for school reform and improvements. Networks to link all families with parent representatives.

6. COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY: Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development. Information for students and families on community health, cultural, recreational, social

support, and other programs or services. Information on community activities that link to learning skills and talents, including

summer programs for students. Service to the community by students, families, and schools (e.g. recycling, art, music,

drama, and other activities for seniors or others)

http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Types_of_Involvement(2).pdf


A convocation that recognizes all graduates is held at the end of the program. In the two pilot schools which have the KEDAP Advance program, teachers assist parents to acquire basic literacy and English in the hope that they will impart what they learned to their children and encourage them to stay in school. Other technical assistance that MOE supervisors provide include monitoring of programs and making sure that things are carried out as planned, and implementing teacher’s training for KEDAP Program. According to teachers, the program has brought many positive changes to participants: they are more articulate, more concerned about their personal appearance, and eager to attend classes. Their children are also more motivated after noticing their parents’ enthusiasm. Due to positive feedback about this program, efforts to expand access should be encouraged, and prevailing issues need to be addressed. These include the need to improve teaching modules and methodology, and the need to resolve some of the transport problems, due to the distance and cost of travelling. The participants also expressed their desire and interest for an extension of the classes beyond the basic 3 Rs (International Journal on School Disaffection, 2011). e.3 KEMAS LEADS/Outreach Program. To address the needs of the Orang Asli community that were not covered by the KEDAP-KPM program, the Department of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA) under the MoRRD initiated its own literacy program called the KEDAP-JAKOA program in 2013 with an allocation of RM 4.82 million. JAKOA adapted the KEMAS’s LEADS program and recruited facilitators from the indigenous community. Facilitators were required to have a minimum SPM or Malaysian Higher School Certification to be qualified and should have attended the training organized by JAKOA to be eligible to conduct the KEMAS LEADS classes. In 2013, a total of 2,465 Orang Asli adults from all over the country have attended these classes. Continuing education for adults in rural areas consists of a diverse set of education and training programs in human development such as family well-being, basic leadership and management training, livelihood skills in sewing, cooking and personal grooming. e.4 The LINUS Program which has shown significant impact in reducing the learning deficit of students in the early years of primary school should be further strengthened. The program enables every child in the mainstream to complete his/her lower primary education with mastery in Bahasa Malaysia (BM) literacy and numeracy. In 2013, English literacy was added to the program. To facilitate the LINUS program a professional assistant is stationed at every District Education Office and is monitored by the school Inspectorate and Quality Assurance. The implementation of LINUS showed encouraging success when BM literacy improved from 87 percent to 98 percent, and numeracy increased from 76 percent to 99 percent for the first cohort (2011). By end of Grade 3, students are expected to read, write and grasp words and simple sentences, and apply the knowledge in their class and daily communication.


f) Monitoring Results:

After almost 9 months of implementing the school’s action plan on Project SMaLL, SEAMEO INNOTECH returned to the 2 pilot schools to interview the Orang Asli parents in September 2012. SEAMEO INNOTECH’s project team conducted a focus group interview with parents of SK Chenderong Kelubi about their 1) perception of the school performance; 2) student’s performance; 3) relationship wit school teachers; 4) parents’ role and and other stakeholders’ contribution in improving Orang Asli students’ learning outcomes; 5) 3 things/wishes that would enable their school to become even more vibrant and truly a knowledge center in which great learning takes place among Orang Asli children. Results of the focus group discussion were as follows: 1. Feedback from the MOE

Mrs. Adibah Hussein, the assigned MOE coordinator congratulated the village school, SK Chenderong Kelubi for its exceptional performance. The school has moved from band 5 to band 4. She mentioned that as Project SMaLL intervention will end in 2012, she expressed hope that it will be sustained by the school and the community.

2. Parents’ Feedback during the 2012 monitoring visit in SK Chenderong Kelubi

2.1 School’s Current Performance

Parents felt that the school was the best in their locality, with all basic facilities the school had for their children. Parents expected the school to give the best education and knowledge in terms of 3Rs to their children. They have discovered that education plays an important role in upgrading their life.

They were happy too that the school has continued to find ways to upgrade the quality of education for Orang Asli. They hoped the school would continuously help their children excel in their academic performance. The parents wanted their children to improve their future through education.

2.2 Students’ Performance

Parents shared that they have observed significant changes in their children in many ways after the implementation of Project SMaLL action plan in 2012: Children became more disciplined, sociable, and understood their

responsibilities as students. Children realized that education was important in everyday life and in

being successful in life. Children could face the outside environment more readily than before.


2.3 Relationship with Teachers

Relationship of parents and teachers are enhanced during informal discussions especially during the time when parents wait to pick-up their children in school. Parents’ communication with teachers has been excellent as they are ready to help and can be approached at any time by parents. Parents and teachers work together to motivate their children and to address education issues that arise. School teachers are like family to the community. ”We had a very close relationship,” according to a parent.

2.4 Role of Parents and the Community

The following excerpts were taken from Malaysia parents during the monitoring visit:

Parents compared themselves to a book; without the aid of a book or without parental support, is equivalent to not going to school, which is not a good thing. Parents did not like their children to become like them who were not able to get well-paying jobs because they were illiterate. Parents have realized that they have great responsibility in terms of motivating their children to go to school, to understand school better and what school offers in terms of personal development, and to learn skills for survival.

Parents of SK Chenderong Kelubi have participated in the school’s pilot program for Year 6 “Let’s learn together” held every Saturday. Parents can learn the 3R’s together with their children. They observe that their children have become more attentive about schoolwork and motivated to study. Parents suggested that the “Let’s learn together” classes be sustained and be implemented at all levels slowly, and to provide them at the beginning of the school year.

Parents also feel good when they are invited or called to attend functions and activities organized by the school. Parents’ involvement in school activities has increased from month to month. With the increase in parent involvement in PTA meetings and school activities such as sports day among others, they are given opportunities to discuss how to help upgrade school services for their children.

To encourage more parents to participate, it has been suggested by the participating (active) parents that they need to show their persistence to learn for other parents. In this way, other parents will be encouraged to play active role in PTA activities. Aside from parents, the school also needs to tap the assistance of NGOs, foundations and political personalities to raise additional funds for school operations and innovations.


2.5 Parents’ Wishes for School Improvement

Parents think that the number of teachers is not enough, so they wished that the administration send more teachers to help spur academic achievement in the school. The parents and village officials have expressed willingness to allocate a piece of land for the building to house a computer laboratory.

The parents wish to have a computer laboratory in school so that their children can become IT savvy. This will energize and bring in new life to the school. The computer laboratory can be shared with the community like those found in other rural areas where there is a computer laboratory for use of the community. Both parents and students can be exposed to computer usage.

3. Parents’ Feedback during the 2012 Monitoring Visit in SK Sungai Perah

3.1 School’s Current Performance

Parents have appreciated the fact that the school gives quality education to their children. Education programs and activities are organized by the school to enable the people in the community to be exposed to relevant learning and be educated in order to see a better future ahead.

The school makes certain that the community is not left behind and continues to develop.

3.2 Students’ Performance

Parents have observed that their children before their attending school were spending their time just playing. But now they have the ability and skills to survive. They have become more disciplined and more receptive toward their parent’s advice. They have learned to organize their schedules for study and play. Parents have acknowledged the importance of following schedules developed by their children. It has guided and motivated them to study and to become clever in many things in life.

3.3 Parents’ Perception of School Teachers

Parents have also appreciated the role of teachers as a constant source of motivation for their children to do their best and to spur learning.

Parents and the school have a continuing communication and interaction all year round and teachers can be easily reached by parents.

3.4 Role of Parents and the Community

The parents’ role is to remind their children about the importance of education and of following daily schedule in school and at home.


Parents believe that their children should get the same education as the children in other regular or non-Orang Asli schools.

Most parents are supportive of the school because they have come to realize the importance of education in life. When the school invites parents for activities, most parents go to the school to help out. Parents usually come a day before the activity to clean the school and to help with the food preparation. They will most likely remain supportive of any school program or activity for the improvement of the lives of their children.

Most parents are actively engaged during sports day celebration where they, the students and the teachers have a chance to mingle together during the event.

Parents are happy that the parliamentary representative (congressman) is always available when invited to grace important events in school and that he provides financial support to some of the school programs.

3.5 Wishes for School Improvement

Parents wish that the school develop to reach the same level as other schools, equipped with modern facilities such as computers, and thereby help improve their children’s academic performance.

Parents offered the following suggestions to improve the school-community partnership: Hiring of at least one ethnic teacher in the school, as most of their children

do not understand the national language (Bahasa Malay). More meaningful relationship if the school by inviting parents regularly to

discuss issues about their children’s education. Having more outreach programs to encourage other parents who are not

supportive of their children’s education, inviting them to participate in sports activities to get them acquainted with the school and teachers.

Holding more PTA meetings that are informal, in addition to quarterly PTA meetings.

Conducting computer literacy classes because while there is a computer but this is not enough for all students and also employing an ICT teacher to teach the children how use the computer in enhancing their learning.

The Challenging Factors

The following issues and challenges were generated during the series of meetings with key stakeholders: MOE staff, school teachers, parents and students of SK Chenderong Kelubi and SK Sungai Perah, the two pilot schools. Other issues were taken from the pilot schools who participated during the consultation meetings prior to the action plan implementation.


a. Leadership Issues

During the implementation of Project SMaLL, there was a turn-over of leadership. At the time of the visit, the headmaster of SK Chenderong Kelubi was newly assigned, having served only for 3 months at SK Chenderong Kelubi. Although, the headmaster was not able to participate in the consultation meetings and training on small schools management, he showed his support in the implementation of action plan under Project SMaLL by presiding over meetings about this project and other related school improvement activities.

In 2012, the incumbent headmaster was formerly assigned in SK Bandar Tua, serving for 3 months in the school; he only had 6 months of managerial experience and has been trained on school management prior to his assignment in SK Chenderong Kelubi.

Based on this experience, it could be deduced that quick re-assignment or turn-over of school heads in Perak State is happening within the Ministry. In fact, as of 2014, the headmaster of SK Chenderong Kelubi was again replaced by a new school head or Guru Besar En. Muhammad Aimaduddin B. Pandak Abdul Aziz (Source: http://skck8247.blogspot.com/p/sejarah-sekolah.html).

Given the high turn-over of school leadership, the school head has to face the challenge of establishing strong relationship between and among teachers, students, parents and the community. The headmaster narrated that the partnerships existing at the time of visit was only reactive and activity-based and not yet strategic nor forward-looking. The collaboration between the school and the community had not yet been optimized to reach the school based management goals. Plans to upgrade the academic programs through joint cooperation with the community had not been monitored after the action plan implementation of Project SMaLL has been completed in 2012.

b. Curriculum Issues

Orang Asli children live a different life and share different values compare to those who live outside their communities. The way Orang Asli children learn is different from the way urban children do, as the former learn through their indigenous language, arts, rituals, folk fore and taboos, which, unfortunately, is not guided by a fixed syllabus and timetable of learning (Karubi, Goy & Wong, 2011). This fact indicates that there is a need to customize Orang Asli chldren’s learning experience, so that they can benefit fully from the learning process. However, the rigid curriculum in the national school system practiced by the teachers has placed the Orang Asli students in a discouraging position (Nicholas, 2010). Thus, many Orang Asli children do not advance to higher levels of education, as their early year education experiences have been awkward and negative; they also tend to feel different and are not able to adapt and catch up with the learning syllabus in secondary school.

http://skck8247.blogspot.com/p/sejarah-sekolah.html


In another study, Abdull et. al. (2011) found that majority of the Orang Asli students have the problems of reading Bahasa Malaysia, the national language of Malaysia. The study measured the students’ ability by looking at the 3M, Membaca, Menulis, Mengira, which means reading, writing and arithmetic. The findings showed how the Orang Asli children did have literacy issues, and that the issues stemmed from a national curriculum that did not prepare them to adapt to education at secondary level.

To improve the basic literacy skills of the Orang Asli children and their parents, the following learning activites were implemented and strengthened by SK Sungai PErah and SK Chenderong Kelubi as part of their action plans on Project SMaLL:

Organizing and monitoring Wawasan Community Classes by engaging 3 village

teachers and the PTA to help students who were unable to master reading and writing. Classes were held in the school during weekends and evenings for one hour on Sundays, Mondays, Fridays every week.

Implementing the English language community class for parents conducted every 3 months on Wednesdays for 1 hour. A teacher was assigned to teach parents on vocabulary, reading and writing.

KEDAP or adult class was continued to improve parents’ literacy, and enable

them to assist in children’s education. The curriculum focuses on functional literacy, basic literacy and numeracy, communication and social skills.

c. Involvement and Support by Parents and the Community

All parents in the project consultation meeting in SK Sungai Perah have expressed that their present mode of communication with teachers is limited to meeting them during grading periods, at the beginning and end of the school year and when their children have problems. Nevertheless, they have observed that this was probably also due to the fact that not all parents are comfortable approaching teachers and/or knew what to do, how to effectively initiate conversations and interactions with teachers. They have felt that activities have to be undertaken so that parents can more confidently and regularly interact with teachers, outside the PTA meeting.

Mothers who participated in the consultation meeting rated parental involvement in school activities to be adequate or “just enough”. However, the mothers pointed out that there were still quite a significant number of parents that did not fully believe in the value of educating their children or sending their children to school.

These parents saw school meetings and school activities as either a waste of their time or as an opportunity loss, in terms of income they could have earned if they did not attend the meetings. Their final argument was that the absence of a number of invitees for the consultation meeting was proof that not all parents were actively participating and supporting the school.


Almost all parents pointed out that poverty was a major educational constraint, as Orang Asli parents often saw their children in terms of how much they could immediately contribute to the family income. They said that this additional income contribution of a child would become critically important especially in larger families. Thus, some parents were not fully supportive of the school and their children’s education due to economic concerns.

However, still, some parents did not want their children to be left out of school. Thus, these parents contiue to go to school to help out.

Also, during the project consultation meeting, the village chief was of the opinion that there were “hard headed” and “stupid” parents who refused to accept and recognize the value and benefit of education. He was quite passionate about his point of view. He claimed that in his exasperation, he would sometimes tell parents “You are stupid and your child will become stupid too, like you, if you don’t send him/her to school”.

When asked to recall children who had completed their schooling in the village school and had gone on to secondary (high school), parents were readily able to remember their names. However, they said that these high performing students most often came from more economically well-off Orang Asli families whose parents have had higher education of some sort and are not the “typical” Orang Asli.

Other reasons cited for Orang Asli parents not sending their children to secondary school is the distance of the school, and the fear that parents have about the safety of their children in the boarding school. This fear is heightened by the fact that parents are not allowed to regularly see their children or have frequent or weekly visits. The representative from the MOE explained the reason for these arrangements and assured the parents that children would be safe in these boarding schools. She also encouraged parents to consider vocational education for their children if they feel they are not academically prepared for regular secondary school. She further pointed out the benefits of completing vocational-technical training.

Through the KEDAP, more parents served as volunteers to teach extra classes, e.g., weaving as a livelihood education project. They also participated in “gotong-royong”sessions and chaperoning for school events. There are some inspiring stories from schools that show the dedication of parents to support schools.

d. Orang Asli Culture and Identity

MOE officials, educators, school directors and teachers have different perceptions and attitudes about relating with the Orang Asli. Some top officials who were invited during the consulation meetings as key informants and as keynote speaker during the training on Collaborative Management of Small Schools shared thay they felt Orang Aslis should forget their old customs and traditions and allow themselves to embrace the modern ways of thinking and living. The government encourages all citizens to think and act as “One Malaysia” regardless of creed, culture and tradition. The assimilation policy, however, will put the Orang Asli teachers and learners in a


dilemma for they might experience professional and social isolation if they do not integrate themselves in Malaysian society.

Having a pure Orang Asli school such as in the two pilot schools (SK Sungai Perah and SK Chenderong Kelubi) is advantageous as it avoids the incidence of discrimination and bullying. But for those Orang Asli children who attend the regular school and are mainstreamed to the public education system, are oftentimes bullied or ridiculed as a consequence of prejudice and ignorance of their origins and their culture.

During the consultation meeting with parents, they mentioned that bullying/making fun of/insults by non-Orang Aslis is another source of demotivation, Orang Asli parents have for discouraging their kids to complete primary/elementary education. Most Orang Asli children are able to cope with such treatment, but a significant number choose to leave school, usually in the early years, in order to avoid having to face such distressing behaviour from their non-Orang Asli peers. They choose to apply the “flee-rather-than-fight” attitude of their forefathers.

During the Project SMaLL consultation meeting with MOE District Officials, they disclosed the difficulty to convince Orang Asli parents to send and keep their children in school as one of the key challenges they face. Orang Asli children and their parents are skipping school particularly during the harvest season because this is the most important period in the life of poor Orang Asli families. Orang Asli usually have a large family size, hence they need to learn more to support their families. They benefit from the bounty of food as a cultural practice, but also cited as a reason for their ‘poor attitude’ towards education.

e. The Orang Asli Learners’ Attitude

The MoE has initiated several programs to address the challenges that these children face, including transportation problems, and to make education more relevant for their needs. However, Orang Asli students still drop out at the end of Grade 6 and before taking the SPM examination at Form 5 (Secondary Education).

According to interviews with the MOE staff, it has been observed that public examinations scare the Orang Asli students out of school. They tend to excuse themselves during examination day.

Other reasons for dropping out often cited by teachers are the Orang Asli children’s lack of interest in schooling, low academic achievement, poor memory, absenteeism, low motivation, lack of parental involvement, low income, poor health, and transportation issues.


Peer influence is also a factor because peers who drop out tend to affect pupils who want to go to school, who eventually might also be encouraged to drop out. Parents who were interviewed shared that a number of young Orang Aslis who dropped out from secondary school were supposedly the ones who taunt/tease kids still attending schools and would encourage them to just work right away so that they have more money.

Completing elementary education is crucial for the Orang Asli children for them to acquire the foundation skills necessary for higher level of education. Dropping out as a major hindrance to learning other skills does not exclusively rise from student factors but also from the motivation and support provided by teachers, parents, local community, and others who are responsible for Orang Asli education & welfare hese children.

From the interviews, teachers narrated their observations that Orang Asli pupils are not strong enough in terms of cultural learning. The pupils learn in school only, but learning does not take place at home because there is no motivation for them to review, do homework or study. Their parents do not play a complementary role in the learning process.

Some teachers had observed that sometimes a child did not attend school because he/she was not in the mood, and if were to attend school, he/she would prefer to have unstructured learning instead. Bright students were very creative in arts and drawing. They liked to imagine things and were very good in sports. Teachers likewise shared that students usually did not like studying history and English and Malay language because for them, these were foreign languages. Students who were interviewed expressed that they liked going to school because they would be able to see friends, because the school has a good playground and because there were a lot of things to do in school.

During the consultation, teachers shared that the Orang Asli pupils are much more sensitive than their urban counterparts. One teacher said, “You can’t discipline them in the same way as other students.” The teacher continued that if they were scolded, they tended to run away from school. Orang Asli parents did not scold their children if they skipped classes.


In the case of Malaysia, as a whole, students generally have their own text books and exercise books for the purpose of helping them study in school and do reviews at home. However, it is not the case in some Orang Asli schools, as students are sometimes not allowed to bring home text books and workbooks. According to teachers from SK Kebangsaan Senderut, many Orang Asli students are not capable of taking care of the books and reading materials. It was reported that if the students are allowed to bring these learning materials home, the materials are most likely be damaged or incomplete when they return them to school the next day. This attitude reduces opportunities for students to do homework and review after school (Source: http://www.academia.edu/10135683/Issues_of_teaching_and_learning_in_a_primary_school_of_Orang_Asli_A_case_study_of_Sekolah_Kebangsaan_Senderut_Kuala_Lipis_Pahang).

One MOE staff shared that he adopted a ten year-old Orang Asli and sent her to school. According to the staff, the child loves going to school (and is now in Year 4) but is quite lacking motivation to do homework. She liked to sleep a lot and played all the time when she was at home.

f. Contrast in Pedagogy and Culture

Oftentimes, the Orang Asli children lack preparation not only for formal education; they also are not prepared to speak the national language, Bahasa Malaysia, as their mother tongue is Orang Asli Semai. One of the main factors which slows down students’ learning process is the language barrier. Teaching Year 1 (Grade 1) students is very difficult when they are unable to speak Bahasa Malaysia. The school teachers and principals speak in Bahasa as it is the medium of instruction, but such communication could not be easily understood by Orang Asli learners. Language barrier is one of the reasons cited by teachers on why the Orang Asli children were not performing well and avoiding to take the written examination.

Thus, if the Orang Asli could not write and speak in Bahasa, then learning English as a third or even fourth language in school would be even more difficult. Teaching and learning English in the pilot schools in Perak State are fraught with intercultural misunderstandings and pedagogical complications, leading to poor performance of young Orang Asli learners of English. The learners are not able to cope with English because it is alien to them. So, there is a need to maximize the use of mother tonque as a bridging language based on the principles of multi lingual education.

In national schools, the medium of instruction is Malay, except for science and mathematics which have been taught through English since 2002. Any language can officially be used as the medium of instruction in the first year of kindergarten, while in the second year ten hours/week can be taught in any language, three hours/week must be taught in Malay, and two hours/week must be taught in English.

http://www.academia.edu/10135683/Issues_of_teaching_and_learning_in_a_primary_school_of_Orang_Asli_A_case_study_of_Sekolah_Kebangsaan_Senderut_Kuala_Lipis_Pahang




The Government does not discriminate nor does it prohibit the learning of any ethnic language as long as certain criteria are met according to the requirements specified by the Ministry of Education. Ethnic languages may be taught as subjects if there are at least 15 students at a school whose parents request that they study the language, if there is a teacher who can teach it, and if there are materials available. Community initiatives are very much encouraged, and therefore it is often left to the respective ethnic groups to develop and promote their own ethnic heritage languages. (Source: Improving the Quality of mother tongue-based literacy and learning: Case Studies for Asia, Africa and South America, UNESCO-APPEAL, p.75)

Some parents have observed that due to the miscommunication between teachers and students, in terms of instructions in classroom, such as “no talking in class” and “not leaving the classroom without permission”, some students have complained that they have been “punished” by their teachers.

If the mother tongue is not used in early grades and the teaching and learning activities are not related to student’s daily experience, this will make it more challenging for Orang Asli pupils to see the connections of academic subjects with their real-world experiences. They may feel alienated by certain content and learning activitie, like picnics by the beach, swimming, and survival in the forest that do not connect to their daily experience. Most Orang Asli live in settlements located in forests and they have never seen the sea. Children usually help in their family’s farm but do not trek in the deep forest because it is dangerous, according to their parents. As such, the village elders have said that today’s younger generation children are no longer trained in survival skills, unlike the older generation (Source: Instilling Literacy Through Developmental Module Approach (DMA); Mohd Hasani Dali, Towards Orang Asli Pupils in Malaysia [email protected] Joint AARE APERA International Conference, Sydney 2012).

As already mentioned, the teaching and learning of English in the pilot schools in Perak State have met setbacks in terms of intercultural misunderstandings and pedagogical complications, contributing to low performance among young Orang Asli learners particularly in English. Making education responsive to these learners will demand much of the teachers’ time because instruction will become a bit more complex as it seeks to respect, multilingual and multi-cutural contexts.

During the consultation with parents in the pilot schools, some parents seem to be less concerned about the importance of education due to socio-cultural and environmental barriers. Thus, Orang Asli learners are oftentimes not interested in English which is viewed as an alien (third) language for them, according to teachers, as reflected by the low passing rate of the two pilot schools in Perak State in the UPSR national examination.



The Orang Asli are ethnically and linguistically dissimilar to other ethnic groups (Joseph, 2008). Thus, the adoption of mother tongue is being recognized by the MOE. However, its implementation is inconsistent due to contrast in pedagogy and culture, and misalignment between the language of learning at home and the language of learning at school. The students learn Bahasa and English inside the class but they learn Semai after class and at home.

g. Early Childhood Care and Education

Orang Asli first-year pupils (Grade 1) were reported to be generally “slower” compared to other students because they do not have the exposure to learning opportunities that the latter have received. For example, not all Orang Asli children have the privilege to attend kindergarten before entering Primary 1, and therefore are not able to read and write when they enter Primary 1, let alone be conversant in Malay.

Also based on the Report of the Center of Orang Asli Concerns (COAC), Orang Asli children also do not have the advantage of accessing all sorts of educational toys or TV programs during their pre-school years. This puts them at a disadvantage compared to other students when they enter primary school.

h. Management Issues

Monitoring and Evaluation. Malaysia has implemented various strategies and initiatives to facilitate access to quality education for all. However, there is still a significant number of children not enrolled in basic education. Data available do not allow a breakdown of those children lagging behind. There are also limited data with regards to special programs targeting specific groups, such as the disadvantaged and the indigenous groups that have difficulties in accessing mainstream education. Lack of data management that goes beyond the EFA indicator framework and data processing has been a major constraint for evaluating the impact of the EFA strategies and monitoring progress particularly in remote schools. In terms of monitoring school, especially in remote areas, the MoE budget is not enough to reach all schools in these areas. Standards for Quality Education in Malaysia Schools (SKPM) and used for quality assurance and empowering schools, but not all schools have been able to implement SKPM. Some schools do not have enough awareness of the culture at the grassroots level, and therefore do not fully embrace the new initiatives of the MOE for the Orang Asli (EFA 2014 Report MOE Malaysia). MOE reports for Orang Asli schools disclosed a gender gap where girls consistently outperform boys. The difference in performance is already evident at UPSR level and increases over the course of a student’s academic career. Furthermore, boys are more likely to drop out at an early stage because subsistence is a family’s priority, leading to a situation wherein the male to female ratio for any given cohort decreases at higher levels of education. If this trend continues, the Orang Asli community may have more educationally marginalized young men.


Literature also suggests that the digital gap between the Orang Asli children and those living in communities external to theirs is widening, and that interventions have to be designed and monitored effectively to ensure the Orang Asli children will be able to perform at par with children from other parts of the country and the world.

Availability of Orang Asli Teachers. Few Orang Asli teachers are available and qualified to teach Orang Asli children in the pilot schools. There is only one Orang Asli teacher in each pilot school. JAKOA, a department that was established to take care of the welfare of aborigines in Malaysia, has claimed that there are a number of Orang Asli teachers in the country. These Orang Asli teachers, however, sometimes prefer to be assigned in other places because they are aware of the difficulty of teaching the Orang Asli children. In addition, they want to be exposed to, and to experience other things, people and places.

7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CASE EXPERIENCE OF MALAYSIA

In Malaysia, small schools are not only found in remote rural areas but may also be seen among urban schools with a decreasing population (i.e., under-enrolled school). A small school is one designed to accommodate a specific population of students and their unique needs such as the indigenous people of Malaysia. Malaysia’s progress in reaching its disadvantaged indigenous communities can be attributed to its policy and curriculum framework as well as its deliberate actions. The challenges that education system is facing can be seen in the light of constraints and unresolved policy and curriculum issues, school management, and quality of teaching and learning. Giving quality education to ‘difficult to reach’ poor children is a solution that takes serious political will, commitment, clarity of purpose and planning to enable an indigenous segment of the population such as the Orang Asli people to gain access to quality education enjoyed by the more advantaged children in the mainstream. Crucial towards the holistic development of Orang Asli is the involvement of family, school and community. The KEDAP program would have better results in terms of parental involvement with their children’s education if parents can spend more time with their children instead of having to be absent from home after school in order to earn a living. There is also a need for a nationwide dropout prevention network in which the sharing of new knowledge of best practices concerning the education of disadvantaged are shared. Through the initiatives of Project SMaLL, the journey towards achieving equality of educational access and quality for all indigenous people can be sustained through a serious concerted effort by all relevant stakehholders. Below are some of the recommendations towards this end:


7.1 The Policy and Legal Framework The achievements in the education sector in terms of reaching the EFA goals are, to a large extent, due to the government’s political commitment to education and the elaborate policy and planning framework, as well as the legal actions initiated to protect the rights of minorities, and those with special educational needs. Some of these actions include the Aboriginal Peoples Act of 1954. The legal framework has also been used as an instrument for quality assurance by regulating the provision of educational services and making the national curriculum mandatory in all primary schools. With only few enrollees, small schools in general tend to have lesser budget compared to big schools with over a thousand pupils. But, in Malaysia, it is the policy of the government to provide adequate safe schools in all parts of the country, be it rural or urban, small or big schools. It is costly to construct and maintain schools and basic infrastructure in remote areas. Thus, small schools built by the government sometimes remain old, dilapidated and sub-standard, including the so-called boarding schools. To address these issues, the government continuously provides better and cheaper school buildings (e.g., cabins), and upgrades school facilities and amenities such as electricity, water supply and other utilities. 7.2 School Management The Government’s commitment to education is evident by the large amount of resources allocated to the education sector, which has been around 21 percent of total federal spending, making it at a level well in line with international standards or guidelines. However, ensuring that spending on education become more cost-effective through more efficient allocation of resources within the sector has emerged as an issue, since educational outcomes in Malaysia, in comparison to those in other countries that spend relatively less, are not matched with the amount of federal spending. One possible explanation for the high spending is the centralized administration with similar staff levels across the different hierarchical levels (Federal, State and District), which, according to UNESCO Policy Review 2012, is also one of the largest central administrations in the world, “relative to the number of schools”. The MOE has recently restructured its administrative system to improve the delivery of education services. The Blueprint has recommended that the Ministry be downsized and play the role of strategist while the State Education Department, should also to be downsized and to function as the driver of the implementation of education policies. Emphasis is being given to the District Education Offices to carry the most important role, which is to support and mentor schools in achieving excellence and overcoming education disparities in schools. As reported in the Education Blueprint, the large number of programs, both academic and non-academic, has led to some schools losing focus. Moreover, limited use of data to inform decision-making, where monitoring is focused on process rather than outcomes, is seen as a hindrance for effective management. In addition, the occasional lack of coordination across key divisions creates overlaps or gaps in activities. Currently, financial and operational data are not linked and remain scattered across multiple platforms.


7.3 Quality of Instructional Management To improve Orang Asli education, the Ministry of Education need to develop an educational program molded around the special needs of Orang Asli, beginning with the hiring of qualified teachers trained to respect Orang Asli and their culture. As the number of Orang Asli teachers posted in Orang Asli schools is still small, the move to increase this is commendable to bring more local teachers who are familiar with the culture, tradition and problems of Orang Asli children. Furthermore, they can become role models for the children and guide them to succeed. To address the contrast in pedagogy and culture, there a is need to consistently align cultural factors with the education system such as curriculum content, relevance of subjects taught, indigenization of teaching materials, medium of instruction and learning, and recognition of indigenous traditions and learning systems. The alignment is crucial in ensuring that Orang Asli children are not left behind upon entering the national mainstream school system due to cultural disadvantage they suffer, compared to other communities who do not face this situation. Alignment is possible, if teachers are involved to a greater extent in policy making and if more participatory processes are used by teachers and school heads from different areas (e.g., indigenous communities and other underprivileged schools), and with focus not limited to high performing schools.

The pilot initiatives of the MOE proved to be effective in improving the quality of education in indigenous communities in Malaysia Peninsula and Sabah. For example, the adult literacy program for parents of the indigenous children has produced tangible results that are promising. However, these pilot programs must be institutionalized with sustainable financial support. This includes the adaptation of Orang Asli curriculum (KAP), outreach program (KEMAS-LEADS), school adoption by TEIs, expansion of comprehensive special program and parent and community involvement through KEDAP and other programs that aim to improve school attendance and literacy, to protect indigenous rights and to uplift their overall quality of life. Recommendations

While financial assistance is much needed in advancing the Orang Asli, it is not the only critical success factor. The government may introduce various policies and programs, or allocate millions of Ringgit for the purpose of Orang Asli education, but ultimately the existence of enabling factors is required in order for it to succeed in this endeavor. Good quality education arises from interactions between three enabling environments: policy, the school, and the home and community (Tikly and Barrett, 2010).


Hence, it is important that everyone involved has a clear idea of the programs and policies introduced by the government. The need to allow for stakeholders’ engagement in policy formulation and implementation cannot be overemphasized. This will not only address the ‘implementation gap’ between national policy and local level practice but also close ‘the expectation gap’ between the outcomes of education and what the Orang Asli communities expect education to deliver. With the involvement of and support from every stakeholder, it is not impossible to advance the Orang Asli in Malaysia (Journal of International and Comparative Education, 2012, Volume 1, Issue 2).

a. Increase Parental Engagement

One recommendation to increase parental engagement is to expand the KEDAP Adult Educatio Program for Orang Asli parents. Through this program parents from Orang Asli communities can learn English lessons and they, in turn, can support their children’s use of English in education.

Another recommendation is to provide counselling for parents who are not supportive of school activities. To a large extent, Orang Asli parents are left out of the education system. There may be some schools where parents are part of the Parent-Teachers Associations (PTAs) but their impact in these bodies is invariably negligible. In school communities where the dropout rate is highest, parents are more likely to be not involved at all. To advance the needs and aspirations of Orang Asli children, school heads and teachers must ensure that parents play an important role in the education process. For example, parents can provide valuable feedback to ensure safer and longer stay in school for their children.

Without formal involvement of parents in the education of their children, and in decision-making as well, it is likely that managing Orang Asli schools will be difficult and more complex. Thus, the school needs to make sure they provide information to parents who are interested and those who are not so interested. They need to learn how to make the school activities engaging enough for all parents to want to attend these activities. The parent’s right to participation cannot be realized without adequate information and the capability and resources to exercise it. Effective participation of Orang Asli parents and the community in decision making entails involvement in consultative mechanisms on issues that affect them, to enable them to develop their own initiatives. Since many indigenous groups are governed by traditional laws, respect for traditional governance and maintenance of their traditional structure is essential (Source: Ramy Bulan, PhD, Associate Professor, Director, Centre for Malaysian Indigenous Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, [email protected]).



It is recommended that parental involvement in the whole education process, including their ability to influence decisions as well, should be actively promoted. If this were to happen, parents would have access to more information about the various scholarship programs of the government or of other charitable bodies that award special educational grants for Orang Asli assistance. They will also be able to see to it that the MOE ensures that the school uniforms, text books and other supplies arrive on time, and in the right quantity and sizes. They will also be able to keep a check on the way the hostels are run and managed, address bullying in the schools, and correct prejudices if and when such situations come up. Parents should be allowed to continue to assume the responsibility of educating their children in school, as equal partners with the education professionals.

It would be easier for Orang Asli parents to visit their children if the hostels are relocated near the school building and not a distance away. In this way, teachers can closely supervise the activities of the pupils both in class and in the hostel.

It is also suggested that steps be made to motivate parents with low literacy to take a more active role in education. Some of these steps are the following: Ensuring a conducive learning environment, and excellent well-being for their

school children, Parents of the pilot schools felt that the school needed a more spacious science laboratory with more equipment. In addition, they thought that the school should have more computers and that there should be computer lessons for all grade levels.

Coming up with innovative activities and occasions to communicate with parents; and to celebrate important events with them.

Sharing good news, not just bad news with parents.

Designing homework as a means to build connections with parents and for

parents to better understand the work of their children.

Inviting interested parents to avail of scholarship and education programs for them.

Promoting family literacy programs designed to strengthen literacy skills of

both parents and their children and facilitate parental interest and ability to support their children’s learning.

Parents from the two pilot schools expressed the need to have English lessons not only for their children but also for themselves. In this way, they said, they could talk to their children in English and help them practice speaking it at home. Some mothers also felt knowing how to speak English would help them in terms of job opportunities or job promotion in their present jobs. Moreover, they also expressed an interest to learn about some core subject matter areas so they will be in a better position to assist and guide their children in their homework. They


felt that their children/other children may not do well in their homework because they did not have the knowledge and skills to help and guide their children, and/or monitor them closely. Some parents expressed the feeling that their children did not have enough assignment/homework and were still playing too much, an observation consistent with feedback from teachers on the low priority given to homework for Orang Asli students due to risk of loss of instructional materials.

b. Monitor and Address Access Barriers to School Attendance

Gaps in attendance may be addressed by modifying the school calendar in Orang Asli communities ensuring that the schedule of school holidays do not coincide with Orang Asli’s preferred time for holidays such as during the rice harvest or annual fruit season. While these events are applicable for the more traditional Orang Asli who still depend on the subsistence economy for most of their basic needs, the Orang Asli school children from this sector still represent a significant number of children at risk of leaving school early.

Orang Asli children experience breaks in their schooling (i.e. long absences from classes) for other avoidable reasons. The most common is the non-availability or the removal of the transport services from their homes to the school. Orang Asli parents from Temuan village in Ulu Batu, Selangor complained about irregular, or sometimes complete stoppages, of transport services that caused their children to miss much of their lessons.

One of the faults lies with performance lapses on its portal transport service provider. For instance, when the school bus was not operational due to lack of repair and maintenance, as what happened in the Chewong village in Kuala Gandah, Pahangfor four months, none of the Chewong children went to school.

Thus, while it is important to encourage Orang Asli children go to school, it is equally important to remove structural barriers to school attendance and to closely monitor student attendance to identify those at risk of dropping out and prevent early school leavers.

c. Develop a culturally-sensitive curriculum

The traditional Orang Asli education system has no fixed curriculum or syllabus, nor timetable or classroom for learning. Learning is treated merely as a process as part of becoming a good Orang Asli, not as a means of competing for the awarding of a certificate. The village is the schoolhouse, and the teachers are the child’s parents, siblings, uncles, aunties, grandparents, cousins, and neighbors. From the elders, the Orang Asli child learns about the riches of the environment, and how it will protect them as long they reciprocate the relationship. The usefulness of the products of the forest – for fuel, medicines, food, building materials, crafts, and for peace of mind – are continually shown to the child. The child itself is encouraged to use the forest as its playground. That the forest is a living entity, with a soul and spirituality of its own is also imparted to the child. Removing this dominion means


also removing the very basis of the fabric of Orang Asli society. The child believes in all these because the parents themselves believe them. (Source: The State of Orang Asli Education and its Root Problems; www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/images/articles/OA%20Education.pdf) The national school system tends to limit such cultural and variable educational experiences to a fixed curriculum, and fairly rigid modus operandi. For an Orang Asli child entering the school system for the first time, he/she is thrust into a new environment and has to deal with new people from differing cultures and values. This may comes as a shock to the child. Some children may be able to adapt, others may simply choose to withdraw (Source: The State of Orang Asli Education and its Root Problems;http://www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/images/articles/OA%20Education.pdf). To prevent this cultural shock, the MOE is being encouraged to review and redesign the administration of the school system to enhance its flexibility to make it appropriate for Orang Asli’s unique identity. In some Malaysian schools, parents play an active role as well. For the most part, the responsibility of educating the students is a task assigned to teachers. Unfortunately, such practice is in contrast to the traditional Orang Asli system where the learning process and method is multi-faceted and irregular. Through their indigenous language, a child is taught to be polite, considerate and amicable. Through their arts and crafts, the child learns that with creativity and effort, unlimited utility can be gained. Through songs and rituals, the child is reminded of the other world. And through its legends and folklore, pride and identity are instilled in being a member of the community (Source: The State of Orang Asli Education and its Root Problems, http://www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/images/articles/OA%

20Education.pdf). Hence, there is a need to align cultural factors so that they can also come into play in areas such as curriculum content, relevance of subjects taught, indigenization of teaching materials, medium of instruction, and recognition of indigenous traditions, knowledge and learning systems. The alignment is crucial in ensuring that Orang Asli children are not left behind upon entering the national mainstream school system due to cultural disadvantage when compared to the other communities. In view of the above concerns, the following recommendations are proposed:

Relevance of Subject Taught

Indigenization of Teaching Methods and Materials

http://www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/images/articles/OA%20Education.pdf



http://www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/images/articles/OA%25%2020Education.pdf

http://www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/images/articles/OA%25%2020Education.pdf


The study conducted by Abdul Sukor Shaari, et al (2011), revealed that Orang Asli children showed weak performance in learning mathematics, comprehension and vocabulary. Thus, pedagogical support along these areas must be discussed and provided. There is a need to prepare additional educational resources and culturally appropriate teaching methods, such as using music and arts as medium for teaching because Orang Asli kids love music and artistry and drawing. The value and benefits of playing as a form of learning and allowing time for playtime are an interesting learning approach that both teachers and parents can facilitate. School programs should be fun and interesting enough to entice more parents and students to attend. Learning activities should be something that students and parents look forward to. Developing an English-Malay- Semai Dictionary as a resource can help the Orang Asli understand and appreciate the English and Malay language while using their mother tongue. The process of producing pedagogical modules for indigenous peoples (IPs) should be an ongoing process to ensure that there is a wealth of information about the culture and mentality of Orang Asli pupils. Through reflective teaching, teachers can determine the appropriate pedagogic principles, styles and methods of teaching and learning for Orang Asli, especially with regard to essay writing. The development of this module should take into account the views of Steinberg (1982) that children can read faster if the lesson began with meaningful elements. More action research must be done by the MOE to provide a better methodological framework and more effective pedagogical principles which can be replicated in other contexts. Medium of Learning and Instruction

According to a study by Hasani Dali (2013), in terms of oral communication, the Orang Asli children are seen to be more comfortable in speaking and learning in their own language rather than using Bahasa Malaysia. They have been reported to have “weak cognitive skills” when using Bahasa Malay and English (Hassan, 1981; Kranzler & Floyd, 2013) and “lacked motivation” (Faganm 1998; Wright, 2012). In effect, a gap in the learning occurs, because the Orang Asli children are not able to cope and interact with other children effectively, particularly when they are in normal secondary school settings. There is a need to widen Orang Asli pupils’ exposure to their own mother tongue while supporting their acquisition of English and Bahasa Malaysia and the bridging of learning across languages. Similarly, teachers of Orang Asli children need some proficiency in their pupils’ mother tongues so as to motivate these learners and to increase positive intercultural exchanges. The MOE can also experiment with Semai as an available medium of instruction to test its learning effectiveness. The positive findings of such experiement could provide informed decisions in strengthening the use of mother tongue in Orang Asli schools.


Discipline and Guidance Counseling

Discipline and guidance counseling should also be culturally sensitive. An Orang Asli child who is not accustomed to being beaten or scolded, for example, will be fearful of returning to school if such action is applied to the child for violating school policies. Sometimes an innocent threat would be enough cause for an Orang Asli to stay away from school. A case in point is the case of seven Orang Asli pupils (below 12 years) from SK Tohoi located in Kampung Penad and Kampung Gawen who were reportedly been missing since August 23, 2015 because they have fled into the jungle of Gua Musang. They have allegedly been scolded and feared punishment for swimming in a river without permission from their teacher (Source: Orang Asli Missing Children. Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/08/26/). Another incident involved two Orang Asli primary school boys who stayed away from school for the first week because their name tags were not ready. Their headmaster had told the students at an assembly that the wearing of the name tags was compulsory and that those who did not wear them would not be allowed in school. As it turned out, they did not have their name tags because the supplier had run out of raw materials. Child Protection and Safety

The school authorities need to enhance their efforts to secure the safety of students particularly those who stay in boarding schools which are located far away from children’s homes. Reports revealed some issues inside boarding schools in Sarawak, Malaysia. During an outreach program organized by the Ministry, the Special Education Division discovered that the hostel in Long Lamai had no bathroom for Penan students. Thus, in the cold hours of the morning students were led by a teacher to the river located 100 meters from the hostel to have their bath. The MOE officials (Hasmah Adbul Manaf, Assistant Secretary for Suhakam’s Education and Promotions Division, MOE) pointed out that that it was not appropriate to expose the children to the dangers of strong river current. This was against children’s rights for safe learning environment (Source: Hamdan Ismail, A Look at Penan School Children in Long Lamai, http://web10.bernama.com). Also, the children in the hostel had complained that they were not getting nutritious meals because the supplier brought the food all the way from Miri (nearest town proper), when in fact, the school could procure vegetables and fish from the area and could then also provide some income for the locals in Kampung Long Lamai (Source: Hamdan Ismail, A Look at Penan School Children in Long Lamai, http://web10.bernama.com).

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The SK Long Lamai authorities also need to increase protection for children from risks of sexual abuse. There has been incidence of sexual abuse allegedly by representatives of personnel from logging firms in the district which provided transportation for the children. MOE needs to intensify its child protection efforts to ensure the safety and protection of the wellbeing of vulnerable young learners, particularly when traveling to and from school (Source: A Look at Penan School Children in Long Lamai; http:// web10.bernama.com)

d. Enhance Instructional Supervision and Support for Students The Malaysian Government has invested in infrastructure and in the training and recruitment of teachers to enhance the learning environment. Of special attention has been addressing issued low level student engagement and teaching approaches that are directly oriented towards preparing for summative assessments (teaching to the test). Some teachers say Orang Asli communities are still practicing rote learning and teacher-centered pedagogy. In connection with these, the following recommendations are proferred: d.1 Strengthen the use Mother Tongue as Medium of Learning

In Malaysia, Orang Asli children have been found to face learning difficulties understanding terms and concepts that do not exist in their own social and cultural vocabulary. The consequence is that they struggle to understand the curriculum they learn in school, and cannot progress to engage in deeper learning because they have not gone beyond basic comprehension level (Abdul Sukor Shaari et al, 2011).

Language mediation has also been reported to be problematic for Orang Asli children who study in national schools. Language barriers has affected the learning process of Orang Asli children. Their native language is Semai language, thus, children faced difficulties in using a new language (Bahasa Malaysia) as medium of learning and for all official communication and written in all educational materials for schools (Abdul Sukor Shaari, et.al, 2011).

d.2 Nurture Committed and Experienced Teachers:

There is a need to continue and nurture the development of committed and experienced teachers in Orang Asli schools.


Johari and Nazri (2007) suggested that experienced teachers and basic facilities have improved the academic performance of the Orang Asli students. According to George (1998), creating learning resources which are adapted to the local values involves using language and culture to support these remote communities, as they solidify and expand their unique cultural identities positively. The same idea was supported by the National Aboriginal Design Committee (2002) in Australia, which stated that, aboriginal communities and aboriginal literacy educators have consistently called for information on effective resources and method of teaching-culture based and hence address the social and spiritual realities of Aboriginal learners.

d.3 Train Teachers on Culturally Sensitive Pedagogies:

MOE Malaysia has a relatively young teaching force, where 50 percent of all teachers are under 40 years old, and another 30 percent between 40 and 49, which means that over 80 percent of the teaching force is younger than 50 years of age (Source: MoE Human Resource Statistics).

All partners involved in education in Malaysia such as the MOE and the Higher Education Institutions would need to collaborate to enhance the capacity of young teachers in working in Orang Asli communities and develop their pedagogical skills. The Ministry needs to further expand its efforts to train more indigenous teachers, who have a better understanding of the needs and challenges facing the indigenous children, and are thereby in a better position to communicate with both the children and the community.

Teachers should be trained to cultivate higher order thinking skills through learner-centered approaches such as contextual teaching and learning and inquiry-based learning using mother-tongue during early grades to enable them to nurture creative and critical thinking among Orang Asli learners.

d.4 Hire and develop more Orang Asli-sensitive teachers

The PPD District Office in Perak State suggested that the MOE needs to consider hiring more Orang Asli teachers who can strongly identify themselves with the learners, and can speak Bahasa Semai so they can use the mother tongue of Orang Asli learners. This will also influence the parents to support the schools.

There is also a need to for English teachers to study the Semai language and culture in the TEIs (pre-service training) or to hire more Orang Asli teachers who can teach English and understand the Semai language and culture. It is recommended that the MoE continue to empower teachers from Orang Asli schools in developing a school-based curriculum, tracking student through the system, ensuring child’s active participation, and implementing multigrade teaching.


d.5 Promote Respect for Cultural Diversity

The government’s policy of “One Malay” encourages all Malaysian citizens including the indigenous communities such as the Orang Asli people to act and think as one Malay race. Teachers of an Orang Asli school should also recognize that indigenous learners have their own cultural identity. The concept of “One Malay” needs to be clearly explained among the Orang Asli learners in the context of the concept of “unity in diversity”, i.e., that to keep them in the mainstream of society, they should think as “One Malay” but they should also act as “One Orang Asli” so they can still maintain their unique identity while integrating themselves with other Malaysian citizens regardless of race and creed or belief. The teachers should be able to appreciate and respect the diversity of Orang Asli culture. Forced assimilation in school at the expense of Orang Asli culture and learning system may alienate the Orang Asli children and lead them away from school.

d.6 Enhance Teaching Practices

It is recommended that a good sense of ownership and action-reflection among teachers be instilled in relation to school-based reforms and innovations. Teachers need to identify a good practice that is responsive and culturally sensitive to Orang Asli/indigenous learners; to adopt and adapt these good practices; to create additional good practices; and, to add or improve on these practices to make them even more effective.

Teachers should also be encouraged to provide equal attention to all students, not only to students who are extremely poor or excellent. They need to take a look at the 80% of average students who require more attention in monitoring the improvement in their behaviors, study habits and learning progress. The teachers must be able to catch the teaching moments or “aha” experience when a student with dyslexia, special children or slow learner is able to show improvement or progress in learning.

e. Ensure Timely Release of Financial Support

It was reported that provision of stipends (cash dividends) to Orang Asli pupils are sometimes delayed due to bureaucratic procedures. Annual dividends are expected to be given at the end of the year or before the new school year begins so that parents can purchase the school supplies for their children. Thus, it is quite difficult to encourage poor parents to bring their pupils to school without financial support. It was reported in other Orang Asli Schools in Pekan District, that delays in receiving such cash infusions is one of the reasons why children have dropped out of school.


f. Prepare the Orang Asli Primary Learners for Secondary Education

Another recommendation is to provide Orang Asli students with life skills, including social skills and mixed blended skills to prepare them in relating with non-Orang Asli children and to psychologically prepare them for boarding school. To ensure the success of transition to secondary education, the primary school system is encouraged to come up with bridging mechanisms to help teachers prepare their students as early as grade 5 to enter high school.

g. Strengthen/Sustain School, Community and Family Partnerships

It is recommended that existing partnership with other educational institutions and build new linkages with organizations that support in ensure the welfare and growth of indigenous people be strengthened. Accountability to provide opportunities for quality education is a shared partnership between school, parents and the community.

SEAMEO RECSAM is providing continuing technical support in improving the mathematics and science competencies of Orang Asli learners through the adopt-a-school program.

The role of JAKOA needs to be reviewed so that it may strengthen its work as a watchdog body to ensure that policies and programs for the advancement and wellbeing of the Orang Asli are implemented. JAKOA needs to enhance its efforts to empower the Orang Asli by allowing more active mobilization and participation of Orang Asli children and their families and community in education reforms. JAKOA is encouraged to look into Orang Asli grievances affecting not only their education but also their civil rights and to resolve disputes with other agencies or non-Orang Asli.

The school and JAKOA should also be open to work with non-governmental organizations such as the Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) and the Orang Asli Association of Peninsular Malaysia (POASM) which are working diligently for Orang Asli welfare and rights. In addition, members of the legal profession have volunteered their time to help Orang Asli in court cases (Center for Orang Asli concerns, Colin Nicolas, August 20, 2012).

The following are some of the activities that will help in building strong school, family and community relationships: Collaboration among teachers, children, parents and the local community Linkage between the curriculum and lesson plans with family and community Active community participation in school activities Incorporation, understanding and valuing of local culture in the school’s daily

activities


h. Provide Greater Autonomy

In all matters affecting the Orang Asli, there should be consultation and consensus-seeking by parties concerned. In general, Orang Asli should be encouraged to maintain the social order within their community based on their traditions. Regulations delegating traditional power to the authorities (such as the appointment of headmen and the apparent control of entry into Orang Asli settlements) should be restored to the community. In this way, students’ and teachers’ security can be protected by the local people.

It is recommended that greater autonomy for district education offices be provided to resolve all educational issues related to Orang Asli schools in their areas.

i. Engage the Orang Asli people in crafting integration policies

Successful adaptation of the Orang Asli to new circumstances can best be handled by the Orang Asli if they are encouraged to promote their indigenous customs. This would protect their ethnic identity, basic human rights and their stability as a productive community.

Educational improvement efforts therefore should be encouraged towards the Orang Asli, not for the sake of achieving “integration” them into the mainstream per se, but because they are a community needing and deserving access to equal opportunities not only in basic education but also in areas of health, human capital formation and infrastructure.

The preferential treatment status accorded to the Orang Asli in Article 8(5)(c) of the Constitution should also be applied and instituted in education reforms, alternative agriculture, business opportunities, social entrepreneurship, and job placements.

Every encouragement and assistance should also be given to the efforts of Orang Asli to uplift their socio-economic status through their own cooperatives, foundations or other such bodies. At the same time, measures should be taken to ensure that the deserving Orang Asli (in remote communities) will benefit.

j. School Based Management

Often, attempts at reducing inequalities and facilitating social integration in the society by most education system have not been fully successful due to educational approaches that are not sensitive to students’ needs. This is especially true with regards to the education of the Orang Asli children. They have specific needs that the MOE can help address. The following recommendations are set forth to better improve the management of Orang Asli schools:


Train school heads as change managers; include motivational support for school heads to take more time in engaging the community to take active role in education management.

Raise levels of advocacy and social mobilization being undertaken by the Orang Asli village development council and other institutions.

Provide more inputs and discussion on the Orang Asli identity to promote their culture and sense of pride as people with dignity and equal rights in society.

Consult the students to determine their perceptions about their school, their interests in learning, how they learn best, and what motivates them to go to school.

Strengthen social networking to help the indigenous school-communities get support from cause-oriented groups, e.g., business communities, successful Orang Asli alumni, NGOs working for Indigenous People, among others.

Offer alternative education programs, while consolidating financial aid to those programs that are more cost effective and are targeted for those most in need.

Accelerate moves towards a decentralized system with more local autonomy and flexibility by strengthening school-based management, and parental involvement in school activities. Measures also need to be taken to encourage poor working families to be more involved in their children’s schooling.

Increase coordination among different ministries and government agencies to oversee and coordinate programs serving Orang Asli communities implemented by different government agencies.

Provide basic facilities and amenities to schools in communities. Based on studies, Orang Asli students who stay in the school hostel have a relatively better academic performance than those who stay at home. The school hostel has access to electricity basic facilities and other amenities compared to a primary school.

Provide additional computers, internet connection and cable for small schools with limited resources.

Private sector and NGOs need to be more involved in the development of Orang Asli communities. They should be encouraged to share their expertise and assistance in various fields such as education, business, rural industries and human development. Cooperation with other governmental agencies such Ministry of Health, MOE, National Population and Family Development Board, Department of Social Welfare etc is very important because educating the Orang Asli is related to health, job opportunities and community development. Such partnership engagement, however, should be respectful of Orang Asli cultural traditions, values, indigeneous learning systems, and local contexts.


CHAPTER VI: THE LAO PDR

EXPERIENCE

Ban Kuoay

Primary School

Sikhaitha Primary School

Phonsinouane Primary School

Map source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos#/media/File:Map_of_the_provinces_of_Laos._Updated_2015.png

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Lao PDR had an estimated population of 6.2 million in 2009. Five years after, the population

has grown to 6,894,000 million with an annual population growth of 1.9 from 2010-2015 (data.un.org). With a vastly dispersed rural population, the average population density was 29.1 persons per square kilometer—much less than those of neighboring countries—resulting in substantial in-migration. With a median age of 19.3, Laos has the youngest population of Asia.

At least 73% of its people continue to live in rural areas scattered over 10,552 villages, in 143 districts, and in 17 provinces. The Lao people live mainly in the valleys of the Mekong River and along its tributaries. Small ethnic groups, comprising about 30% of the population, live in more remote and mountainous locations, are generally categorized as “poor”, and have limited access to public services and commercial facilities. Slash-and-burn method of farming continues to be the major source of livelihood, particularly among those living in mountainous areas, minimally helping alleviate poverty (ADB Report, October 2009).

Despite notable progress made towards achieving EFA by 2015, Lao PDR still faces serious disparities in providing access to quality education. Primary education consists of 5 years and is compulsory, with a net enrolment ratio of 95.28% in 2012 for male and female in all age ranges (Source: data.un.org/country Data).

However, provincial variations are substantive and net intake rates vary between 35.95% and 91.5%. Low attendance is attributed mainly to limited availability of primary education facilities and parents’ unwillingness to allow young children to travel longer distances to school, thereby delaying children’s entry into primary education. Data indicate that completion rate from first grade to fifth grade or primary education is only about one-third of pupils, with girls having lower rates (data.un.org).

In a number of communities, the closest primary school is too far from children’s residences, and communication infrastructure are quite limited to make education available for them by any other means. The government of Lao PDR has identified hard-to-reach remote areas as a key target group sites for education access initiatives in the National Plan of Action and the Education Sector Development Framework (ESDF). However, expansion of access to school facilities in these poor, remote ethnic communities has been slow and costly.

In the context of the on-going education sector reform process in the country, a comprehensive development framework was developed during 2007-2008. The Education Sector Development Framework (ESDF) clearly indicated key objectives, priorities and targets for the education sector, and all education sector donor partners have expressed commitment to the plan and its implementation strategy.

Among these reforms, the ESDF considers multigrade teaching as a strategic response to impediments in achieving universal primary education such as incomplete schools, shortage of classrooms and teachers, low enrolment rate, and high dropout and repetition rates. The ESDF has identified intervention components involving an outreach mechanism in order to reach remote and isolated villages with very low enrolment rates. It also includes strategies for recruitment and training of mobile teachers and teaching assistants, and capacity building among local education administration personnel.


It was for this reason that the Project SMaLL in Lao PDR had focused on multigrade instruction and school-community partnership as a means to improve access to quality education for children in largely unreached areas. The project was also intended to be a significant support for the capacity development component, focusing on management of small multigrade schools in communities with very low enrolment rates and villages with little or no school facilities. Chapter VI discusses the distinct approaches adopted by the MOES and the project and their experiences in improving small schools in Lao PDR.

1. CHARACTERISTICS OF LAO SMALL SCHOOLS

Concept. A small school in Lao PDR is usually an incomplete school with less than 5 grades levels. In such a school, it is common to combine two grade levels in one classroom. Due to some infrastructure constraints, some primary schools do not provide a complete primary cycle (up to grade 5), then it is labelled as incomplete primary school. According to MOES statistics, in SY 2009-2010, there were 8,968 primary schools in the whole country; about half of them (57%) were complete schools offering the full primary education program. The rest were incomplete schools.

It was frequently raised during the district and provincial consultation meetings that children of many rural communities and ethnic groups miss critical periods of the school year because they travel with their parents to fields distant from the village and remain there over an extended period. From 46% in 2007, around 74% of primary schools are complete in 2013, thus progress is being made towards the 84% EFA target (Source: Education for All 2015 National Review Report: Lao People’s Democratic Republic, [email protected]; http://unesdoc.unesco.org).

Location/Access. As of 2013, incomplete primary schools in Lao PDR represent 26% of the educational system. The majority reside in rural, upland and coastal areas situated in remote areas and are quite inaccessible and therefore placing local populations at a disadvantage for school access and educational attainment. Scattered villages located in mountainous areas are regrouped and resettled into one village for development purposes. The distance from each village is about 2 to 3 or 3 to 6 kilometers. Small schools can be reached by motor vehicle only in the dry season, and by boat only in the rainy season. As some students are not comfortable to pursue their education in other places, they dropout from schools before their primary education is completed. The MOES perceives that it is one of the contributing factors affecting the retention of students in the system. Given these landscape, it may be deduced that about a quarter of untrained teachers and non-participating children can be found in remote locations (Noonan, R. Alternative Models of Teacher Training for Remote Areas in Lao PDR, 2007).


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Enrolment. A small school usually has a population less than 100 pupils. The decline in enrolment in most primary schools and the demand for primary school teachers may be attributed to one of the significant changes in Lao PDR, i.e., a decline in fertility rates at the national level, as reflected by those in Vientiane (Lao Reproductive Health Survey 2005). Taking into account the changing demography, no matter how effective the “teacher selection–training–employment–retraining system” has worked in the past, the Lao Ministry of Education needs to enhance its efforts to bring qualified teachers in remote communities (Noonan, R., Alternative Models of Teacher Training for Remote Areas in Lao PDR, 2007). Class Size. In SY 2009-2010 there were around 920,000 children in primary school. The pupil-teacher ratio has remained stable at around 31:1. However, this ratio seems to be higher in the rural and remote areas; for example in Oudomxay and Saravan provinces the ratio was 40:1 (Source: EMIS, MOES, Lao PDR, http://www.ibe.unesco.org).

Class Structure. The teaching-learning process in small schools involves multigrade classes due to the limited number of teachers who can provide educational services to learners in poor, isolated, indigenous communities located in far-flung mountains and islands. Multigrade schools have incomplete grades. They usually have a separate class for Grade 1, they combine in one class Grades 2 and 3 and another class for Grades 4 and 5. Each class is managed by a teacher or a total of three teachers are assigned in a multigrade school. The multigrade class system is part of the country’s response to the call for democratizing access to learning opportunities to all sectors.

Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR). The pupil teacher ratio for primary level seems good as the average PTR is 27. The PTR among the provinces is varied. The variation of PTR among the provinces was obviously seen in primary level. In some provinces, the PTR is obviously higher than the national average. It indicates that there may be surplus teachers in the particular area or it may be few students attending in schools (Source: EMIS data, 2013).

Cluster System. If there are many incomplete schools, a cluster school head is being assigned to manage small schools particularly in rural remote areas.

Language. Sixty percent of the people are Lao speaking and 40% are non-Lao ethnic groups (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics of Laos). A large portion of ethnic villagers did not fully understand the Lao Language. There is communication problem in many schools in remote areas and ethnic areas due to a shortage of teachers originating from the same ethno-linguistic village who could possibly use the mother tongue for teaching early grades.

Funds. Education is mainly funded by central, provincial and district authorities. In practice, many communities in remote rural areas took the initiative establishing their own school funds because the government’s education budget was insufficient.

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2. LAO SMALL SCHOOL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES

Lao PDR has taken giant steps in improving its educational system, in increasing access and coverage of primary education, as well as in improving teacher qualifications. Among these reforms are as follows:

Strengthening planning and management in the education sector. This has been one of the main priorities in Lao PDR. The Education Sector Development Framework (ESDF) 2009-2015 proposes measures for better harmonization of external assistance to the sector and a shared commitment to mobilizing the necessary resources for reducing funding gaps. Other immediate priorities are to: (i) expand the number of classrooms nationwide; (ii) recruit qualified and trained teachers to meet the needs of an expanding secondary school system and to ensure that all settlements and villages have access to a primary school; (iii) ensure that education officers are adequately trained to support education service delivery at all levels of education administration; and (iv) that ESDF priority action is directed to Lao PDR’s 47 poorest districts (MoE, 2009). Adoption of Multigrade Teaching. Multigrade classes are a common feature in incomplete primary schools and schools found in poor communities. According to MOES statistics, only 18% of the classes were multigrade in 2000-2001. The proportion of multigrade classes has been steadily increasing, as a consequence of expanded enrolments. In SY 2009-2010, there were around 32,000 classrooms for primary classes, and about 8,600 classrooms (27%) were used in a multigrade setting (Source: EMIS, MOE Lao PDR).

Missing grade levels in incomplete schools are provided by using multigrade teaching, to enable schools to provide education at least up to Grade 5. This strategy is an efficient educational approach where there are few students and available teachers are limited. Multigrade instruction presents challenges for teachers who have not received proper training to deal with multiple ability settings or able to tailor their teaching to differen grades. Thus, teachers who will be assigned to undertake this strategy are trained by the MOES for them to develop skills needed in dealing with multiple ability settings, and in customizing teaching to address different grades simultaneously in one classroom. Supplementary materials such as teacher’s guides, student textbooks and game books for multigrade teaching and life skills development are produced.

Organizing schools clusters. This approach commonly found in Laos involves setting up so-called “satellite schools” where young children in remote communities attend the first few grades in a local school. Older children in upper grades, on the other hand, attend central “core schools”.

“One-teacher, five-grade school”. This approach is found in small remote communities where only one teacher is available. It enables the provision of complete primary schooling (five grades) for all children in the community. Under this arrangement, the teacher handles only two or three grade levels each year. This set-up, while officially permitted, is not practiced widely because teachers have found it to be too difficult to manage. Moreover, it is desirable that local teachers be hired because they have lower attrition levels and are more familiar with the school cultural environment.



Development of child-friendly schools or “Schools of Quality” (SoQ). MOES data in 2005/06 reported that an estimated 40% of school buildings in the country were of temporary structure, and less than 20% of the primary schools had fully functioning water supply and sanitary facilities (MOES, October 2008). Classroom conditions in Lao PDR schools are slightly worse in rural communities than in urban areas. Most Grade 5 primary school classrooms are equipped with a blackboard, chalk, a teachers’ desk and a teachers’ chair. But only 30 % had a bookshelf and slightly over one-third had a wall map. Fewer than 15 % had an electric lamp deemed good enough to light up the classroom. When school directors were asked about classroom conditions, most answered that they were inadequate. Over 50 % responded that schools and classrooms needed complete rebuilding (30.4 %) or that some (22.1%) classrooms needed major repairs (Source: NRIES 2007).

To address these challenges, UNICEF supported the MOES in adopting a holistic and rights-based approach as a key strategy to improve access to quality education in Lao PDR. The UNICEF Child-Friendly Schools (CFS) concept was adapted as a national education strategy by the education ministry, and developed their own standards for Schools of Quality (SoQ) for all primary schools in the country.

The Schools of Quality framework recognizes the basic rights of children and incorporates teaching methods that are suitable for children. These schools are characterized as “inclusive, healthy and protective for all children, effective with children, and involved with families, communities and children.” It is an equity-based approach to achieving the millennium development goal of reaching the poorest and most vulnerable children and families with cost-effective interventions for sustainable progress (Tattersall, M., UNICEF).

The underlying principle for SoQ is that all social systems which affect children and schools should be based on the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Lao had acceded in 1991. The SoQ recognizes that every child has limitless potential, and education draws out and nourishes that potential. The children are the future of every community, and rights-based schools must not only help children realize their right to basic education with quality but must also help them learn the required competencies to face the challenges of the new century. Also included in this framework are programs that enhance their health and well-being and guarantee safe and protective spaces for learning that are free from violence and abuse. There is also a need to raise teacher morale and motivation, and mobilize community support for education (MOES, 2010).

Rights-based SoQ must reflect a learning environment that provides quality education, characterized by six essential dimensions, as follows: (1) it is inclusive; (2) it is effective for learning; (3) it is healthy, safe and protective of children; (4) it is gender-sensitive; (5) it involves children, families and communities; and (6) it has effective school management and leadership (www.unicef.org/infobycountry/laopdr). The SoQ concept and approach have been incorporated in the MOES system outlined in the Education Sector Development Framework 2009–2015, and have been further articulated through official implementation guidelines. Five years after the SoQ approach was initiated, it has now been firmly established in the national policy as an official strategy. Teachers were trained to design curricula using child-centered learning approaches, particularly focusing on

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multi-grade teaching and in hygiene education. Training modules and other implementation tools were developed to ensure that a harmonized approach was employed. The strategy is now scheduled to be scaled up with sustained financing under the EFA Fast Track Initiative’s (FTI) Catalytic Fund (UNICEF CFS Case Study: Lao PDR, March 2011).

In order for a school to achieve the identified SoQ minimum standards, essential inputs have been required. Among these are enabling policies (Education Sector Development Framework, National Plan for Education for All, Inclusive Education Policy, School Health Policy and related ministerial decrees), capacity building program for stakeholders (Village Education Development Committee, school directors and teachers), infrastructure and equipment (school buildings, water and latrine, teaching and learning materials, etc.) and a monitoring and supervision system to guide the activities.

The local community plays a critical role in creating child-friendly learning environments that are both participatory and creative. Together with the community, the child-friendly schools initiative supports curricula for learning environments in which children and their parents have increased involvement and can productively contribute to achieving learning objectives and goals. The following are some of the specific endeavors toward this end:

a) Incentives for Teachers in Remote Areas

On 21st December 1998, the Prime Minister issued a decree for 15-25% increase in salary for teachers in remote rural areas. The increase was deemed just compensation for the remoteness and difficulty of the areas of teaching assignment (Lao PDR Evaluation Report, UNESCO 2000). Since then the Lao Government continued to raise teachers’ status and motivation. In 2006, the teacher salary and incentives package was introduced. The incentives package included topping up the basic salary by (i) 25% for teachers in remote areas, (ii) 30% for multi-grade teaching in 2 to 3 classes. In early 2009, the government also introduced additional incentive packages called teachers’ titles and honorarium to enhance teachers’ status, and expertise. Benefits included a top up basic salary by (i) 65% for long teaching service, (ii) 85% for teaching specialists, and (ii) 100% for the best teaching performance. In 2013, roughly, an average primary teacher is paid US$167 monthly, while lower secondary receive US$212 per month in 2013 (Source: www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/teachers-10102013185425.htmlretrieved, Feb 4, 2016). Teachers are more likely to have better commitment to their work if they are adequately paid for their services. Given the above incentives, most teachers, particularly in remote areas, were motivated to perform their task and were satisfied with the revised incentives package as they were paid higher than those of other civil servants and salary payments were arranged in a timely manner. Consequently, the number of teachers leaving their jobs decreased, especially in remote and difficult to access areas (Source: www.adb.org/sites/default/files/project-document/60558/31345-013-lao-pcr.pdf)

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/teachers-10102013185425.htmlretrieved,%20Feb%204

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b) Improving Teacher Qualifications

One of the challenges faced by the Lao PDR government is the lack of continuous professional development of teachers. From a survey conducted by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), it was found out that there were many unqualified teachers who have not mastered the subject contents enough and who were not equipped with an effective way of teaching to encourage students’ learning. Most unqualified teachers were teaching in the remote area; most were young and lack experience. Every year, there are in-service programs organized to upgrade the teachers’ qualification (Source: www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/ Lao_PDR.pdf). To fulfil the gap, capacity building projects were implemented by the education ministry. In collaboration with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the MOES implemented a project called Teacher Training Enhancement and Status of Teachers (TTEST) from 2002 to 2010. The project conducted six main activities: (i) Strengthened and Improved National Teacher Training Plans, (ii) Course Development, (iii) Training of Trainers, (iv) Teacher Training Colleges (TTC) and Teacher Training School (TTS) Management, (v) Operational Studies, and (vi) Improving Teacher Incentives (including Salaries) and Working Conditions (Source: Final Evaluation Report - Teacher Training Enhancement and Status of Teachers Project, 2002-2010). With the technical assistance of JICA, the Department of Teacher Education (DTE) also implemented a project called “Improving In‐Service Teacher Training for Science and Mathematics Education (ITSME)” from February 2010 to October 2013 in three provinces in the south region of the Lao PDR (Source: Project Completion Report - Improving In-service Teacher Training for Science and Mathematics Education (ITSME). Likewise, the National Charter of Teacher Competencies has set out measures to address the need for standard qualifications for teachers. In particular, these standards aim to promote good instructional practice for teachers, allow further development and integration of different pre-service and in-service teacher training curricula, and assist in the incorporation of teacher performance measures in adjustments of salary and other incentives for teachers. Teacher qualifications are classified along three areas: (i) teachers’ characteristics and professional ethics, (ii) knowledge of children, and (iii) subject knowledge and practical teaching wisdom (MOE, 2007b). An improvement in teacher qualification is believed to result in improvement in pupil performance also. c) Fast Track Initiative for Remote Areas

A component of the Education for All, the Fast Track Initiative (EFA‐FTI) program was launched by MOES to address the unreached group with an equivalency program delivered through mobile teachers and community‐based school readiness programs. The equivalency programs through mobile teachers aimed to support the deployment of mobile teachers to villages without a school in priority districts. These villages are among the poorest and most remote in the country, with very low literacy rates and few individuals without any formal education. The Department of Non‐Formal Education

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(DNFE) leads the implementation of this program building upon the experience with equivalency programs in cooperation with UNESCO. Mobile teachers are recruited from new graduates from Teacher Training College and experienced teachers, preferably from the same ethno‐linguistic group. The program provides additional capacity building and monetary incentives for the teachers undertaking this difficult work.

d) Decentralized Education Management

One other challenge faced by the educational sector in Lao PDR is the inefficient spending for teacher education. In view of this, decentralization of decision-making through School-Based Management (SBM) has been adopted as one of the government's strategic measures to improve financing and delivery of education services. The government has provided more administrative control in provinces, districts and schools to promote further involvement of all sectors of society in fulfilling educational goals. It has declared that "educational tasks have become the task of the entire society since all economic sectors and people of all social strata have supported and involved themselves in education development." Decentralization follows the Prime Minister’s Decree 16/2012 on the development of provinces as strategic units, districts as oversight units and villages as development units (Source: openknowledge.worldbank.org). SBM is a critical component of the educational reforms that are expected to help improve financing and delivery of educational services. The reforms were embodied in the Education for All – National Plan of Action (EFA–NPA, 2003–15) which has three major goals: (i) equitable access, (ii) improved quality and relevance, and (iii) strengthened education management for formal and non‐formal education at all levels. The EFA-NPA seeks to accomplish these goals through universal basic and primary education; reaching disadvantaged population groups in rural and urban areas; promoting community participation of basic education and literacy at the grassroots level; and improving relevance and quality of basic education through learning opportunities for children, youth and adults (Source: “Education for All 2015 National Review Report: Lao People’s Democratic Republic”). As a further enhancement, the Lao government, in collaboration with development partners, developed the Educational Sector Development Plan (ESDP ‐ 2011‐ 2015) which is based on the resolutions of the 9th Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party; the 7th National Socio‐economic Development Plan (2011‐2015); the 20‐year Education Strategic Vision (2001‐2020); the National Education System Reform Strategy (2006 – 2010) (Source: “Education for All 2015 National Review Report: Lao People’s Democratic Republic”). All these plans make community involvement in education a top priority. In line with the objectives of Project SMaLL, the MOES is enabling greater private sector and community participation in education by strengthening the Village Education Development Committee (VEDC) as a strategy for improving equitable access and quality schooling. Under the Education Sector Development Framework, MOES has restored and expanded the community learning centers network by providing support to the VEDC.


The VEDC provides guidance and leadership in all education-related matters. The VEDC consists of seven members and is chaired by the village chief who has the responsibility to organize the implementation of the law of the state to maintain peace and order and develop the villages in all fields. Other members of the VEDC are the deputy village head, women’s union representative, parents and students representatives, youth union representative, elder’s representative, and principal and/or teachers. VEDCs have proved to be a good instrument for encouraging community participation and support for education. The JICA has supported community initiatives for primary education development thru the VEDC in the Southern Provinces (Dr. Sengsomphone Viravouth, Director General of the Department of Planning & Cooperation). e) The School Block Grant (SBG) Program

More recent plans, such as the Education Sector Development Framework and the Five-year Education Development Plan (2011-2015), were formulated to improve education sector management through the School Block Grant (SBG) Program. Transfer of responsibility from central government to local stakeholders is envisaged as an opportunity for them to make decisions based on local needs and priorities, and thus improve efficiency in the delivery of services (openknowledge.worldbank.org). SBGs were implemented in 2011 as part of the Government's "School Operating Cost" (or “Government SBG”) program to improve access and quality through greater and more efficient public spending at the school level. Under this program, the financial grant provided for each school is based on the number of students enrolled. Currently, SBGs are intended to increase resources available to schools to meet operational costs only (i.e., teaching and learning materials, routine repairs, etc.). Since 2011-2012, schools have no longer been allowed to charge school fees. Collection of school fees was never mandatory, but many schools collected them as voluntary contributions from parents and had been dependent on this source of funding (openknowledge.worldbank.org). Specifically, the objectives of SBG are as follows: (i) facilitate the administration, teaching and learning in schools to raise the quality of education provided; (ii) increase student enrolment by reducing education costs for parents, thereby gradually eradicating the payment of school fees; and (iii) strengthen the capacity of local administrators and staff to carry out financial management and regulations. SBGs are one of several strategies currently undertaken in Lao PDR to increase involvement of local communities in the educational system and expand the base of resources for schools (openknowledge.worldbank.org). To promote accountability and efficient use of resources, the SBG program requires parents and village stakeholders to participate in decisions regarding how funds are to be spent.


3. BACKGROUND ON THE LAO EDUCATION LANDSCAPE

One of the basic educational concerns in Lao PDR is the country’s geographic characteristics with regard to distance between villages, an average of 3 to 6 kilometers. Primary schools are scattered in villages located in mountainous areas with communities largely characterized by slash-and-burn farming. Sixty percent (60%) of the people are Lao-speaking, while the rest (40%) speak other languages. This makes basic communication a challenge in such ethnic communities, since non-locals are brought in to teach in the absence of ethnic village teachers.

General Education Statistics

Based on MOES data for the 2009/10 academic year, there were 916,341 children enrolled in primary school, including 31,709 children in private schools. A little less than half (47.2%) of these children are girls. In 2011, there were 9,000 primary schools in the country, in which there were 31,648 primary classrooms and 1,421 classrooms allocated to pre-primary pupils. Primary schools are staffed with 31,684 teachers, a little more than half of whom are women, including 2,211 volunteers or teachers working on contractual basis. In addition, there are 1,297 pre-primary teachers working in primary schools (UNICEF CFS Case Study: Lao People’s Democratic Republic, March 2011).

Education Facilities and Resources

Classrooms in small schools are often substandard and lack even the most basic supplies and teaching and learning materials. This redounds to an educational system whose quality is quite limited in meeting the learning needs of students (Source: UNICEF CFS Case Study: Lao People’s Democratic Republic, March 2011). The student-textbook ratio (1:1) is initially satisfactory; however, after 2 to 3 years, old books are no longer in good condition due to overuse and misuse of former students/users. Instructional materials, equipment and teaching aids are not sufficient, but are augmented by support from the private sector.

Access and Equity

In 2011, the net enrolment ratio (NER) was 92.7 %, 91.7 % for girls and 93.7 % for boys. Gross enrolment ratio was 121.4 % (117.1 % for girls and 125.4 % for boys) (Source: UNICEF-EAPRO, CFS Case Study, Lao PDR). Although girls’ enrolment still lags behind expectations, significant progress has been made in increasing overall enrolment for both boys and girls. The pattern of gradual levelling off over a period of four years is a reflection of the difficulties of enrolling the hardest-to-reach children. Trends also run counter to regional, gender and ethnic discrepancies: net enrolment ratios range from 99.0 % in the capital city (99.1 % for girls and 98.9 % for boys) to 85.4 % (81.5 % for girls and 89.2 % for girls) in Phôngsali Province, a remote location in the mountainous north, populated by numerous small ethnic groups.


High enrolment disparities between ethno-linguistic groups are quite evident based on a survey. Whereas the NER for the majority Lao-Tai ethnic is reported at 90 %, comparable figures for other ethnic groups are lower, only 69 % for the Mon-Khmer, and 49 % for the Sino-Tibetan ethnic group (Lao Expenditure and Consumption Survey). Demand-side constraints to educational access are most prevalent in remote areas. Household poverty, cultural traditions that undervalue girls’ education and a language of instruction that is not the mother tongue of most of the population are factors that deny children’s right to education. School Performance

Overall promotion rates for 2008–2009 were 79.0 % (80.3 % for girls 77.9 % for boys). Of the total enrolment of 128,652 children, repetition rate was 14.2 % (12.9 % for girls, 15.2 % for boys). Drop-out rate was 6.8 % (6.9 % for boys), with higher rates (24%) for Grades 1 and 2 (MOES, 2010).

Although overall promotion rates are high and repetition rates are being reduced, there are specific challenges in the lower grades, especially in Grade 1, where more than one in four children fail to progress to Grade 2. Repetition rates vary by geographical location as well, with Grade 1 repetition rates as high as 47.1 % (44.8 % for girls, 49.2 % for boys) in Xékong Province, located in the remote south (UNICEF CFS Case Study: Lao People’s Democratic Republic, March 2011).

High repetition and drop-out rates result in an overall primary school survival rate of 67.6 % (68.2 % for girls, 67.0 % for boys). For students who complete primary school, the transition rate to secondary school was 80.9 % in 2006–2007 (78.7 % for girls, 82.7 % for boys). For Grade 5 students who pass the exit exam, the transition rate was 86.9 % (83.9 % for girls, 89.4 % for boys).

Teacher Quality

Lack of qualified teachers is another obstacle in providing quality education. Few children from remote areas attain the level of education required to enter the teaching profession. Qualified teachers are often reluctant to work in remote areas or are only willing to do so for a short period of time, leading to high turnover and sometimes long periods when teachers are not available.

The distribution of teachers is not well spread. On average, every primary school in the capital and some provinces (Vientiane, Sayabury etc.,) has more teachers than the national average while other provinces (Phonesaly, Houphan etc.,) have a teacher shortage (Source: Lao EduInfo + EMIS 2013‐2014). Thus, the MOES has focused on the issue of the shortage and surplus of primary and secondary teachers in some areas. The MOES reviewed the distribution of teachers by maintaining the increment of teachers in both primary and secondary level.


Various programs have been implemented to recruit local teaching personnel, with special teacher training courses designed for students who may have only completed primary or lower secondary education. The MOES, thus, is still finding an appropriate way of reallocation of the teachers. It can also be seen as an emerging issue addressing to the equity of the primary schools.

The yearly MOES budget is allocated only for 9,000 teachers, but every year 2,000 teachers are promoted to higher posts which are usually based at the district and provincial levels. From among the teachers who are not promoted and are retained, 3 out of 4 teachers would not opt to teach in rural areas due to lack of better incentives in exchange for working in disadvantaged schools (Source: MOE, October 2010).

The MOEYS reported in 2010 indicated that around 6,000 to 8,000 teachers do not have the basic qualifications to teach since they are not education graduates, have limited general education, or have obtained little or no training to teach. To improve the quality of teachers, one of the key priorities of the MOEYS was to upgrade the quality of teacher trainings. In 2013, there were 36,938 primary teachers and teaching staff with 19,757 females and 17,181 males according to the EMIS. The trained primary teachers in 2013 were altogether 36,309 (98%) of all teachers. Among the trained teachers, most of the primary teachers were with education level of Graduate (11+1) (35.5%) followed by the primary teachers with education level Graduate (8+3) (27.6%). Government hiring quotas are another constraint in quality education because there are not enough teaching positions in place to meet the demand. At the central, provincial and local levels, provisions are made for hiring contract teachers employed on an annual basis, often without any assurance of them being given a permanent position. Due to funding constraints, new graduates of teacher training programs are recruited and are being paid for three months only. Some teachers have to work voluntarily for up to three years without getting compensation from the national government. Volunteer/mobile teachers in the rural areas are paid from contributions of the village people who are keen in maintaining teachers for Grades 1 to 2; other contractual teachers are paid by the Provincial District Office. Given these current practices in Lao PDR, there is a need to improve the plight of education personnel if the country wishes to ensure delivery of quality education in remote areas. Delivery Of the 31,868 primary school classrooms, 27.2 % are classified as multigrade. Majority of small schools in Lao PDR have incomplete grades. Among the 8,871 primary schools, 4,583 are complete schools, and more than 40% (4,288) are incomplete (multigrade) schools. Therefore, multigrade instruction is largely adopted in the country. In these multigrade schools, there is a separate class for Grade 1, combined class for Grades 2 and 3, and separate classes for Grades 4 and 5, all of which are managed by three teachers. Some schools have three grade levels only. Lack of both teachers and classrooms has created a difficult situation for multigrade teaching which still essentially requires a number of classrooms (www.moe.gov.la\qac).


School Management Strategy

At the vertical and horizontal levels, below are the key management practices applied in Lao PDR.

a) Administration and Management of the Lao Education System At the central level, the education system is administered by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES). Offices of the Provincial Education Services (PES) are responsible for educational development within their jurisdiction, including teachers’ supply, inspection, and the coordination of support for schools. District Education Bureaus (DEB) are responsible for educational development in their areas, and support schools through pedagogical advisers (PA). Under the guidance of PES and DEB, at the local level, the Village Education Development Committee ensures the involvement of the community in school affairs. The specific roles and responsibilities played by provinces, districts, and villages are as follows: the province acts as the strategic unit for development, capable of supervising and leading management in all areas; the district acts as a planning and budgeting unit, with responsibility for the preparation of plans and projects, and monitoring and evaluation of their implementation; and the village acts as a basic implementation unit (Source: De-concentration Decree on Administration, March 2000). In the context of the education sector, MOES shares its responsibilities with the PES and the DEB. Each PES is responsible for secondary level institutions and vocational institutions that are delegated by the MOES. Each DEB takes responsibility for pre-primary, primary and non-formal education institutions within its own area. Communities often take initiative in supporting primary and secondary education. In some cases, this initiative extends to construction and maintenance of school facilities, employment of teachers, and part of payment for salaries to teachers who are contracted by the communities. DEBs are responsible for the administration of the examination in primary schools and admission to lower secondary schools; PES oversee the examinations in lower secondary schools and admission to upper secondary schools. Upper (general) secondary school examinations are administered and assessed at the national level by the MOES (UNESCO Bangkok, 2008). To address the EFA targets, the MOES has reorganized for more efficient management of education services. In order to improve the vertical management structure and capacity, the MOES has strengthened the PES’s and DEB’s in all provinces and districts and implemented many capacity building programs. b) Cluster System For many incomplete schools, clustering is an efficient strategy for sharing resources and expertise between and among these small schools. Under the cluster system, a school head/director is assigned and/or appointed by the DEB to manage the small schools in remote areas. Others are elected by schools heads in the cluster.


In 2010, the Lao government attempted to consolidate villages into sub-districts involving 10,000 satellite villages. An organizational framework was established for local development planning and training of villagers in implementing agriculture-based and other socio-economic development projects to elevate the people’s economic status from poverty. Another major intervention is a school feeding program, supported by the World Food Program to reduce children’s short-term hunger and increase their attention span in the classroom. The Educator Sector Working group helped develop the school-cluster model by assisting local educators and communities in organizing school clusters and in developing their capabilities to manage and evaluate their school-based projects (Mike Lally PhD, Senior Education Advisor, MOE- Education Sector Working Group). c) Mobile Teacher Approach Over 7,000 out-of-school children living in extremely poor and isolated villages in Lao PDR are gaining access to a primary education equivalency program through the mobile teacher approach. Mobile teachers work in 282 villages in 56 most educationally disadvantaged districts in the country. Each mobile teacher is responsible for two remote villages with schools that are out of reach for many students. These schools are supported by a teaching assistant, who is usually a local resident in the village who can read and write. Classroom activities are conducted in a learning shelter in the village. These learning shelters are supported by the VEDC for their construction and necessary furniture for schoolchildren. The VEDC is also responsible for arranging accommodations for mobile teachers. The program is developed and managed by the Department of Non-Formal Education as part of the broader Education for All-Fast Track Initiative framework, which is jointly funded by Australia, the Global Partnership for Education and the World Bank. This program aims to support the Government of Laos’s effort in achieving universal completion of primary education. In the Mobile Teacher Project, the Department of Non-Formal Education has developed a primary equivalency program curriculum, teaching and learning materials, and trained master trainers, mobile teachers and village teaching assistants with technical assistance from the UNESCO.

4. THE PILOT SCHOOLS UNDER PROJECT SMALL: SCHOOL CONTEXT

To complement the initiatives of the MOES in improving the conditions in small schools, Project SMaLL implementation in Lao PDR was carried out to assess and build the capacities of selected small schools both in rural and urban areas. The action research aimed to determine how the VEDC and the local community could fully support and sustain the education initiatives for the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning in small disadvantaged schools in Lao PDR.


The Lao provincial and district education officials expressed the belief that if more villagers would better understand the importance of education, school enrollment would be higher. Thus, as a matter of policy, the MOES is enabling greater private sector and community participation in education by strengthening the VEDC as a strategy for improving equitable access and quality schooling. The VEDC serves as a legal mechanism for encouraging community participation in education matters particularly in rural schools. SEAMEO INNOTECH had implemented Project SMaLL in three primary schools in Vientiane Capital to determine how the VEDC supports the small schools and how the school–community partnership can be strengthened.

The three small primary schools supported by the project in Lao PDR are part of over 1,600 schools adopting the School of Quality (SoQ) framework in the country. This section presents the school profile, activities, challenges and results of Project SMaLL interventions in Lao PDR. Prior to Project SMaLL implementation, the situation in the three pilot schools can be summarized and described as follows:

Curriculum and Instruction

As a matter of policy, schools with less than 100 students were given four teachers only, including the principal. School heads could teach for six hours each week. The school principal usually taught in Grade 4.

The curriculum was the same for monograde and multigrade classes. Approximately, 15 minutes was allocated for teaching one subject. In each grade level, lessons were taken one topic at a time.

Instructional materials are provided by the MOES thru the National Research Institute for Educational Sciences (NRIES).

Grades 2 and 3 were commonly combined in all schools due to lack of classrooms and teachers. Grades 2 and 3 levels were less difficult to manage. Grade 1 was a separate class to enable teachers to give adequate attention to each pupil.

School teachers in the three pilot schools had no training on multigrade instruction.

Community Participation and Support

Additional salaries (30%) for multigrade teachers were drawn from the contributions of the VEDC.

The parents association, in partnership with the VEDC, is the agent through which the schools could obtain community involvement in education services. Community support was aimed at physical improvement of the school. Support from parents was quite difficult to secure according to the school principals. Some parents shared the perception that education was the sole business of the MOES.


Ban Kuoay Primary School

Location

The biggest pilot school under Project SMaLL is the Ban Kuoay (Baan Koua) Primary School located in Kouay village. The village consists of scattered household (i.e., houses are in clusters and these clusters are at a distance from each other). Baan Koua had about 123 households with an average of three family members in 2008 (Source: wiki.helsinki.fi.Biodiversity.pdf). In 2011, BanKouay Village has a total population of 680 broken down into 225 females and 455 males according to the village chief.

The school is generally accessible as it is within easy reach/walking distance by the students. However, during heavy rains, the Mekong River overflows, resulting in heavily flooded roads on the way to school.

The school grounds is quite large with five hectares in land area, but looks bare because it is located within a vast agricultural area. Bankuay is located in Sangthong District and is about 30 km from the district capital. It is bordered on the north by Baan Sor; to the south by Baan Taokai; to the west by conservation and protection forest; and to the east by Phoupanang Mountain.

People started moving to the village because of the availability of large tracts of arable land. Villagers lived by agriculture and shifting cultivation. Biodiversity in the area was very high due to the pristine nature of the forests surrounding the village. The village administration consists of a village headman assisted by two deputies. The village also has a VEDC of its own. (Source: wiki.helsinki.fi.Biodiversity.pdf).

Education Personnel

Serving school age children in Bankouay Village in Sangthong District, the Bankouay Primary School is under the supervision of a male principal who has had 27 years of experience (Table 26). The school has six teachers, including the school principal, most of whom are males (n = 5, 83%), and only one female (17%). All teachers have at least 11 years of experience. Most of the teachers (including the principal) are from their community. The parents shared that this is what makes the teachers more caring about their kids/the students.


Table 27: Basic Information on Bankuay Primary School, SY 2013-2014

NAME OF SCHOOL BAN KUOAY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Address of School Bankuay School

Villages served Bankuay Village

Name of District Sangthong District

Name of Province Vientiane Capital

Name of School Principal Mr. Oudone

No. of years in service as school head 27

Telephone/Cellphone No./email 030 9013134

Total No. of Teachers Male: 5 Female: 1

No. of Years in Teaching: 11 years and above:

Male: 5 Female: 1 Principal has teaching duties Yes

Projects Implemented

GIZ-SEAMEO: Fit for School Project

SY 2012-2013

SEAMEO INNOTECH: Project SMaLL

SY 2011-2012

Status of School Model school (GIZ Fit for School)

(Source: School Principal, Bankuay Primary School)

School Performance Net enrolment in Bankouay Primary School has remained about the same for the past five school years (Table 28). It is, however, most noticeable that male students out-numbered female students by about 50 %.

Table 28: Bankouay Primary School Net Enrolment as of SY 2013-2014

School Year Grade I Grade II Grade III Grade IV Grade V Total

M F M F M F M F M F M F Total

2013-2014 20 11 19 5 20 11 19 9 9 7 87 43 130

2012-2013 19 12 20 9 17 10 14 7 11 5 81 43 124

2011-2012 30 17 20 12 11 7 14 5 15 4 90 45 135

2010-2011 26 13 13 9 12 5 17 4 17 5 85 36 121

2009-2010 17 12 12 6 19 15 19 8 15 8 82 49 131

Completion rates across five school years since 2009-2010 have increased from 93% to 100%, with dropout rates remaining at 0% throughout.

Table 29: Bankouay Primary School Performance Indicators as of 2013-2014

SCHOOL YEAR 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014

Dropout Rate 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Completion Rate 93% 100% 100% 100% 100%


Highlights of consultation meeting/needs assessment with stakeholders Learning Environment Parents were proud that they have a new village school. They recalled how small, dilapidated and unattractive it used to be. They were particularly appreciative of the additional classroom, the size of the classrooms, as well as the big school grounds, including the bamboo “forest” at the back of the school. The Korean government donated a new school building, with an additional classroom (now 6 instead of 5), and made their school a “safe place” (i.e., they could now keep/leave behind equipment and learning materials in the school) and more conducive to learning (albeit with remaining areas for improvement especially with regard heat/room temperature). Basic/Physical Facilities While the school is big in land area, teachers feel much can still be done to improve it especially in terms of having clear, flowing water. Currently, students have to bring their own water or go home to drink. The school also constructed an additional toilet. The school used to have just one toilet; now, the school has two which are accessible to both genders. Moreover, the school installed electricity, built a playground, and purchased an additional computer. During the project monitoring visit in 2012, the school had no fence, thus, farm animals, such as goats and cows are free to roam around the school leaving the school grounds scattered with animal waste. Such a situation not only affects the cleanliness and maintenance of school surroundings but also the health of students thereby affecting the learning process. In some cases, students pass through the walkways scattered with animal waste and enter the classroom with dirty and smelly shoes. Parents and VEDC members raised the need to upgrade school facilities and the learning environment. Classroom environment is considered as not conducive to learning, especially during summer. There were times when the heat becomes unbearable, the school had to send students home or call off classes. Parents would also opt not to send their children to school, especially when it is an unusually hot day, because they are concerned that their children might get ill due to extreme heat. Natural Environment The Lao government wants to educate the people about the benefits of forest conservation by showing them how cutting trees affects forest ecosystems. While the area is protected under the forest conservation law, the government is concerned that people might still cut trees illegally. Participatory forest management is difficult because people have no knowledge about the environmental effects of logging. This is a task that the school principal and teachers need to address by raising the awareness of young learners on maintaining a clean and green


environment. There is also a lack of staff to collaborate with local people. Altogether, the collaboration between people and officials is not very strong. This current situation was validated by the school principal when he shared about the status of school and community partnership. (Source: Somsack Pongkhao, Lao PDR poverty assessment report 2011). Student Behavior Parents had some difficulty thinking of what has changed in their children. One parent gave an example of her child (Grade 1) being excited about going to school. This served as jumping off point for parents to share their experiences about their children’s interest in attending school. Parents of children in higher grade levels generally felt their children were still ambivalent about school attendance and correlated this with the heat and lack of facilities in the school. However, they did mention that their children exhibited a change in behavior indicating that they were increasingly interested about learning and discovering new things. Another area of discussion was related to parents who required children to help them out in the field and thus made their children miss school during certain months of the school year. Parents also explained their inability to readily and confidently answer this question as due to the fact that they were not fully aware of what their children were learning/doing in school and so were unable to gauge how much they were improving or what had changed in them. Absenteeism increases especially during planting and harvesting season. During this period, parents either bring their children to the fields with them or leave behind their children and put them under the care of relatives. Teachers feel that these relatives do not care as much about the children’s education as do the parents, hence, the increased absenteeism during this period. School Curriculum

Parents and VEDC members raised the need to enhance the curriculum, particularly the lack of English subjects and extra-curricular activities. The lack of English subject was attributed to the previous volunteer teacher having left after completing the required teaching hours.

Absence of a sports program due to lack of sports equipment and other play materials for out-of-classroom activities was also an issue. While the school has a working organ/piano, it is left unused as there is no one in the school who knows how to use it/teach the students about its use.

School-Community Partnership

All teachers agreed rating the issue a score of 3 (in a range of 1-5, with 5 being the highest rating) as their present mode of communication with parents is limited to meeting them at the beginning and at the end of the school year and in cases when


their children have problems. They also expressed the need to learn how they can improve and enhance the quality and frequency of their communication and interaction with parents.

The teachers were equally divided on how involved and supportive the parents and community were. Half put it at 4 while the rest put it at 3. The rating of 4 was related to the fact that the village head was very supportive of school activities and requirements. The village head as would even go as far as talking to parents whose children were missing classes or doing poorly in schoolwork. He also readily called all community members to a meeting when the school had a need for financial or “physical” (warm bodies) support such as during the time the school was being built.

As to parents’ involvement, lack of attendance in school-initiated meetings or events were perceived as due to low priority and valuing of their children’s education. However, it was also noted that some teachers were discouraged by their perceptions that since parents/villagers had little education, they had little or nothing to contribute.

When probed as to the extent of involvement of the community youth group/association, teachers did not seem to particularly mind the lack of support/involvement of the community youth group/association. They perceived it as a separate entity, having its own focus and activities and not really being in a position to add value to the school. They were surprised when they were informed by the school principal of what the community youth group in Phonsinouane had been able to contribute and accomplish in supporting students’ learning activities after class in Phonsinouane Primary School.

Nature and Extent of Communication between Parents and the School

Some parents said that Ban Kuay Teachers reach out to parents very frequently throughout the school year and can most often be reached at any time by parents. They shared that they discuss their kids’ education with the teachers not just in school but even when they meet them in the temple or in the market place. One parent even shared that the teacher had visited her child when the child was sick.

Others said that teachers meet with parents every grading period only or teachers call for parents only when their child has a problem. They expressed the need to have more frequent interaction and dialogue, preferably more one-on-one sessions with the teachers of their students.

They were also interested in having parent learning sessions in which teachers also taught/oriented them on what their children were learning/doing in class so they could be in a better position to discuss relevant topics with their children. They were pleased to know that teachers also assessed themselves similarly.


Nature and Extent of Involvement of Parents

The parents were asked to assess their involvement in school affairs. By consensus, many parents felt that they were adequately (just enough) involved. They explained that when called to attend school events/activities, not all parents come; neither do all of them participate/get involved. They were one in saying more parents needed to become involved in school activities.

However, they did mention that when it comes to financial contributions for school activities and requirements, all parents give their share, as the head of the village himself calls the parents to a village meeting and makes sure they contribute equally.

They described the nature of parents’ current participation, as being limited to involvement during special events/activities, where parents usually prepare the school, cook the food and bring all necessary facilities and equipment.

They expressed interest in also being involved in learning-related activities as parent volunteers, just like what they saw in the Project SMaLL presentations made by SEAMEO INNOTECH.

Community Involvement and Community Support for School Activities

Many parents are supporting the school. They cited the fact that community members even contributed to be able to rent a tractor and have the grounds cleared as well as provided free maintenance and repair works for the school.

They also shared that some community members donated school materials and that many community members attended whenever the village head calls for a meeting related to the school. They attributed this level of support to the fact that the village members are all proud of having this school in their community.

Moreover, they mentioned that in the beginning, when no teacher wanted to come to their village to teach and there were no resources for a teacher, the community contributed money to hire a teacher. They also provided a place for the teachers to stay in and monthly supply of rice and, at times, even food, to help the new teachers to transition smoothly in their village.

Perceived Key Challenges facing their Village School: Issues and Concerns

The parents’ issues and concerns were almost similar to that identified/discussed by the teachers, i.e., absenteeism, need to upgrade school facilities and learning environment, as well as the need to enhance curriculum/subject offerings and extra-curricular activities (especially sports and music).


However, in addition, they expressed the need to have additional teachers as well as the need for a permanent teacher teaching English as a separate course and a coach for sports activities. They also expressed their desire to have a complete school – from pre-school to high school.

Priority Areas for Improvement Among the wishes which the teachers and school principal shared during the consultation meeting were:

Provision/availability of adequate instructional materials and learning resources. This was related to their hope of being able to help students gain better quality of education, achieve improved academic performance and become excellent students.

Provision/availability of basic facilities such as flowing water /water supply; electricity; electric fans in the classroom; more provision for water closet/toilets.

Improvement of school surroundings including having a playground and a fence for safety.

A project which will help them make their school even better. Parents’ dreams for their children and wishes for the school

In discussing their dreams for their children, parents were divided between those who had specific courses /directions in mind for their kids and those who simply wanted their children to be able to reach their dreams.

A very interesting discussion and exchange ensued among parents wherein they explained why it was more advantageous to either have specific parent/family defined directions for their children (i.e., kids don’t know what’s good for them; kids don’t always know what they want) or to allow their children to pursue their dreams (i.e., they have their own interests and talents; they would pursue it with more passion if it was their own defined dream for themselves).

They all agreed that a good quality education was necessary for their children to achieve their dreams. Hence, their wishes were related to having additional teachers, enhanced facilities (e.g. computers, library, and playground) and more learning materials.

In addition, they reemphasized their dream of having a complete school (i.e., pre-school to high school) and having English language being taught in the school. They also dreamed that the project objective of fully engaging the parents and community would be successful and that the school would continue to improve and be able to provide their children with a better learning environment. In this way, they envisioned a better future for their children and their community.


Phonsinouane Primary School

Located in Phonsinouane Village in the Sisattanak District, the model school has 38 students, four staff members, and six classrooms (Table 30). The school is serving the people of Phonsinouane Village. All four staff members are teachers, two of whom are males and two are females. Teaching experiences of these four teachers varied. The most experienced teachers (one male, and one

female) had at least 11 years of experience. On the other hand, the least experienced were a male teacher with five to six years of experience, and one female with one to two (Table 29). The school principal has teaching duties and has served the school for 21 years, 10 of which were as school head. Project SMaLL was implemented in school year 2012-2013 to strengthen the management of small primary schools in Lao PDR through community-based support.

Table 30: Basic Information: Phonsinouane Primary School

NAME OF SCHOOL PHONSINOUANE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Contact Information:

Address

Phonsinouane Village Sisattanak District, Vientiane Capital

Contact Number/Email 020 55468144

Number of Students 38/19

Number of Teachers: 4

Female

Male

2 2

No. of years in teaching:

1-2 years 1

5-6 years

11 years & above

1 2

Number of Non-teaching Staff 0

Facilities:

Number of Classrooms 6

Number of Washing Facilities (individual and group facilities)

3 Group facility 5 Individual

Number of Toilets 4

Name of School Principal Ms. Phanomvieng Noyphewphan

Number of Years of Service in School 21

Number of Years as School Principal 10

Principal has teaching duties Yes

Projects Implemented

GIZ-SEAMEO: Fit for School Project SY 2012-2013

SEAMEO INNOTECH: Project SMaLL SY 2011-2012

Status of School Model school (GIZ Fit for School)

(Source: Lao GIZ Fit for School Monitoring Report)


School Performance Net enrolment has been decreasing for the past four years since 2010-2011, from 77 to 43 (Table 31). Between 2011 and 2013, participation was about equal for the gender groups. However, in 2010-2011 and the latest data (2013-2014) showed that male pupils outnumbered the females. While other school indicators may not be available, dropout rates for five consecutive years have consistently been zero, resulting in 100% completion rates from 2010 to 2014 (Table 32).

Table 31: Phonsinouane School Performance Indicators: Net Enrollment (2010-2014)


Gender M F M F M F M F M F M F Total

2013-2014 7 2 5 6 4 2 4 5 5 3 25 18 43

2012-2013 4 7 2 4 1 5 5 1 5 4 19 21 40

2011-2012 5 8 1 4 4 3 6 4 9 7 25 26 51

2010-2011 12 9 4 2 5 3 13 7 15 7 49 28 77

Table 32: Phonsinouane Primary School Performance Indicators

SCHOOL YEAR 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014


Completion Rate NA 100% 100% 100% 100%

The Phonsinouane Primary School is supported by the initiatives from the private sector such as the MCC of Germany, Buddhists teachings from the temple, and school health hygiene practices (toothbrushing and handwashing). The Norway Christian Association and DED provided bus to transport children from home to school and vice versa. Highlights of Consultation with Parents and VEDC of Phonsinuane School, Vientiane, Lao PDR (n=9) What do you value most in Phonsinuane Primary School?

For two parents (mothers), the presence of the school itself is what they value most. This is because the accessibility of the school makes it convenient for both parents and students. They also mentioned the presence of the large school playground as well as sports activities (e.g. soccer/football) and the patience of teachers. Another parent (father) mentioned that the fact that his child likes going to school is what he values most about it.

The VEDC members agreed with the parents that the presence of the school was a big help to the village. They also cited the fact that the VEDC helped build the school and in the beginning even helped to recruit and pay for the teachers’ salaries. This was done by raising monetary contributions from village members. In addition, they pointed out that they help in the maintenance and upkeep of the school as in the case of the electric fans which they provided the school as well as other minor repairs they take care of (e.g., roof repairs, repainting).


Most Significant Changes in the School-Community:

The mothers all mentioned that they have observed that their children enjoy learning/coming to school regularly. They also think that their children value their education more as they seem to spend more time studying now than before.

They also mentioned that their children no longer spend as much time playing in the fields. Rather, they prefer to stay and play in the school playground. They are happy about this as they consider the school playground as a safer place for them to spend time in.

One of the parents was quite reluctant to give an answer regarding change in behavior but eventually said that change in behavior takes time and is a step-by-step process. He is hopeful that his child’s behaviour will eventually improve.

The VEDC members shared that based on their observation, children who were in school behaved better, were more respectful of their elders, worked harder, and now worship Buddha more frequently/regularly. They also mentioned that they were pleased that the school had weekend culture-building activities for the village children and had activities even during vacation time. They felt that this contributed a lot to keeping children active and involved in positive activities. They also considered these activities as contributory to helping village children become educated, develop skills as well as character/values.

What Makes the Phonsinuane Primary School Special?

Both parents and the VEDC emphasized that they were the only school that had started to offer free transportation /shuttle services for students who lived in two other distant villages. This was to encourage them to attend school here rather than elsewhere as well as to make it more convenient/affordable for them. A shuttle service transports about 30 students every day to and from the distant villages to the school.

Likewise, they were all very happy and proud about the presence of weekend activities that were undertaken with the support of the Youth Union. These activities included painting colorful murals in the school walls as well as inside and outside the toilets, and conduc of sports and environment-related activities. In addition, the VEDC pointed out that even during school breaks, the school remained open as they, in collaboration with the Youth Union/Youth Development Committee, offered special classes like English language, creative art, and sports.

A recycling center in the school backyard was being used. The VEDC head affirmed that the school head was an environmental advocate and that as a result, environmental education was integrated in the curriculum. They also joined the celebration of Earth Day and had year-round activities to encourage recycling. Funds raised from these activities were shared with children who needed help.


The VEDC members worked together for preparations and conduct of special events like Renovation Day, Teacher’s Day and Children’s Day. Parents recounted how they would bring/lend tables and benches, and help in school arrangements during these special occasions.

Role/s in the School as Stakeholders

According to VEDC: We are like water. We water the seed to help it grow into a healthy and productive plant. We provide the school with what it needs to enable it to provide better education. We provide funds to purchase needed equipment and other materials. We help students who are disadvantaged and even provide them at times with clothes. We also discuss with teachers and comment on/share ideas about what they should teach.

According to Parents: We are like a broom. We are the broom and our children are the dustbin. We sweep in and make sure our children learn and practice good values like cleanliness.

Perceived degree of involvement of parents and support of village members to school A five-point rating scale was used to determine the perceived degree of involvement of parents and degree of support of VEDC members to school as follows:

1 - Negligible involvement; almost nothing 2 - Minimal involvement; Very Little/Infrequent 3 - Adequate; Just Enough 4 - Very frequent; Most of the time involved 5 - Always involved in all activities

Three parents said some parents were involved very frequently (rating of 4), while one parent said parents were always involved in all activities (rating of 5) because she felt that the school just had to say what it needed and parents would always readily comply.

The VEDC members were divided in their assessment on how supportive the village members are to the school. The VEDC Chair gave a rating of 4 for VEDC support to the school because she said it is not easy to always get everyone’s support but the important thing is that most are helping/supporting. She cited the case of the school construction and other activities wherein not all parents participated. On the other hand, one VEDC member chose a rating of 3 because he felt that the members from the other village the school is servicing were not as actively involved as those in the main village.

Nature and Involvement of VEDC in Phonsinuane Primary School

In response to the question of what the VEDC was doing for the village school that they considered as unique from other VEDC, the Phonsinuane team reiterated three activities as mentioned in the documentation of dialogue with parents, namely:


Availability of free shuttle services to transport students who lived in two other distant villages.

Availability of activities such as English language lessons, creative art (e.g., painting), sports, and environment-related actitivities during weekends and school breaks.

Provision of clothes to poor/marginalized students who were in need of it. They felt

that this contributed to making students feel more comfortable and ‘less conscious,’ and encouraged them to stay in school.

In addition, they mentioned that on occasion they would provide clothes to poor/marginalized students who were in need of it. They felt this contributed to making students feel more comfortable, “less conscious” as well as encouraged them to stay in school.

In discussing who they were currently working with and whom they intend to work with, the Phonsinuane team mentioned the parents and the village members. In addition, they also identified the local business establishments and Youth Committee which has an office within the primary school premises. But, they only approach the business establishments when they had “great need”. They verbalized the desire to know whom else they could approach for help/support and what effective approaches they could adopt. They also reiterated their desire to learn more about engaging village or community stakeholders more fully and actively village.

In response to what they want for their school, the Phonsinuane team emphasized the need to adopt the multi-grade approach, the need for language lessons (especially English), and the need for computers and physical improvement of their school building and premises.

Wishes for the Phonsinuane Primary School

Parents wished there would be classes on English language and computer/IT. They also wished that computers will be provided for the school. This way, they felt their children would be better prepared for the world outside and other students would come back to re-enroll in their school. The VEDC agreed and said this will help increase school enrollment and maybe bring back some of the students they had lost to private schools. They cited that parents who could afford better schools for their children usually moved them to where IT/computer lessons were taught as they feel that this is what is needed for a better future for their children.

Both the VEDC and parents also discussed/explained at length that teachers’ incentive should be increased so that teachers would be “very happy to teach here“. They also said that if the teachers were more satisfied then they will teach better and take care of their students even more. They also mentioned that teachers needed to have more training.


On what the school can be done so that parents and village members will be encouraged to increase their support and involvement in school events, the VEDC said they intend to have more meetings with the parents and village members to invite and encourage them to participate in future activities. One of the parents mentioned the need for solidarity, harmonization and better coordination among all members in the village. The VEDC head reiterated that they will continue to coordinate with and involve all sectors of the community.

Sikhaitha Primary School

The third project school is located in Sikhaitha Village in Sikhottabong District. The Sikhaitha Primary School is headed by a school principal who has 19 years of experience (Table 33). Sikhaitha Primary School is serving the people of Sikhaitha Village and Meung Va Tha Village in Sikhottabong District. The school is located within the Buddhist temple area and was established through the help of monks. Near the school are residential homes

and the Mekong River. Due to its favorable location, students have easy access to the school. All teaching personnel, including the principal are females. Three of the four teaching personnel have at least 11 years of teaching experience, and one with five to six years of teaching experience.

Table 33: Basic Information on Sikhaitha Primary School NAME OF SCHOOL SIKHAITHA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Address of School Sikhaitha School

Number of Villages served Sikhaitha Village &Meung Va Tha Village

Name of District Sikhottabong District

Name of Province Vientiane capital

Name of School Principal Miss Khemphone

No. of years in service in school 19 years

No. of years in service as school principal 8 years (since 2008)

Telephone/Cellphone No./E-mail 020 22216678

Total No. of Teachers: 4 Females

No. of Years in Teaching:

1-2 years

3-4 years

5-6 years 1 (female)

7-8 years

9-10 years

11 years and above 3 (female)

1-2 years

Principal has teaching duties Yes

Projects Implemented:

GIZ-SEAMEO: Fit for School Project SY 2012-2013

SEAMEO INNOTECH: Project SMaLL SY 2011-2012

Status of School GIZ Fit for School- Model school

(Source: School Principal, Sikhaitha Primary School)


School Performance With regard to performance indicators, with the exception of school year 2011-2012, enrolment has been gradually increasing since school year 2010-2011 (Table 34). It also appears that the participation of both male and female students has been about equal throughout the years.

Table 34: Sikhaitha Primary School: Net Enrolment


M F M F M F M F M F M F Total

2013-2014 12 7 3 5 7 5 10 3 5 16 37 36 73

2012-2013 17 12 3 5 7 5 5 10 6 1 38 33 71

2011-2012 6 7 4 4 6 3 5 2 6 5 27 21 48

2010-2011 9 7 3 6 5 3 6 6 8 11 31 33 64

Despite zero dropout rates across school years (Table 35), completion rates have been fluctuating since school year 2010-2011, from a high rate of 97% (SY 2010-2011) to a lower rate of 78% (SY 2013-2014).

Table 35: Sikhaitha Primary School Performance Indicators: Other School Data

SCHOOL YEAR 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014


Completion Rate NA 96.8% 91% 95% 78%

Curriculum and Instruction Multi-grade instruction is being used in Sikhaitha, with the following combination of classes and assigned teachers:

Table 36: Teacher Assignment in Sikhaitha Multi-grade Instruction

Grade Level(s) Assigned Teacher

Grade 1 Teacher 1

Grade 2 + 3 Teacher 2

Grade 4 + 5 School Principal

Highlights of Consultation with Parents, Parent Teacher Association, VEDC and Representatives of Village Head, Sikhaitha Primary School, Vientiane, Lao PDR (n=12) School History

A PTA member recalled that nine years ago when the school was just starting she experienced how the school had improved its physical structure through time, from just a very small structure to what it is now. She recalled that the school used to have more than 100 students but it saddened her to see how the school started to lose both teachers and students starting about five years ago.


Another PTA member said she had children in this school about seven years ago and observed how the number of teachers dwindled from five to just two. The other PTA members also shared how at one time, they had to collect money/contributions from parents to have salary/incentives for hiring a Grade 5 teacher.

When asked as to why they have kept their children in this school, some parents said that they would also transfer their children to private schools if they had the money or could afford it.

What Makes Sikhaitha Primary School Special

The representative of the village head said that “the best part“of the school is that it is their own. He emphasized that the community has to help keep the school strong because the government has decreed that every village shall have its own school. The community needs to support this direction and sustain the school.

The others felt that having the school near the village was an advantage. The proximity was convenient for both parents and the school children as it allowed the parents to bring lunch for their children or to drop by and check on their children.

They also shared that despite the limitations of their school they were still happy that they have a school of their own in the village. They were hopeful that with strong community solidarity things would improve in their school.

The cleanliness of the school was something they were very pleased about. Most Significant Changes in Sikhaitha Primary School

One of the parents mentioned that she had moved her child to the school from a private school because she could not read and write. The parent also shared happy she was that now her daughter, who is in Grade Two, could read and write very well.

Another parent shared that she was happy that she discovered her child’s love for dancing.

The village members felt the school needed more changes and that much more should be done including improving the school grounds to have a playground, painting the rooms, fixing the roof, and having more teaching and activity materials in the school.

Role/s in the School as Stakeholders

The PTA mentioned that when they needed to raise funds for the school, they would have potluck parties and hold fun activities together. They would then ask for contributions before the end of the activity.

Paid workers and a novice of the nearby temple had helped to repaint their school classrooms using the money/contributions of parents.


Local businesses also provided support to the school. For instance, when the school had “big projects” such as roofing of the school or cementing the school grounds, the PTA would approach local businesses for support.

Wishes for School Improvement

Recruit more professional teachers for the school and intensify their energy and enthusiasm so they would be happy to teach and would strive for better quality education. The school should also have English language lessons. It was mentioned that some parents opted to transfer their children to private schools to have access to English lessons. They shared that having English lessons would most likely lead to increase in school enrolment.

Change the school policy so that teachers could receive better pay and more incentives to discourage them from transfering to private schools. They also mentioned the need for more instructional teaching-learning materials as well as the need to convince other parents to contribute funds so the school can have a playground and can hold other activities. They wished for the school and the village to be “more developed”.

The community, especially the parents, should help teachers convince their children to come to school because it is the village school (“our school”). They should also be encouraged to take better care of it. There should be harmony and solidarity among the teachers, the PTA, and the school board. There should also be more school-based activities to engage all stakeholders.

Nature and Involvement of VEDC in Sikhaitha Primary School

The Sikhaitha team mentioned that when there are extra-curricular activities such as dance competitions, parents make available a vehicle to bring the competing students to the venue. They also make available costumes as needed by the dance contestants representing their school. Among the other activities they also support include adding more soil, planting trees in the embankment of the river outside the school, fixing broken equipment, and digging a well to help improve the school.

The Sikhaitha team shared that the local monks and artisans did the painting of their school. They also mentioned that while their VEDC had been newly reorganized, it has been existing for eight years. The school has already been operating for 13 years.

When asked who they were currently working with and whom they intend to work with, the Sikhaitha team mentioned parents, village members, the local monks from the nearby monastery, and the local stores. However, they noted that they only approach the local stores when they had “great need”.

They want for their school to adopt the multi-grade approach. They expressed the need for language lessons (especially English), computers, and physical improvement of their school building and premises.


Highlights of consultation with members of Village Education Development Committee from Phonsinuane and Sikhaitha a) Perceived most interesting and significant discussions stimulated by SEAMEO INNOTECH

presentation about Project SMaLL

Across representatives from both Phonsinuane and Sikhaitha villages, what they found most interesting and significant to them, were discussions related to the following:

what parents could/were able to contribute to the learning process

how teachers could effectively and innovatively handle multi-grades

how community involvement and participation could be increased/maximized

VEDC members were surprised and delighted to learn that parents and other community members could serve as resource persons and/or assist teachers in the teaching-learning process based on the IMPACT model. They even inquired as to whether these parents were working and how they could possibly do what they were doing. The technology of multi-grade teaching also captured their interest and imagination as they expressed a desire for the teachers in their village schools to be trained on these approaches.

The focus question on how to “spark” the interest of stakeholders so as to more actively and fully engage them in school-related activities was also something that grabbed the attention of almost all VEDC attendees. They also wanted to see to what extent it was similar to what they were doing now in their villages and whether there were new approaches that could be used for this purpose.

Moreover, there was an extensive and lively discussion on what is the appropriate Lao word for “working together”. The word that was finally chosen and agreed upon by the group, together with the MOES representative, was “suayluekan”.

b) Perceived key challenges facing the village schools in Phonsinuane and Sikhaitha

The VEDC in both Phonsinuane and Sikhaitha villages surfaced the following as main issues/concerns they want to be able to address/respond to:

Availability of capable and competent teachers (“who know how to teach“)

lack of qualified teachers; need to ensure that teachers are capable/competent enough and that they care

for their students; need for teachers who can apply the multi-grade teaching approaches they saw in

the Project SMaLL presentation; need to make teachers interested in teaching in their village schools since they

perceive that salaries/incentives of their teachers are less than that in other areas, more so in private schools where teachers from their school have transferred. The


issue of private schools “pirating” teachers from public schools was more pronounced in Sikhaitha, which reported having lost two of their teachers to private schools.

How to inspire and/or excite disinterested/passive students

It is interesting to note that in the dialogue with teachers and administrators, a related issue of how to address frequent absenteeism was similarly raised. In both instances, a major reason cited for student disinterest and absence was either lack of value for education or priority given to video/computer games and other recreational activities. This concern was more felt by Sikhaitha respondents as more VEDC and teachers/administrator from Sikhaitha raised this for discussion and further action.

How to mobilize and fully engage stakeholders in the village

How do we make them interested in school-related activities? How do we inform them of what their role and expected contributions are? How do we get the community to be involved in multi-grade teaching activities? How do we encourage better coordination and collaboration among VEDC,

parents, the school, and other stakeholders?

How do we enable VEDC to reach out more effectively to other parents and stakeholders not only in the communities immediately around the school but in other distant communities that the school serves as well?

How to reduce loss of students /transfer of students to private schools

5. PROJECT SMaLL PROGRAM INTERVENTION

At the project consultation meetings in 2011, provincial and district education officials expressed the belief that if more villagers would better understand the importance of education, school enrollment would be higher. Thus, the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES) instructed that education development committees should be established and strengthened in each village to support the education system. To align with the new instruction, the project trained key community members from the 3 pilot schools including village heads, Lao Women Union representatives, and senior village representatives. These key community members were responsible for conducting meetings in their local languages to raise community awareness and promote enrollment to ensure that their members better understand the importance of education and manage the school funds effectively. Strengthening of community participation in primary education is an important policy of the MoES based on the 3 pillars of the Education Sector Development Plan (ESDP ‐ 2011‐ 2015). The country’s new ESDP covers the period 2016-2020 and is expected to be endorsed by Development Partners in the first semester of 2016.


The ESDP aims to expand equitable access, improve quality and relevance, and strengthen planning and management (governance). Active grassroots participation in education governance is being encouraged through a community based group called Village Education Development Committee (VEDC). The VEDC has a critical role in developing of the school development plan and participation in the school level financial management, for example, how to utilize the school block grant (SBG) effectively in their village. A novel feature of the SBG program in Lao PDR is that it is to be jointly managed by the school principal, teachers and a (VEDC). The SBG is one component of a growing number of School Based Management (SBM) programs being implemented and evaluated around the world. The SBG program increases the amount of funding for schools and authorizes local decision‐making. It can be seen as the initial step of the decentralization of education management and governance in Lao PDR. Assessments from provincial and district consultation meetings, however, indicate that much more capacity building for VEDCs is necessary. In fact, the VEDCs have proven to be an effective and facilitative agent in encouraging community participation and support for education particularly in rural school communities in Southern Provinces of Laos (JICA). Project SMaLL was implemented in three pilot schools in LAO PDR to develop the capabilities of school heads, teachers, parents and local officials with regard to managing community partnerships, engaging education stakeholders and producing graduates who are equipped with 21st century skills. The following are specific activities carried out for approximately two years in the implementation of Project SMaLL in Lao PDR, pursued for the purpose of strengthening the VEDC and community support in an effort to improve the performance and management of small schools.

Preparatory Work

Among the preparatory work that preceded implementation of the project were the following.

Environmental scanning of existing initiatives being undertaken for small schools in Lao PDR. One of those that were identified as viable programs was the adoption of multigrade instruction.

Advocacy and consultation meetings with Ministries of Education and local partners, which culminated in the selection of pilot sites:

Consultation meetings were held on April 21-23, 2010 in which UNICEF and UNESCO – APPEAL were identified as potential partners; and stakeholders and Lao MOES as cooperating partners and linkages. Other meetings were held for the purpose of identifying country coordinators for Project SMaLL and for the formal signing of the Letter of Contract with MOEYS.

Identification of three pilot schools and profiling. Site visits and consultation meetings with MOEYS officials in Vientiane Capital on October 13-14, 2010.

Project Orientation and Local Planning workshop. Fifty-four (n = 54) participants attended the workshop held on December 6-9, 2010. The objectives of the workshop


were to (1) clarify and develop shared understanding of Project SMaLL, its goal, focus, priorities and planned initiatives; and (2) explore areas of collaboration for the successful implementation of the project. MOES officials, parents, teachers, school directors and, the Village Education Development Council (VEDC) in LAO PDR were in attendance in this workshop.

Building Schools-community Partnerships. These partnerships were developed through several meetings. Linkages with Lao PDR-MOES were established through consultation meeting held in Vientiane Capital on February 3-4, 2011. Among the 23 participants were parents, Village Education Development Council, MOES officials and School heads and teachers in Ban Kuay, (the third pilot school).

Project briefing and consultation meetings were held with ten (10) Officers and Senior Officials from Department of Planning and Cooperation (DPC), National Research Institute for Educational Sciences (NRIES), and Vientiane Capital Education Service. His Excellency Mr. Lytou Bouapao, Vice Minister of Education was the guest of honor during the Opening Ceremony.

Capacity Development Interventions a) Orientation on multigrade instruction. Lao teachers and school heads from the

three Project SMaLL supported elementary schools were oriented on multigrade instruction on February 8, 2011 through lecture-discussion, simulation and actual demonstration exercises. After the orientation, the participants shared the following realizations: i) the need to design more activities to encourage students to become active participants in classroom activities and not merely as passive recipients ii) the need to give emphasis on not merely memorizing terms but in practical exercises that allow students to apply their knowledge, iii) the need for pre-service and in-service training to strengthen both teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical skills.

b) Training on Collaborative Management of Small Schools for school heads, teachers and other stakeholders such as parents and village officials. Twenty (n = 20) participants including three School Directors, seven teachers, four Village Education Committee (VEDC) members, all of whom were also parents, three other parents, and three District Education Bureau (DEB) officers were present during the training held on Februay 7-12, 2011.

Accelerating the adaptation and/or integration of best practices on community/village engagement and multi-stakeholder partnerships for participatory, collaborative governance and effective management of small schools. It was expected that the training on small schools management would further enhance the Primary School Strategic Framework and school-village education and development plan in Vientiane Capital.


Setting–up of on-line coaching session. An on-line forum was organized for the purpose of applying i-flex learning management system for Project SMaLL participants in Lao PDR. All participants were enrolled in this program to keep them updated through an on-line medium that informed them about the status of action plan implementation, and to enable them to share learnings and insights from actual field experiences. However, this intervention was not sustained due to lack of Lao-mentors from the Provincial Education Service who could assist using the online management system.

School Monitoring and Evaluation Visits. The activity aimed to document best practices in managing small schools, and to determine the extent to which the action plan was properly implemented. Data gathering methods were surveys, focus group discussions (FGDs), and informal sharing of experiences with regard to applying the knowledge and skills learned during the training on collaborative management of small schools. School visits and FGDs with MOES officials (Provincial Education Service and District Education Bureau), parents, students, school directors, teachers, village heads, and VEDC representatives of Lao PDR were held on August 2-5, 2011.

6. CHALLENGES AND SUCCESS

This section identifies aspects of Project SMaLL in Lao PDR that have contributed to its successful implementation. Based on interviews with key informants, the study revealed that inclusive leadership, commitment and active engagement of stakeholders are the major reasons why the three pilot schools succeeded in implementing their action plans on Project SMaLL. On Collaborative Management of Small Schools

During the training on collaborative management, the MOES invited a school principal from a Model School of Quality to share their child friendly school management practices. After the presentation, the participating schools also shared their current practices on curricular management, conducting extra teaching hours, parents’ and community involvement and mobilization. The sharing raised greater interests among the 3 pilot schools to apply good management practices in their own schools.

All principals, teachers, parents and VEDC representatives from the three small schools conducted an asset mapping of their respective schools. At this point, they learned to assess the below strengths and available resources of the school which they can tap and take advantage of in terms of school development planning:

Teaching staff: knowledge and skills; experience and expertise

School facilities

Teaching materials and equipment

Budget and source of funding

Students and parents in the village or school community

Community members and their network or organizations


The asset mapping activity raised the awareness of the three project schools that it doesn’t matter how small their schools are, but if they are able to use and maximize their given assets/resources, they can plan for bigger, greater and bolder things to improve their schools’ performance. Having identified what they have, the 3 project schools collectively identified what they need to address the emerging challenges as inputs in preparation for action planning on Project SMaLL. As a result of asset mapping and brainstorming, the 3 project schools came up with the following suggestions to address the current challenges they commonly faced. a) Teaching and Learning

We need volunteers to teach English, indigenous knowledge, art, music, physical education.

We need volunteers to help us set up the reading room and make teaching materials or teaching aids including recycles.

We need teachers need to make it more interesting for students to attend school; raise students’ awareness on lifelong learning, to be creative and to apply their learnings in real life.

b) Learning Environment

We need volunteers to be with us in school and in the village so that they can participate in discussions re: school improvement.

We need volunteers to help us make a better school environment, paint our school and make flower pots and put them in school for decoration.

c) Community Engagement

We need school administrators to: lead us in setting a clear vision and have a school development plan; exchange and share views and opinions together with teachers, parents and the

community; explain and inform parents the importance of education to their kids.

We need teachers to: facilitate regular communication between teachers and parents; give clear information among parents about the school affairs to enable them to

better understand the school; mobilize parents to participate more in school activities; work together with the community in making a decision about raising funds for

school projects; convince parents to bring their kids above six years old to go school; work together with the community to help poor students especially those who

don’t have learning materials (e.g., stationery things).

To achieve the above intentions, each school developed their action plans on project SMaLL which was implemented and monitored in partnership with the MOES. Below are the concrete experiences of the three project schools:


A. The Project SMaLL Experience of Ban Kuoay Primary School

In 2011, Ban Kuoay PS has no water supply for the school children, so they bring bottled water from their homes. There is a dug well near the school compound, which can supply drinking water for the school children but it is quite far to their classrooms. During the training on collaborative management of small schools, the school principal together with the help of teachers, parents and the VEDC decided to put up a water supply system in the school by October 2011. Thus, the school’s action plan for Project SMaLL had prioritized the building of a water supply tank, so they can transfer the water from the dug well to the tank, and to school sink for drinking, handwashing, and other cleaning purposes. The school mobilized other members of Ban Kuay Village to raise funds to buy the necessary materials such as pipes, tap#5, wire (100m), water pump, 5 packs of cement and 2 washing sinks. The school’s action plan on Project SmaLL contained the following objectives and activities:

1) Improving students’ academic performance

1.1 Activities of classroom teacher 1.1.1 Conduct extra teaching hours for slow learners in mathematics for grade

levels 1 to 5 from 3 to 6 months of by end of June. 1.1.2 Conduct extra teaching for slow learners in science for grade levels 1 to 5

from 3 to 6 months. 1.1.3 Open reading for slow readers in grade levels 1 to 5 from 3 to 6 months.

Provide an open space for reading where books can be displayed (reading corner) and reading guidelines (regulations) can be posted.

1.1.3 Discuss good writing skills for slow learners in writing and mathematics for grade levels 1 to 5 from 3 to 6 months.

2) Improving student’s behavior

2.1 Joint activities with parents and the school 2.1.1 Gather students once a week for an orientation to be provided by the school

principal and teacher-adviser on the following topics from 3 to 6 months for grade levels 1 to 5:

How to respect one another

School safety

Class participation

Absenteeism 2.1.2 Encourage school-age children to attend school from 8 to 9 months for grade

levels 1 to 5:

List the names of school-age children in the village

Inform parents to send their children to school

3) Improving the climate of partnership 3.1 Joint activities with stakeholders in the community:

3.1.1 Building a water tank/system from 4 to 5 months; invite the community for fund raising and labor supply / volunteers.

3.1.2 Cleaning of school yards before the opening of school year or to be completed in August; and to be continued for 8 to 9 months;


3.1.3 Constructing a school fence from 3 to 10 months; mobilizing resources from the community for construction materials (e.g., iron, wire, fence with concrete column) and volunteer laborers.

Project Monitoring Results In August 2011, SEAMEO INNOTECH conducted school monitoring visits to determine the status of project plan implementation in three project schools which they implemented from March to July 2011. Monitoring was done in two ways: field visit and open-ended survey questionnaire. The following excerpts were documented during the focused group conversations with key stakeholders of Ban Kuoay Primary School. Feedback of MOES during Field Visit:

Mr. Southany, the Chief of Provincial Education and Sports Services (PES) in Vientiane said he was able to visit Ban Kuoay. He noted that the community is now more involved in the school projects. VEDC and community members provided help and assistance in the school feeding program and in building the school fence. He said that the PES will conduct a follow through on the projects and changes that had happened since the training on collaborative management was conducted sometime in January 2011.

Mr. Southany called on all stakeholders to work more closely. He offered the following suggestions to ensure the successes they have been enjoying: need for a clear plan – realistic goals and activities, specific schedule and strict

monitoring of plans; community consultations have to be carried out before implementing a school

project; full cooperation of everyone is very important; exchanging lessons learned with other schools is very helpful; benchmarking activities

must be conducted; continuous self-improvement for teachers; for SEAMEO INNOTECH to continuously contribute in terms of teaching materials,

sports equipment and all other related teaching and learning interventions.

Mr. Moloung from the District Education Board (DEB), welcomed the stakeholders: teachers, village officials, parents and students to Ban Kuoay Primary School during the monitoring visit. He informed them that, together, they will evaluate the school-community projects implemented after the training held last January 2011. He apologized for the delay in the program as they had to cross flooded areas along the way to school brought about by the heavy rains.

Feedback of Ban Kuoay Students (n=10) Using smileys (a representation of a smiling face), the students were asked to choose the particular smiley that indicates how much they like school.

One (1)student chose the first smiley that indicates he doesn’t like school at all;

One (1) student chose the second smile that indicates he finds school just okay;

One (1) student chose the third smiley that indicates he likes school;


One (1) student chose the fourth smiley that indicates school is very likable;

Six (6) students, all of them were girls, chose the fifth smiley that indicates they like school very much.

What students like about their school

They have friends in school;

It’s fun/enjoyable; the school is green;

They like to study; they like math and Lao language;

They enjoy performance arts education,

Their school is the nearest one compared with other schools;

They have excellent teachers who are: kind; have good knowledge of lao; who teach them proper sanitation (e.g., washing hands and keeping the environment clean);

They like the way their teachers teach because they use the Lao language and they use group activities (i.e., drawing pictures and other group exercises, sports).

What students don’t like about their school

Class reporting time is at 8:00 am; it’s hard to get up early in the morning;

One student said he doesn’t have a notebook.

Students’ most memorable learning experiences

During a classroom exercise when they had to be the one to ask questions to their teachers and classmates and listen to their answers;

Learning the Lao language and learning how to draw;

When parents, students and teachers come together for school parties/activities (e.g., Teachers’ Day, Final Assessment Day), and

Celebrate through dancing, singing and playing sports such as volleyball and kickball or “sepaktakraw”1.

Students’ comment on Teachers-Parents Working Relationship

Teachers’ Day, which is an annual activity, is one occasion when teachers and parents work together.

It’s the only time when their parents come to school.

1 Sepaktakraw is the name of the game from the words Sepak, a term used in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia which

translates into "kick", and Takraw, a term used in Thailand which means "woven ball". Source: takraw.webark.org/glossary


Students’ Wishes/Dreams for their school

Installation of electric fans in their classrooms;

More flowers in the school grounds;

Bigger school grounds;

Good blackboards;

More textbooks and notebooks.

Students’ message for their parents and teachers

More books;

A hat because of the very hot weather;

Additional school uniforms because he only has two sets;

More toys at home; more notebooks;

A school bag.

They said they wish to have more excellent teachers and more knowledge and skills for their teachers. One mentioned it would be great to have more toys that their teachers could use for teaching. The students thanked their parents and teachers for giving them opportunities to study and for taking good care of them.

Feedback of the Community

The village leader said that Teacher’s Day, held at the end of the semester, is very popular in their community. For the activity, the village (VEDC) officials are invited as part of the examination board. During the program, the village leader gives a brief history of the activity and underscores the important role of teachers in the community. Meanwhile, the school principal reports on the financial status of the school particularly the donations received and the expenses for the year. He also presents the results of the students’ examination. Parents give simple gifts to the teachers and a “Baci”2 ceremony is held to express their well wishes for the teachers. To end the activity, they either have lunch or dinner together.

A parent shared that since February of this year, they were invited to attend the Project SMALL consultation meeting with parents and to this monitoring workshop. One project that they have identified in the action plan is building the school fence. They have enumerated three possible sources of funds for the construction of the fence, namely: Villagers and parents – total cost would be divided equally among them; Private companies – if they have investments in the village, they can be tapped to

help finance the fence construction; and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs).

2 Baci or Basi is specific ceremony in Laos which involves the tying of white cotton strings around person’s wrists and the prayer saying or well-wishing for the person that the ceremony is intended for (Source: http://www.laos-guide-999.com/baci).


To improve the relationship among the VEDC-parents-school, the parents see the need for the following: Teachers to pay special attention to their students’ needs; Parents to visit the school on a regular basis; Parents to discipline their children (because they have more time watching tv

than studying); Engagement of government officials at the policy-making level; Enrolment of children to school when they reach the age of 6 or 7; and,

Improvement of school-based management activities to encourage everyone’s participation.

Parents and VEDC’s messages for Ban Kuoay School

The principal has to gather the village members and earn their support in the different school activities, and if there are village activities, he needs to be supportive as well.

Teachers were commended for good academic work but they need to monitor the school and playground maintenance. Wandering cows are not supposed to be at the school grounds at night for they can cause great damage to the school grounds.

If teachers are good, students will definitely pass the exams.

If parents are needed in any activity, they are very much willing to give their full support.

Feedback of School Principal and Teachers Mr. Oudone, the school principal provided an update on the status of their action plan on Project SMaLL in the following learning areas:

Academic achievement in Math: Additional teaching time was provided for students found to be weak in Math. As a result, students are performing better now in the tests. Among the 85 students, 45 were found to be weak in Math but after the training, 30 improved and passed the examination; 15 did not pass.

Library service: There’s now an allocated room for reading. With this, students became more interested in reading activities. The first time they opened, about 60% came but percentage declined as days passed by. Although they don’t have a library yet, they recognize the need to establish a library system for references.

Improvement of students’ writing skills: Their strategy was for teachers to provide close guidance to the students. Practice exercises, which teachers check at the end of the day, were given to students.


Respect for elderly: Using the curriculum, teachers introduced the behavioral guidelines to students. They meet with them twice a week and they invite parents to model good manners. During meetings in the village, principal/teachers advice parents to use soft voice when speaking as a sign of respect. School and parents need to work more closely on this project.

Security of the students: The Homeroom teacher regularly reminded students to be careful when they climb the trees. To ensure the safety of students going home, they ask bigger/older students to accompany the smaller/younger ones.

School-community partnership project: To date, no action has been done on this yet. They will start in the coming school year September 2011-2012.

Improvement of student attendance: Student activities were made more colorful and fun. When students are absent, they visit them at home. So far, they have made two (2) family visits already. During hot season, however, absenteeism is very much prevalent. When asked which of the activities they consider successful, they said it’s the academic achievement in Mathematics and behavioral improvement. They attributed the success to the interest of the students and to their excellent Math teacher. The principal maintained that he wants to sustain all efforts to ensure continued success. They will adopt new teaching techniques in order to get better results. The Math teacher added that he would make use of popular TV activities and creative ideas from friends as well. As an affirmation, the District Education Bureau (DEB) Officer mentioned that the learning outcome of the school for this year is 100% - there were no dropouts and no one was left behind.

School projects where engagement of village officials, parents and DEB are needed:

a. maintenance of school buildings and cleaning up the school grounds; b. support in installing electric fans in the school; and c. providing drinking water (water tank) for school children.

Bold steps that Ban Kuoay can contribute

DEB officials shall visit the school every Monday to observe teacher-student performance and they are report this to DEB Office the following day. If during the observation they found some teachers to be poor in some areas, they shall send them to pedagogical trainings.

The school already requested MOE for more textbooks for children and more training for teacher both in-house and external.


Village officials encouraged parents’ participation in school activities and urged teachers to maintain the cleanliness of school building and grounds. They also called for greening of the school.

Wishes for the school

The school principal, teachers and parents wish for all stakeholders to be involved in the school activities especially of the village people.

After the monitoring visit, a follow-up survey questionnaire (e-mailed) was administered to school principal and teachers of Ban Kuoay Primary School to further share their insights about their project experience: What are you most proud of about the project and being the school principal?

When I was appointed as principal of Ban Kuay Primary School, I was very happy because all students, teachers, parents and community respect and trust me on my work performance.

I am very proud of being a school principal because the community, local authorities and parents collaborate with me very well, particularly in school based projects (e.g., water tank project).

Before the Project, I thought that the school principal should only be concerned about academic programs and other school activities. Before, I had a “mind your own business” mentality so, I did not realize that the VEDC or the local community also has a significant role in helping the school accomplish its plans and programs. Now, I learned how to reach out to the community to seek their cooperation and support in implementing the school development plan and projects.

The project experience of Ban Kuoay Primary School teachers:

a) Can you share one best experience you had in school?

The wall of the school building was broken due to earthquake thus, the Korean government provided funds to rebuild the school building. The new school building was fully furnished with tables, chairs and black broads. We now have a new school building, good learning environment with clean surroundings and very nice natural views. The school was also supported by Project SMaLL to improve teaching and learning.

Exchanging experience with others and solve some incomplete project activities. Gained knowledge on how to make lesson plan; how to effectively manage classroom activities; deliver knowledge to students and how to encourage community to support school. We were very happy to have SEAMEO INNOTECH’s support for our school.


What was your role?

As teachers, we took care of students in the delivery of knowledge and new ideas. We taught them to accept common friends and to help each other. We encouraged the community to support the school and to cooperate with other organizations. We ensure good school management and respect for one another.

Who were involved?

All villagers and other related organizations were involved in school activities. DEB supported the academic program as well as international organization.

What happened?

Donors provided sufficient teaching and learning equipment such as photo copier machine, musical key board, electricity supply, water well supply.

Teachers have good cooperation with the community and other organizations. They participated in cleaning the school yard and other projects by providing free labor. We have good school-based management experience and good sense of solidarity.

We have better teaching and learning activities. We were able to successfully perform our duties as educators. Students always come to school. List of school-age children was generated and parents were encouraged to have their children enroll in school.

What was the outcome?

The action plan on academic improvement had better results: learning outcomes are getting better: 100% of students (slow learners) were able to pass the final exam; they always come to school (no absenteeism); no drop out because they receive support from this project; students behave properly with strong discipline.

Teachers and students have good relationships and sense of solidarity; Students enjoy learning and have time for creative learning sessions with teachers. We have good learning atmosphere, new activities in teaching and learning such as performance arts, and students worked hard to learn new knowledge and skills. Students have good learning interaction (intellectual and emotional) with each other.

It is more convenient to work in this school. We were able to keep the school clean, good security (with school fence) and fresh air.

The school was able to receive funds (grant) from the villagers and other organizations to support the project plan.

We can conclude that Bankouay primary school is better developed because we can see that electricity is now available to use because other organization provided projects that support/create a fresh learning atmosphere for students.


b) If that experience could be done all over again, what should be there to make it an even better experience? Project SMaLL implementation would be better if we:

Evaluate the work performance of teachers every three months; have performance feedback and sharing of ideas with other teachers.

Provide more training for teachers to gain new experience and better strategies in teaching and learning.

Involve more organizations for this project and maintain good solidarity and collaboration with VEDC, DEB, teachers, students; strongly encourage more parents to participate.

We continue solving some unfinished work such as, cleaning the school surroundings, completing the school fence, building a water supply/tank, provide electric fans, decorate the school grounds with ornamental plants and trees.

Organize a working team to look after the school yards cleaning and maintenance.

All stakeholders are personally engaged to improve school-based management, academic work, school location, teaching and learning activities and water supply.

c) What were your insights/learning and discoveries about yourself / your co-teachers, principal and village members from that experience?

It is important for all teachers, VEDC, parents and other related organizations to have concerted efforts to encourage all school-age children to enroll in school. Students of Ban Kuoay have limited knowledge compared with urban students who have good attendance statistics.

The school principal and teachers have very good cooperation with local authorities and villagers because our teachers are local residents/living in this village. Parents association is also working closely with the school in this area. Therefore, the parents understand very well the objectives and importance of education.

If the MOES officials always come to monitor the teachers, they will seriously pay attention on their work. On the other hand, if monitoring does not occur those teachers might not work properly.

From the training on small schools management, educational administrators and trainees have gained many experiences and learned about integrated learning methods.


It is important to provide training for Grade level 1 and 2 teachers on how to cooperate with the community, parents, co-teachers and students, and make a school improvement plan together with teachers and VEDC.

d) How do you envision yourself 3 to 5 years from now? How do you plan to achieve them?

To achieve our long-term plan: to build a standardized school fence, school water tank, plant ornamental trees, bio-garden, preserve the forest conservation area, improve teaching and learning and keep all classrooms clean. It is expected that all internal and external organizations will be involved in Ban Kuoay Primary School activities from 2011-2016.

I will write a project proposal to achieve these objectives; have a clear plan to develop the school with good quality human resources and to hire/get teachers to fill up for each grade level.

I will cooperate with relevant organizations to support the Ban Kuoay Primary School. I will consult with the DEB, parents association to provide opportunities for students to learn continuously for their academic improvement and to develop a green, clean and an excellent school model.

e) How can your school be more effective in teaching and learning?

First of all teachers have to be responsible for interesting teaching and learning activities to motivate students. Teachers have to pay attention on improving their teaching and learning strategies and to participate in training to get more experiences. Teaching should be based on national curriculum, following the standard time table, be on time in attending classes, strictly follow the government/MOES plans, and guidelines.

Teachers need to develop and improve their academic skills, have extra-curricular activities such as study tour with students in order to get new learning experiences that can be applied to real life. In this way, students will have quality education and good learning experience.

School have to cooperate with community, DEB, VEDC and other relevant organizations on educational work, and to encourage them to support/participate in school activities to develop the Ban Kuoay village and improve students’ learning.

f) In what way/s has parents and the VEDC can help you achieve your school goals?

All parents, VEDC and other relevant organizations have to be responsible for the development of Ban Kuoay Primary Cschool in order to be a good model and be better developed.


Organize training for parents and VEDC and clearly explain to local authorities about the importance of education and how they can support the school.

Parents and VEDC should plan in cooperation with teachers and other relevant organizations. VEDC has to cooperate with other organizations to consult with parents on how they can educate their children to be as good as other students in the village. If students have problems in school, teachers and VEDC have to visit their house and find out how to solve the problems.

It is important to appoint/elect the VEDC officials, for example, seven (7) people in a big village and five (5) people in small village.

g) What are those things about or in your school that you wish were different or

better?

Even though this school is in countryside, and small, it has standardized school building and large school yards. It is also located near villages. It is about 5 hundred meters from villagers’ houses. However, there is always flooding on the road which is surrounded by natural forest. We hope that we can find ways to address flooding on the road leading to school such as school participation in forest conservation through tree planting.

More community cooperation and good solidarity between the people of Ban Kuoay and other organizations. Villagers are motivated to participate in educational activities.

All (100%) of students are able to pass exams in all subjects because they have a better learning environment and better attendance statistics.

Teachers and community have good collaboration in developing new ways of making lesson plans, better work systems and quicker planning processes.

h) For those graduating in 3 to 5 years, what are those things that students would best

remember about your school?

Students will remember that a good learning environment/atmosphere helped them gain more life skills and experience such as planting trees to give shade and fruit trees.

Students will remember that they became successful because they have good teachers who have upgraded their skills by sharing ideas with colleagues and always have trainings. Students are able to evaluate their teacher’s performance and their own learning experience.


Students are proud because their teachers, parents, VEDC and other government organizations give merit awards for school leavers of grade 3 to 5 as well as excellent students. The school recognizes teachers’ performance and accepts support (grants/funds) from international organizations.

The community is motivated to support the school on education work.

i) In what ways can students be involved in school projects and activities?

Provide a variety of interesting learning activities for students to participate, as well as sufficient teaching aids and good learning atmosphere and motivated teachers.

Provide clear expectations that among students that they should never absent from school; they have to participate in school project activities such as building the school water supply system and other projects.

Students should be brave to express themselves to ask questions, give opinions, have good sense of solidarity; willing to help friends and in cleaning the classroom.

B. Project SMaLL Experience of Phonsinuane Primary School:

The action plan on Project SMaLL was implemented by Phonsinunane Primary School in cooperation with key stakeholders based on the following project goals:

Academic Improvement

Improve Lao Language: teach extra lessons for weak students of Lao language; ask them to read in the reading room/library to be assisted by principal, teachers, parents and VEDC (March 12, 2011).

Improve students’ skills in mathematics by providing extra teaching hours to allow students to do more arithmetic exercises. They will be assisted by the school teachers (March 12, 2011).

Improve knowledge and skills in Biology by organizing a study tour and visit a community to consult with them on certain topics in Biology. The study tour will be organized by the school principal and to be supported by parents and VEDC because there is a need to raise funds for the study tour.

Solicit funds to develop visual aids for teaching and learning.


Learning Environment

Improve learning environment by raising some funds to build school sinks for handwashing and dining room with tables and chairs for students.

Improve school facilities by building an office wall and in grade 5 classroom. Results of Monitoring at Phonsinuane Primary School, August 2011 Feedback of the Provincial Education and Sports Services (PES)

Mrs. Kamphone, Supervisor of the Provincial Education and Sports Services (PES) in Vientiane shared that when she visited the Phonsinuane PS, she noticed the school’s excellence in implementing the action plans particularly in involving the VEDC and parents in implementing and monitoring activities, and also in fundraising for purchasing teaching materials.

Phonsinuane teachers have difficulty developing lesson plans for multi-grade teaching. The other challenge for them is classroom management and facilitation.

The Phonsinuane VEDC and parents play active roles in school management, and there are youth volunteers teaching Computer and English subjects. The school has 2 or 3 computers.

Children have better access to education by means of competent and committed teachers and a wide variety of leisure activities like arts, soccer and music. Youth Volunteers from Phonsinuane contribute to the development of English language competencies by offering additional English courses within the program “Teaching English in Laos” for both pupils and teachers. Additionally, the school educates children in matters of personal hygiene, for example brushing one’s teeth and washing one’s hands. By being a pilot school”, the primary school is now more independent in organizing and designing its timetables, e.g. incorporating more English lessons.

Feedback from Students Using smileys (a representation of a smiling face), the students were asked to choose the particular smiley that indicates how much they like school.

One (1)student chose the first smiley that indicates he doesn’t like school at all;

One (1) student chose the second smile that indicates he finds school just okay;

One (1) student chose the third smiley that indicates he likes school;

Three (3) students chose the fourth smiley that indicates school is very likable;

Three (3) students, all of them were girls, chose the fifth smiley that indicates they like school very much.


What students like about their school: their teachers; the school grounds and facilities such as hand washing facilities; school activities such as games, sports, reading, writing and drawing activities; they have a library (reading corner); they have friends in school; the school is near their house; the school environment particularly the playground; they have plants and flowers in the school.

Parents-Teachers Relationship: When asked if their parents come to school, the students answered yes due to several reasons: to pay for the school fees; to participate in school activities; and, to accompany them during the first day of school.

As students, they committed to: help maintain the cleanliness of the school; help the teachers in the school activities; study harder.

Wishes for their school: more materials for teaching and learning; more books; more computers; clean playground and surroundings.

Highlights of responses from survey-questionnaire for the School Principal of Phonsinuane on Project SMaLL experience: a) What are you most proud about being a school principal?

I am very proud as principal of Phonesinuane Primary School because the teachers and the community respected and trusted me that I can do my work/perform in this school. I am also proud of having good cooperation with communities, local authorities and parents; of having good mannered students; having a new school development plan and opportunities to join new projects of the government.

b) Describe the most exciting situation or successful experience that you have encountered and managed as a school head before and after the training on collaborative management of small schools (under Project SMaLL).

Before the training, I faced some difficulties in cooperating with other organizations, in teaching and learning management and the cooperation between school and parents was insufficient. But after the training, I applied the strategies I learned in building school-community partnerships. The cooperation with parents and other organizations is getting better. Students’ performance as well, is getting better with good learning outcome.


c) Who were with you when you were managing the project/situation? A number of stakeholders were involved in project implementation, namely: Education Division of Vientiane Capital, District Education Bureau (DEB), local authorities of three villages, Village Educational Development Committee (VEDC), parents and local authorities, all teachers and the school community.

d) What help or support did you get from them? Describe the nature of support. Students provided data, helped in the interview and participated in all school activities such as school festival, study tour and other extra-curricular activities. The villagers cooperated with school in organizing all these school activities. In addition, when school asked villagers to support the construction of dining area, tables and chairs for students they participated in giving donation and other materials. Our school received teaching and learning materials from our partners/donors, budget for study tour, funds for the construction of dining area including tables and chairs for students. We also received food and candy for some special events from other sponsors/organizations.

e) Describe the most challenging situation that you have encountered and managed as a school head (after the training) The challenges I encountered as principal are the following: a) how to successfully manage/supervise the teaching and learning activities because the school principal is also a teacher; b) how to raise some funds to build the school’s sink completely for handwashing; c) how to guide students in community-based learning activities (i.e., study tour) and, d) how to encourage more parents to be involved in school activities.

f. What happened after you have managed/implemented the project plan or particular situation?

The action plan implementation on small schools management resulted to:

School had new school sinks and dining room

Improved teaching and learning management

Students are able to read and solve mathematic exercise well

Students are brave to express themselves in learning

Students have good behavior

School and teachers were supported by other organizations


Phonsinuane Teacher’s Experience (n= 4 teachers) a) Can you share one best experience you had in school?

We have good experiences in school-based management and teaching in this school. The principal and teachers created school activities for students and exchanged teaching and learning experiences with each other in order to improve themselves. In every class and library, there is reading activities and storytelling and playing games. School also organized study tour for students to visit the Lao historical museum. Who were involved?

Teachers, parents and local authorities, Village Educational Development Committee, Education Service/Division of Vientiane Capital, District Educational Bureau (DEB), local authorities of three villages.

What happened?

The Phonsinuane students were engaged in several projects such as: science club activities, data field collection, dental project, green school project, extra teaching project for slow learners, population project, charity project, small-scale school project, disease prevention projects and other health education projects.

What was your role?

We played a very important role: to deliver/teach knowledge to students, guide them in their school activities, and encourage them to participate in learning activities and monitor their learning progress.

What was the outcome?

Students’ learning outcomes were better. They were able to read, play and enjoy. They were able to tell stories to friends. We trained students to have good behaviors, and good solidarity with friends. They improved their knowledge and abilities and applied it in real life situations. They learned about Lao history when they visited the Lao museum.

b) What made that experience enjoyable or meaningful?

Students have good solidarity with each other, they enjoyed reading and were able to tell stories with friends.


c) If that experience could be done all over again, what should be there to make it an even better experience?

There should be learning exchange with excellent/model schools and sharing on teaching experiences/techniques with other colleagues in Phonsinuane school.

Provide additional budget because school budget is limited. Teachers need more training because they have limited knowledge and teaching experience.

Have successful school activities where students are able to adapt themselves with integrated classroom learning. Allow students to play, read, share/tell stories with parental support. Conduct successful school activities where both teachers and students are learning together using more practical ways of teaching that enhance students’ participation.

d) What were your insights/learning and discoveries about yourself/ your co-school

teachers, principal and village members from that experience?

Learning exchange (sharing, learning and connection) between and among school teachers, friends, and principal is very important to improve teaching and learning.

School principal needs to cooperate with teachers, parents, local authorities, Village Educational Development Committee and parents.

Getting support from business people, communities, international organizations and others are necessary to augment school’s limited resources for school improvement

Importance of having clear plan: vision and mission to improve school performance. With a clear plan, we were able to solve issues on some incomplete school projects.

e) How do you envision yourself 3 to 5 years from now? How do you plan to achieve them?

With a clear plan, we will improve our school activities such as: teaching pedagogies, teaching aids, academic work, extra-curricular activities (study tour), solve some incomplete school projects, and get extra/good social welfare benefits for teachers to achieve the expected goals.

f) How can your school be more effective in teaching and learning?

Teachers have to be responsible and pay more attention on effective teaching and learning practices to ensure that students will have good learning outcomes.

It is also important to provide a study tour for teachers to learn new knowledge from other institutions and to raise funds so they can develop new teaching and learning activities and materials.


Introduce and guide students in performing new school activities inside and outside the classroom, such as in forest preservation and other environment-friendly practices. Encourage them to have good solidarity with friends, love the school and keep school clean.

Encourage largely the participation of parents and community to support school improvement projects.

g) In what way/s parents and the VEDC are helping you achieve your goals?

The Village Education Development Committee (VEDC), local authorities and parents were involved in school activities that aimed to improve teaching and learning particularly the disable, poor and unmotivated students.

Teachers visit parents and work closely with them, consult with them about all school issues. Together with parents, teachers will be able to solve their problems in teaching and learning.

h) For those graduating in 3 to 5 years, what are those things your students would best

remember about your school?

The Phonsinuane school has better teaching and learning strategies and relevant school issues are solved in line with educational policies.

Teachers, local authorities, parents and community are actively involved in school activities such as in data collection of new student population (statistics) in the village to encourage early registration of school age children for the next academic year.

i) What are those things about or in your school that you wish were different or better?

Our school will always be a very beautiful school. Teachers and students have good solidarity that enables them to implement successful learning activities, both know how to use new learning technologies and speak foreign languages (e.g., French and English), and create good learning environment (atmosphere).

School teachers’ capabilities are better through learning exchange with other schools, study tour in developed countries, teachers have attended some training courses to improve their teaching competencies.

j) In what ways can students be involved in school projects and activities?

Explain the project objectives to students to enable them to understand the activities to be done. Guide/lead students to do a variety of practical work. Teachers have to listen to students’ opinions about their learning activities; use interesting teaching materials to motivate students to learn and encourage them to love the school, have good relationship with friends and participate in all school activities.


C. The Project SMaLL Implementation Experience in Sikhaitha Primary School

The Sikhaitha School’s action plan for SY 2011-2012 on Project SmaLL covered the following objectives and activities:

1. Improve students’ academic performance

1.1 Improve Lao language, reading and writing skills of grade levels 2 and 3. Ask students (grade levels 1 to 5) to play games to motivate them to read

1.2 Develop new teaching materials in mathematics 1.3 Increase appreciation of “world around us” through creative drawing.

2. Improve student’s behavior

2.1 Develop good manners by speaking nicely to one another 2.2 Develop healthy hygiene habits 2.3 Improve school attendance

3. Improve the climate of partnership with VEDC, parents association, village chief, and

community elders and volunteers 3.1 Improve school environment by planting flowers 3.2 Repair old table and chairs 3.3 Fix the school fence

In August 2011, SEAMEO INNOTECH conducted a monitoring visit to Sikhaitha Primary School to determine the status of their action plan implementation. The following information were taken from interviews with the Provincial Education and Sports Services (PES) Supervisor, students, school principal and teachers: Feedback from Vientiane PES

Mrs. Kamphone, the PES Supervisor visited Sikhaitha Primary School. She reported that multi-grade instruction is being used by all teachers (n=3) in Sikhaitha.

On multi-grade teaching, Mrs. Khamphone observed that while the teachers were given the multigrade manual already, only one teacher is able to follow 100%. She said the teachers need more mentoring on multigrade teaching.

There is a plan to conduct in-service trainings next year (January and August), she suggested to the MOE training team that one session be added on multi-grade teaching.

Mrs. Khamphone also noticed that teachers had difficulty making lesson plans. Developing lesson plans is included in the past training and in the manual but teachers needed more help in said area. She expressed hope for a possible teacher exchange program on multigrade lesson materials development in the Philippines.


Feedback from Sikhaitha Students

What students like about their school: their teachers; their homeroom teacher is very kind, always on time and seldom absent; very qualified/knowledgeable; school activities: games, sports, reading, writing and drawing activities; they have a reading room; outcome of learning in the school is good; all students pass the final examination; they have friends in school; the school is near their house; the school environment particularly the playground; they have plants and flowers in the school; they love to study.

What students don’t like about school is the fact that classes start very early.

Students’ most memorable experience in School: One student shared that day, he got into a fistfight with his classmate. He fell down and hurt himself. Those who saw this came to help him get up. However, their teacher learned about it and punished them both with a stick. After that experience he learned not to get into a fight anymore. Another grade three student shared that she loves her teacher so much because she has been helping her to be the top student in class since grade one. Her teacher has been very patient in explaining their lessons in class. Because of her, she was inspired to study harder in order to excel.

Parents-Teachers Relationship: When asked if their parents come to school, the student gave varied answers as follows: yes, because of the fighting incident; yes, to pay for the school fees; only during the first day of school; yes, but they don’t know why; a number said, their parents don’t come to school at all.

As students, they committed to: bring flowers to the school and grow them; water the plants; clean the school grounds; bring water to the toilet; help the teacher construct the plant box.

Wishes for their school: better blackboards; more materials for teaching and learning; more supplemental reading materials; computers; new tables, benches and chairs; advancement in teaching and learning; new buildings; more books; clean playground and surroundings

Message for their parents and teachers: They wish their parents good health, more success and long life. For their teachers, they wish them good health so they could come to school every day. They also wish to have more teachers in schools because the school has insufficient teachers.

Following is the narrative experience of the school in accomplishing their projects based on a follow-up survey questionnaire administered to the school principal and teachers:


Highlights of responses from the Survey Questionnaire for School Principal of Sikhaitha on Project SMaLL experience:

a. What are you most proud about being a school principal? I am very proud as principal of Sikhaitha Primary School, because communities, local authorities and parents collaborate with me very well. As such, I am inspired to improve my work/performance. I will continue to teach, do my academic and administration work for further promotion in the future.

b. Describe the most exciting situation or successful experience that you have encountered and managed as a school head before and after the training on collaborative management of small schools (under Project SMaLL). When I face some difficulties in implementing our school development plan, I consult with the District Educational Bureau (DEB) or the model school of excellence in order to solve those problems. After the training, our school was also supported by the local authorities of two villages.

c. Who were with you when you were managing the project/situation? In the course of implementing our action plan in Project SMaLL, I was supported by the teachers, parents and Education Division of Vientiane Capital, District Education Bureau (DEB), Education Division of Vientiane Capital, the local authorities of two villages and monks from Sykai and Meungva.

d. What help or support did you get from them? Describe the nature of support. The school was supported by Koneket Company with total donation of 500,000 kip. The monks from MeungVa temple supported the construction of five (5) toilet doors and school land ill with total cost 2,500,000 kip. The monks from Sykai temple painted our school building with total cost 1,300,000 kip.

e. Describe the most challenging situation that you have encountered and managed as a school head (after the training) The most challenging was how to get parents involve in school activities and to raise funds from the community to support our school projects.

f. What happened after you have managed/implemented the project plan or particular situation? The perceived results after the training were:

Improving teaching techniques

Having interesting activities

Proper delivery of knowledge to students


Highlights of responses from the survey questionnaire for school teachers of Sikhaitha (n=3) on their Project SMaLL experience: The following excerpts were taken from the summary of responses of Sikhaitha teachers. Similar responses were consolidated into one statement. a) Can you share one best project experience you had in school?

We learned from Project SMaLL that it is very important to exchange teaching and learning strategies/activities with other schools. Based on the learning we discover that teachers also need to develop/design teaching and learning plan daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. Who were involved?

The project activities were supported by teachers, students, parents, VEDC, DEB, PEB and monks, Educational Division of Vientiane Capital, District Educational Bureau (DEB), local authorities, community, and the monks.

What happened?

All teachers committed to plan daily, weekly, monthly and yearly teaching plan.

What was your role?

We paid attention in preparing our lesson plans, teaching materials and other learning activities so we can teach students effectively to enable them to achieve the expected learning outcomes. Our important role is to teach effectively, provide clear guidelines, and pay attention on improving students’ learning outcome successfully.

b) What made that experience enjoyable/meaningful?

We took students for a study tour. Students were able to achieve the expected academic goals. We also trained them to play sports and performance arts to develop their special talents and skills.

If that experience could be done all over again, what should be there to make it an even better experience? Teachers have to use interesting teaching activities and find out better teaching techniques to use in the classroom. Teachers have to pay more attention on effective teaching. Teachers must try to find out the appropriate ways to solve problems and use good techniques in teaching students.


c) What were your insights/learning and discoveries about yourself/co-teachers, principal and village members from that experience?

The school principal and teachers have a good sense of solidarity. Villagers supported the school for the successful completion of project activities. Teachers gained new teaching experiences and were able to develop good teaching techniques/methods and materials with the help of friends, co-teachers, school principal and villagers.

d) How do you envision yourself 3 to 5 years from now? How do you plan to achieve

them? I will educate students to have good behavior, good learning outcomes, to pay attention to his/her studies and to learn successfully. I will encourage students to be actively engaged in learning. I will prepare lesson plans and, new teaching materials. I will introduce new teaching methods to students. As a teacher, I will pay more attention on teaching and learning.

e) How effective was your school in developing the kind of person you are right now?

I learned a lot because of exchanging/sharing teaching experiences with other excellent/model schools. I discovered better teaching and learning techniques that can improve teaching quality, and the school performance.

f) In what way/s has your parents and the VEDC are helping you achieve your goals? We learned to work closely with local authorities. We introduced the importance of education to local authorities and to students and encourage the village people to raise funds for school-based projects.

g) For graduating students only: In 3 to 5 years after graduation, what are those things

that you would remember best about your school? About your teachers? About your parents and the community?

Teachers have to encourage parents, VEDC, DEB and PEB to visit and support the school. Teachers have to continuously upgrade their educational work/skills.

h) What are those things about or in your school that you wish were different or

better?

I want to improve my school to be as good as other schools. I want my students to be excellent in many subjects. (As head-teacher), I want to train all teachers to be excellent in academic work.


i) In what ways can students be involved in school projects and activities?

Introduced students to fables and other story books to improve their reading skills. Encourage students to play sports and performance arts in order to make them happy and excel in their special skills/interests. To find out interesting teaching methods and new learning activities for students and observe what the students like to do and their perceptions/ideas.

Joint implementation of Fit for School Program in Project Small Sites

The three pilot schools carried out their action plans as agreed during the training workshop on small schools management. One common project/activity that the 3 schools have implemented under Project SMaLL aimed at improving the health condition of students through proper hygiene practices using the GIZ Fit for School Model which generated greater community interest and support. The Fit for School Project focuses on three school-based interventions: 1) daily group handwashing with soap, 2) daily group tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste, and 3) annual mass deworming according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO).

During the training on collaborative management of small schools, SEAMEO INNOTECH presented the orientation video on Fit for School Project as a sample joint project to strengthen family, school and community relationships.

After the viewing the Fit for School Orientation video in 2011, the three pilot schools were inspired to implement this simple, innovative and effective hygiene program introduced by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) in partnership with SEAMEO INNOTECH, as an integral part of their Action Plan on Project SMaLL.

The training and experience they got from collaborative management of small schools adequately prepared the three project schools to participate as partner-beneficiaries for the Lao PDR Fit for School Program which was also launched in 2011 as a parallel project to support the school based management initiatives which Project SmaLL had started.

During the monitoring visit, the school principal, teacher, parents, the VEDC and the village officials shared how they successfully implemented this project using tippy tops and recycled local materials.

Below is a brief background of the Fit for School concept as operationalized under Project SMaLL:

Rationale: Despite declining poverty rates and consistent positive socio-economic development, the health status of children in Lao PDR remains problematic. Project Objectives: Improve school health by transforming public primary schools into supportive learning environments where children can practice healthy habits, learn and thrive in school.


Project Activities: Fund raising, planning, construction of washing facilities, painting of hygiene facilities. Results: Through the financial and technical contributions of the VEDC, the schools were able to build concrete handwashing facilities even without formal orientation and training from the provincial/district level. As a result of the three schools’ active participation in Project SMaLL they were recommended by the Vientiane Provincial Education and Sports (PES) Services to participate as beneficiaries of the Fit for School Project which was jointly implemented by the GIZ and SEAMEO INNOTECH from 2012-2015 (Phase 1). The health/hygiene initiatives of the three Project SMaLL schools were reinforced and further enhanced by the interventions provided by the GIZ assisted Fit for School Program particularly in maintaining a clean, healthy and green atmosphere for learning as shown on the project accomplishment status below:

Table 37: Fit for School Implementation Status (2012)

Name of School No. of

Students / Girls

No. of Classrooms

Classrooms w/ Grp Washing

Facilities

Classrooms w/ Toothbrush

holders

Classrooms w/Manuals and

Supplies

Group Hygiene Activities

At least once/day

At least once/wk

Phonesinouane 38 / 19 5 5 5 5 5 -

Sikaytha 50 / 25 5 5 5 5 5 -

Ban Kuoay 81 / 43 5 5 5 5 5 -

Source: Fit for School Implementation Status for BMZ Annual Progress Report 2012

The GIZ Fit for School Program is one of the few hundred of projects and programs being implemented by MoES together with the development partners. The GIZ Fit for school program has benefitted from the interventions of project small particularly in laying the foundation for school based management of school health program in the three pilot schools which are now part of the 22 model schools supported by the MOES, GIZ, SEAMEO INNOTECH and other institutions. Currently, around 4,800 students in 22 model schools in 4 districts in Vientiane Capital are reached by the program. As of 2016, the program has expanded to all (42) primary schools in Sisattanak District. The cornerstone of the program is an inter-sectoral strategy and learning exchange through cluster approach that used the schools and cluster system as mechanisms to reach the child population with simple evidence-based preventive interventions. All interventions of the program have demonstrated their positive effects on the health status of children in numerous studies.

Appreciating the Role of VEDC As experienced by the three project/model schools, the VEDC is a critical force to push for school reforms through school-based management and inclusive leadership. The activities of the VEDC involve regular leadership meetings and establishment of funds to support school improvements. The Committee is also responsible for providing teacher support in terms of teaching aides, teaching materials, transportation and subsistence. Its role in instructional


supervision comes in the form of explaining school rules to parents, encouraging students to complete their homework and parent supervision, and assistance with translation of instructional-learning materials. It is also the major player in generating parental involvement by discussing and following up with parents concerning their children’s learning needs. Advocacy and information dissemination are also important tasks designated to the Committee, as well as monitoring of pupil participation in school. Since the implementation of Project SMaLL, the MOES has given emphasis to VEDC as a mechanism for school-based management/decentralized education management in terms of engaging wider sectoral participation in school improvement initiatives. MOE is seeking to empower the VEDC as a backbone to support education for sustainable development. VEDC meetings are expected to be a profitable forum for discussions about concerns as well as for building consensus about policies and practices toward enhancing “collective mindedness”. However, while significant members of the community are encouraged to offer their insights for decision-making process, it should be made clear to community members not be over-reliant on the VEDC to make all decisions for them. Rather, the VEDC should be an agent for parents to decide on matters pertaining to their children’s education. The VEDC gathering should help village members develop confidence to openly share their ideas and opinions and to actively participate in clarifying issues and in making decisions. Management skills and participatory decision making methods developed by VEDC members as a result of training for implementing the program should be those skills that can be all-encompassing and useful for succeeding projects and programs (Source: Basic Education Development Project Northern Communities Lao PDR).

7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CASE EXPERIENCE

OF LAO PDR

1) One of the concrete contributions of Project SMaLL in Lao PDR is in giving prime

importance and recognition to the VEDC as a key partner of small schools in rolling-out and accelerating school based management projects such as the GIZ Fit for School Program, which is due for upscale/expansion by 2015-2018:

Community support for the program. Members of the community participated in consultation meetings organized by the school principal to convince them of the importance of multigrade schools and to generate support from them.

Community participation in decision-making. Through the VEDC, local village authorities and major community members were involved in planning and raising funds for the school. Funds were raised to build handwashing facilities. Democratic decision-making process was applied in planning for facility type, with options ranging from low-, to medium- and high-cost.

Fund raising efforts. The school and the community jointly engaged in official solicitation for financial support from community members.


Transparency and accountability. Provisions were made for the community to be involved in formulating policies and measures that govern community contributions.

Consensus building. The Village Chief endeavored to build consensus among community members when making plans and decisions.

Regular monitoring. The VEDC and parents together participated in regular supervision of school activities. They developed mechanisms and criteria particularly for fund management.

Material and work contributions. Parents and community members shared in providing both labor and materials for construction of hand washing facilities, and in monitoring these projects toward their completion.

School Principal, Parental and community accountability. Since these stakeholders have invested their own time and resources to the school, they felt the need to see it succeed. They felt it would be a big failure and disappointment if the project implementation were to stop.

2) Factors that supported the successful implementation were identified by VEDC and parents during focus group discussions. Among these were:

Good coordination and fund raising skills.

Community acceptance and ownership, as shown by parents being convinced about the program, and giving their full support.

Involvement of the community from the very beginning, generated through community involvement strategies such as creating a culture of cooperation and a sense of solidarity.

Support of broader community, including the local private sector.

Face-to-face interactions through regular meetings, which were highly appreciated by community stakeholders.

Visits to model schools with strong community partnerships, inspiring program participants to improve the tippy-tops or make-shift handwashing facilities constructed in 2011.

3) Interviews with School Heads yielded information on factors that facilitated program implementation. Among these factors were:

Good School-based Management capabilities developed among school principals, including management, leadership, knowledge sharing the ability to generate community involvement.

Being proactive and having an aspiration to see continuous improvement.

Being a motivator, espousing a belief system that aims for the school “to be better than other schools”, having “positive envy.”

Willingness to share knowledge and resources and to help other schools, and other forms of intrinsic motivation of principals, teachers, and students.


4) Based on interviews with the Lao District Education Bureau, the following supportive factors that facilitated the success of school-based projects (e.g., Fit for School) in all three schools were mentioned:

Opportunities to exchange teaching and learning experiences among teachers.

Activities that support learning such as reading and storytelling activities, study tours, club events, practical work, and student projects (dental, charity, health education, green school, helping weak students).

Good sense of solidarity among teachers and students to make the program successful.

Clarity in purpose and goal, as stated in the school mission and vision.

Motivational techniques to encourage students to participate in school activities.

Home-school connections through home visits by teachers, not only for students who miss classes but also to consult with parents and encourage them to support their children’s education.

Teacher-parent partnerships such that basic instruction is provided by teachers and parent provide support by monitoring progress of children.

In addition to hours spent teaching in school, primary teachers prepare lessons and make homework for an average of 7 hours per week. Teachers also spend an additional amount of time meeting parents. Parent-teacher meetings took place four times a year on average. The close relationship between the school and the PTA could be a result of the regular meetings that parents have committed to participate.

Teacher in-service training to supplement instructional skills, including good classroom management and maintaining positive classroom atmosphere.

Established structures in the district that expedited cluster planning mechanisms; meetings and monitoring activities.

Management capacities of district management team who were skilled and were pro-active.

Creation of demand, an influence of the Lao culture in which schools who did not yet have, for instance, the Fit for School program yet felt “ashamed” and clamored to become participants.

Good socio-economic and geographic conditions of schools such as those found in Sisattanak District, Sikhottabong District and other district within the City of Vientiane.

Commitment of teachers: In the 3 pilot schools it was observed that school principal and teachers have dedication and commitment in teaching as they remain in school for a quite a long time: 10 teachers have been teaching for more than 11 years and 2 teachers have been teaching for 5-6 years.

Based on the World Bank Study on Teaching in Lao PDR (2007), the findings may indicate that rural and remote teachers in small schools, where multigrade and contractual teachers are more common, are less inclined to miss school. This may be a function of greater commitment of teachers to their communities or greater scrutiny from education administrators and community members.


However, the challenges listed below continued to confront the three project schools. These challenges of small schools are microcosms of the issues at the national level, which are continuously being addressed by the MOES under its Education Sector Development Plan (ESDP 2011-2015) and up to ESDP 2016-2020:

Difficulties of enlisting the hardest-to-reach children in rural areas: Small schools were a marginalized group that faced constraints in opportunities and persistent difficulties due to slow and imbalanced education reforms particularly the Ban Kuoay Primary School which is located in a vast agricultural land outside the city of Vientiane. The school has to convince more parents to bring their child to school as stated in their action plans.

Poor Teacher Preparation: A large proportion of teachers in Lao are ill prepared for subsequent education, training, and work, resulting in low external efficiency. As has been reported by the Provincial Education and Sports Service (PES), most teachers in the project schools need more training on how to facilitate multigrade education with ease, organize the learning system and use other effective teaching strategies.

Retention & Completion Rates: As of date, the 3 Project SMaLL schools have zero drop-out rates but they need to ensure that all students will all pass each grade level so they can complete their primary education in five years, monitor school repeaters and other internal inefficiencies that further strain the potential but limited resources of small schools to deliver quality education. It should be noted that the completion rate of the 3 project schools are fluctuating

Poor Learning Outcomes: In terms of students’ learning achievement, the result of examination in Mathematics showed improvement in terms of passing rate, but still 18% of students in Ban Kuoay did not pass the math exam. At the national level, the learning outcomes in mathematics were particularly poor, and declining in 2009 (Level 2 in 2006) (Source: NRIES, ASLO 2006, 2009).

Results from the Grade 5 national assessment survey suggest that students are not developing enough skills for independent or even functional learning in Lao language, and particularly in mathematics. These poor results suggest that teachers might not be delivering the high quality teaching that is needed to develop problem solving or independent thinking skills in these areas.

Teaching Practice: The national assessment of student learning outcome for primary grade 5 (i.e., Lao PDR’s complete primary cycle is grade levels 1 to 5) provided a wealth of information about various aspects of teaching practice such as time devoted to work, instructional style and frequency meeting parents. On average, Grade 5 students are taught by a teacher who works 36 hours a week. Generally, the teaching load of teachers is similar between urban and rural areas (Source: NRIES, 2007). Instructional observation and supervision of school principals (every term), team teaching and peer mentoring among teachers are now being practiced in the three project schools but it should be continued and strengthened by the school principal.


As a start, pre-service and in-service training programs could place greater emphasis in weak subject areas to strengthen teachers’ content knowledge as well as adequate pedagogical practice to enhance student academic outcomes.

Inequalities and disparities: There were persistent gaps in access in disadvantaged communities, where there was insufficient supply and poor quality of services, and low system efficiency. For example, the Ban Kuoay Primary school located in the outskirts of Vientiane Province, had a rough and dusty road which is usually transformed as a river during rainy season. In fact, it happened that during the monitoring visit of SEAMEO INNOTECH it rained so hard that the middle of the road instantly became a river. The INNOTECH research team and the MOES officials had to cross the river to go to Ban Kuoay primary school. As a remedy, the people in the community used a raft to transport the students and teachers to the school which is about 500 meters away from the flooded road. It was a common dream for many pupils in Phonsinuane and Sikhaitha schools, to have the basic learning materials which are not available even if these schools are located within the Vientiane Capital: such include notebooks, books, and other reading/learning materials, additional blackboards, tables, benches, chairs, computers, new school building, repair and maintenance of school facilities and clean environment.

Reduction in class size in public schools due to increasing migration to private schools. Teaching English by qualified teachers is an advantage of private schools from public schools in Vientiane Capital. Thus, migration of students from middle-class families to private schools resulting to a decreasing class size in both Phonsinuane and Sikhaitha schools. Under a scenario of limited teacher supply in public schools, this leads to hiring of teachers without the proper credentials or certification. Recruiting enough qualified teachers to ensure adequate access and pupil-teacher ratios in the face of the education sector’s expansion is an important policy concern. Human resource projections indicate that Lao PDR will probably experience teacher shortages on the range of 12 to 50 percent of total demand in most of the years through 2015. These shortages might be particularly acute in rural and remote areas.

Teacher performance: Access to schooling has increased significantly in the past years and will continue to increase as Lao PDR moves to meet its goals of universal primary coverage through the fast track initiative policy of the MOES. Recruiting enough qualified teachers to ensure adequate access and pupil-teacher ratios in the face of the education sector’s expansion is an important policy concern.


Based on the initial consultation conducted adequately by SEAMEO INNOTECH (2011), most teachers in the three pilot schools in Vientiane Capital were not trained on multigrade teaching. The large proportion of untrained teachers makes continuous professional development or in-service training a necessity in Lao PDR. (Source: Teaching Competency Standards in Southeast Asian Countries, www.slideshare.net/guruonline/teaching-competency-standards-in-southeast-asian-countries p.24). Teachers are an important determinant of achievement thus, steps should be taken to improve teacher performance as part of a comprehensive teacher reform strategy. Project SMaLL provided orientation on multigrade education for one day, but this is just on understanding and appreciation level. Skills-practice and more skills-based training must be given to address the remaining competency gaps of Lao multigrade teachers. Thus, continuing reforms are needed to improve the situation of teachers and teaching in Lao PDR. The teacher reform might need to dwell on three areas: 1. Ensuring adequate supply of teachers, particularly for rural and remote areas; 2. Improving teacher salary and incentives; and 3. Teacher performance and training.

Improving salaries and ensuring a comprehensive teacher reform plan can ultimately address how these changes will affect students and student learning. Teacher reform in Lao PDR should not only prioritize student learning but also better understanding of how teachers in the country contribute to these outcomes, and how disparities in teacher supply, qualifications, living and working conditions across schools or by gender or ethnic group contribute to greater inequalities in student learning.

School based management, specifically leadership, and funds collection and allocation: All project schools admitted that while they were trained on collaborative management of small schools, they still encounter issues with regard to parental valuing for education; motivating and engaging more parents to participate in educational programs, and developing strategies to mobilize resources. Hence, the value the learning exchange and resource-sharing that the cluster system provides needs to be continuously supported by the DEB.

Due to vigorous efforts of the MOES in collaboration with development partners, the Lao PDR is able to improve the basic education sector such as access to education, gender equality, school rehabilitation and construction, support school facilities (classrooms, water and sanitation), expansion of the school grants and stipend scheme, increment teachers’ salaries and incentives and so on. The availability and reliability of education statistics have been significantly improved over the period. Currently, the education statistics and indicators are available through online and offline version of Lao EduInfo. In addition, the Lao EduInfo can be installed on smart phones so as to access and review the education statistics and indicators in a convenient way. The utilization of those statistics and indicators in education planning, information dissemination, monitoring and evaluation are areas to be improved in the future (Source: unesdoc.unesco.org/“Education for All 2015 National Review Report: Lao People’s Democratic Republic”).

http://www.slideshare.net/guruonline/teaching-competency-standards-in-southeast-asian-countries%20p.24

http://www.slideshare.net/guruonline/teaching-competency-standards-in-southeast-asian-countries%20p.24

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002314/231489e.pdf/


According to Lao EdulInfo (EMIS Center), from SY 2010 to 2014, there was a significant increase in the country’s net enrolment ratio for primary education from 92.7 to 98.5% and likewise the survival rate had increased from 71% in 2010 to 77.5% in 2014. The drop-out rate was reduced from 14.2% in 2010 to 6.9% in 2014. Likewise, the repetition rate has decreased to 5.4% in 2014 from 6.9% in 2010. Although there are a lot of achievements in EFA goals and targets, still there were remaining challenges and rooms for improvement in fulfilling the Education Sector Development Plan of Lao PDR for 2016-2020. The major improvement areas based on the experience of the three project schools are the following:

a) Learning achievements of students - particularly in remote and ethnic areas with low completion rates and sporadic attendance rates;

b) Quality of teaching - poor competency of teachers and the absence of appropriate

teaching resources and school facilities; c) Capacity of local implementers such as Village Education Development Committee

and community leaders’ participation in school-based management programs; e) Effective parental engagement in basic education.

If the initial work on Project SMaLL is to yield long-term outcomes beyond project life, the following recommendations are sought to address the above improvement areas: 1) Improve Learning Achievement

English Language: To be at par with other SEAMEO member countries, and to address the issue of migrating students from Phonsinuane PS and Sikhaitha PS to private schools with good English teachers, the MOES, TEIs and international institutions should accelerate existing programs that support Lao students and teachers in improving their English language competences of learners from Grades 3 to 5. Collectively, they can work together to provide educational, didactic and methodical training for teaching English as a foreign language to the teachers at the same time. The MOE and interested institutional partners can support the development of English education in Laos by setting examples for designing and teaching lessons to develop communicative competences and by taking on consulting functions, integrating insights of education research and modern English didactics and methodology into the Lao education system (Text by J. Zeck).

Social and Ethical Values: Teachers can further enhance school performance (e.g., student’s attendance and participation rate) by addressing the affective and social dimensions of academic learning. Lao teachers should teach students how to apply social skills and ethical values in daily life. Build students’ motivation and personal connection to school through caring, engaging classroom and school practices, and provide developmentally and culturally appropriate instruction.


School Health: The Project SMaLL schools, as Fit for School model schools, should also promote integrated school-based health programs that: Ensure consistency and clarity in policies and messages (e.g., better health and

learning outcomes have symbiotic relationship). Involve students as leaders and reward positive student behavior. Provide positive adult role models and opportunities for family connections. Ensure school commitment and support at all levels. Use interactive programs that enhance development of interpersonal skills. Conduct life skills training, including refusal and resistance skills, decision making,

goal setting, assertiveness, bullying prevention, coping and communication. Increase awareness about media and advertising influences, particularly regarding

substance use and abuse. Avoid short-term interventions but employ multi-setting interventions, including

school, family, media and community. (Source: http://cecp.air.org/download/MCMonographFINAL.pdf)

2) Improve Quality of Multigrade Teaching

According to the literature on improving education in remote areas, the recommendations to ensure the continuous professional development of teachers should aim to: a) improve the quality of pre-service training programs; b) enhance policy analysis to detect areas for improvement, particularly with respect to teacher capacity development in remote and ethnic areas; and c) strengthen and increase access to in-service and teacher upgrading efforts.

The above premises can help address the difficulties of newly trained teachers in managing multigrade education in the 3 Project SMaLL sites. In line with this, the teacher education institutions in Lao PDR should prepare the college of education graduates to catch up with the growing demand for teachers in both rural and urban schools. The TEIs should provide school-based training in multigrade education which is both applicable in small schools (rural) as they are in bigger schools (urban).

Better instruction is achieved if teachers who receive training are hired to provide adequate and quality service including the context of multigrade classrooms. TEIs must aim to enroll sufficient number of students to provide adequate supply of education graduates which are mostly needed in the remote rural schools. As such, the MOES can recruit the teachers it needs to improve student learning and reduce disparities in service provision across districts and provinces.

Additional funding should be allocated for continuing professional development of teachers, through clearly established priorities and on the basis of empirical evidence, so as to ensure that resources are spent judiciously and yield maximum benefits.

http://cecp.air.org/download/MCMonographFINAL.pdf


Teacher Support and Quality Assurance

According to a study conducted by World Bank (2007) on Teaching in Lao PDR, the findings revealed that a strong internal and external accountability measures are important mechanisms for teacher support and quality assurance. At present, there is an extensive peer informal network whose role and utility could be further strengthened with the support of occasional professional facilitators. In addition, a robust external supervisory system could provide on-time support to teachers, provide suggestions for career development and capacity building, as well as offer overall quality assurance. Greater efforts to understand the linkages between teacher performance and student results must be undertaken to inform policy analysis that can explore teachers’ role in student achievement and other outcomes.

The first step in this direction would be to link the Grade 5 National Assessment survey database to teacher information to be able to identify which students were taught by which kinds of teachers. This information will become a key input in future decisions to institute targeted support measures and incentives to enhance teacher skills and ultimate performance, as well as to better make recruitment decisions and capacity building reforms (Source: Benveniste , Luis; Marshall , Jeffery; Santibanez , Lucrecia. 2007. Teaching in Lao PDR. Washington, DC: World Bank. documents.worldbank.org/curated/in/2007).

Teacher qualifications are classified along three areas: (a) teachers’ characteristics and professional ethics, (b) knowledge of children, and (c) subject knowledge and practical teaching wisdom (MOES, 2007). These criteria are an excellent start, but this must also translate into practical tools to assess teacher performance both in school (rural/urban) and in other education contexts.

Contextualization of IMPACT materials to Lao Setting

During the orientation on Project SMaLL, the IMPACT Learning System was presented by SEAMEO INNOTECH as one of the best practices which can be implemented in small schools. Having the IMPACT awareness and in recognition of its proven effectiveness in the Philippines, the Provincial Education and Sports Services (PES) expressed their interest to adopt the IMPACT system to support multigrade education in the 3 project schools. However, since the learning materials are aligned with the Philippine basic education curriculum, it will be difficult to transfer the technology to Lao PDR. To do this, a feasibility study is necessary to determine the cost-benefits of contextualizing the IMPACT materials for Lao teachers and students using the Lao education curriculum and language and subsequent training of teachers in this regard.


3) Strengthen and maximize the capacities of local implementers such as parents, Village Education Development Committee (VEDC) and community leaders’ participation in school-based programs.

One of the major areas of development in Lao PDR is organizing the large number of small schools sparsely distributed in remote rural areas. In view of this, the management of small primary schools needs the concerted efforts in all levels of government, from the central, to the provincial, the district and the village levels. To sustain the initiatives of Project SMaLL and other complementary education projects, there is a need to strengthen the relationships, coordination and linkages between and among the VEDC, schools, the DEB and provincial education offices not only in urban (Vientiane Capital) but also in rural areas.

As demonstrated by the active involvement of the VEDCs and parents in Ban Kuoay Village, Phonsinuane Village and Sikhaitha Village, it appears that the VEDC is a viable focal point for strengthening the community-based support for small schools in rural areas where formal schooling is neither available nor accessible to poor children. Aside from financing education, the VEDC can become more relevant to the school-community, if they also participate in major activities such as: (1) undertake participatory action research and school development planning; (2) Lead the community in activity implementation; (3) Support and monitor activity implementation; and (4) Evaluate and prepare report on activity implementation. In consideration of the crucial role of the VEDC, the MOES may need to conduct further research to assess the VEDC impact and to document success stories about the VEDC’s active role in small schools management and decentralized education management (Source: Basic Education Development Project Northern Communities Lao PDR).

In this connection, the VEDC Village Head needs to demonstrate a greater interest in local education governance. VEDC members have to develop a personal understanding of the importance of education and an appreciation of the role of education in opening livelihood possibilities. There must also be active representation from female members, and male members must be made aware of the limitations set against greater female participation. Similarly, parent and student representatives from ethnic minorities in the community should also be made part of the Committee. Literacy should be encouraged and supported among members of the VEDC.

Strengthen school-parent partnership by informing parents of their children’s academic progress and pupil absences, with an end goal of improving attitudes, support and participation in school enrolment

It should be noted that the VEDC in Phonsinuane and Sikhaitha Primary School are more active than the Bank Kouay Primary School at the start of project implementation mainly because the VEDC members were more educated and are employed, some are active in business (e.g., selling aromatic oil for massage and healing) and engaged in the service sector (e.g., Insurance Underwriter).


As such, the VEDC in Vientiane Capital were able to find local resources and finances to assist and support the school-based projects, and to stir strong unity among villagers in support of educational endeavors. One of the VEDC members during the Fit for School project visit is a bookkeeper and thus able to manage the financial records of the VEDC. It would be good, if the VEDC can also handle reliable records on information about families and their children, particularly in relation to school enrolment.

On Fund Utilization

The school principal should be able to engage the VEDC in school based management and to work together for better governance, improved transparency, and more responsive administration of school funds. Together, they need to discuss how much the school receives, who are the suppliers that the school pay; how much the school receive from other sources such as the VEDC, canteen revenues (if any) and donations from parents, business community, alumni and others and how is this spent and for what items.

4) Exploring proven and emerging approaches to management of small schools.

Several school management approaches are suitable for coping with problems of small schools particularly in sparsely populated areas such as in Ban Kuoay, the third pilot school which is situated in a vast agricultural area in Sunthong District (the school can be reached by more than two-hour drive from Vientiane Capital).

The most common approach is to maintain incomplete schools in these areas. An “incomplete” primary school is one that does not offer the full five-year primary school curriculum in Lao PDR. In this case, students in some communities found in sparsely populated areas may have no access at all to the higher grades. (Source: Noonan, Richard, Some Notes on Class Size in Sparsely Populated Areas in LAO PDR Myth Busting, URL www.academia.edu). A second approach is the so-called multi-grade teaching, which is a common solution for small schools. The actual configuration depends on the availability of space and teachers. There are one- and two-teacher models and other forms, which may vary from school year to another, depending on the enrolment size.

A third approach is organizing schools clusters which has long been commonly established in Lao PDR and supported at the District Education Bureau. Younger children in remote communities attend the first grades in a local “satellite school”, while older children attend a central or “core school” for the upper grades.

A fourth approach which is being adopted in other small schools in Lao PDR is double-shifting in which instruction is provided in all five grades where classroom space and/or the number of teachers becomes a limiting factor. For example, Grades 1 and 2 are taught in the morning sessions, while Grades 3, 4, and 5 are taught in the afternoon sessions. This approach can be applicable to the three project schools of this study based on their current needs.

http://www.academia.edu/


Possibly the least common approach is the “one -teacher, five- grade school” approach which is also authorized for small, remote communities where only one teacher is available. It allows provision of complete primary schooling (five grades) for all children in the community, while the teacher handles only two or three grade levels each year. It is a recognized practice, but is not often applied because it is considered too difficult to manage (Source: Noonan, Richard, Some Notes on Class Size in Sparsely Populated Areas in LAO PDR Myth Busting, URL www.academia.edu). Many small steps can harness the capabilities of small schools in implementing school-based projects which need to be supported and sustained in many ways by the Education Ministry and its development partners. Some of which are as follows:

Design and implement advocacy programs that will spread awareness about model schools and use the school cluster system. Designate cluster heads as crucial champions and resource persons, who can become the target group for HCD measures.

Assign teachers, preferably those who know the local language, to teaching tasks and/or activities based on their capabilities, and provide incentives to those who have good teaching performance record. Provide training assistance to teachers in preparing lesson plans, classroom management, student supervision and student remediation for weak students.

Ensure child-friendly, clean and safe school and classroom environment, and generate student enthusiasm, desire and interest to learn and to come to school. Increase the participation of girls in the program in support of girls’ education efforts.

Develop and administer a national assessment at the points of transition and completion to evaluate the attainment of educational objectives, and develop specific targets such as expected achievement levels for each grade level. Provide enhancement classes outside regular class hours for those who want to receive supplemental instruction.

Reinforce student good behavior, and implement and support exemplary performance in co-curricular endeavors such as sports and the arts.

Develop and use advocacy materials such as the Fit for School Video and Manual (used during the training on small schools management) to increase awareness that good education projects can be implemented by the village for the benefit of their children with an overarching spirit of cooperation, transparency and accountability.

A number of learning needs providers and international NGOs (GIZ, UNICEF, Plan International, Save the Children, World Vision, ADB, JICA) and similar service organizations have on-going projects in rural remote area that contribute to the continuous improvement of educational system in Lao PDR. However, it may serve the country better if these interventions are aligned and are synchronized with the programs and services of the Education Sector Development Framework Plan of the government so as to avoid duplication

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and to ensure synergy and complementation of education initiatives (Source: MOEYS Education Sector Development Plan, 2011-2015) 5) Strengthen the capacity of Provincial Education and Sports Services (PES) and District

Education Bureaus (DEB) to support the Lao primary schools in remote rural areas.

Interventions would include short term training on school based management, cluster management and team building, financial management, and monitoring and reporting.

As institutional support mechanisms for small school, the capacity of the PES and DEB to prepare five-year development plans and annual operational plans need to be improved.

Organizational streamlining is crucial to the success of any program. For this reason, the following is a sample differentiation of roles and responsibilities that can be discussed vertically in the education ministry to further define the accountabilities, expectations and nature of available support for small schools at various levels: At the provincial level (PES), training and orientation are provided to key

implementors and stakeholders, and program evaluation is executed. In-service skills development activities are designed and provided to school teachers and head-teachers who will be assigned to undertake multi-grade instruction and other capacity-building programs relevant to small school. Moreover, the PES can help schools coordinate and unify academic programs that are often fragmented and incorporate continuing evaluation and improvement. Establish organizational supports and policies that reinforce the skills development of high-quality staff.

At the district level (DEB), local advocacy and campaign for participation as well as monitoring activities are carried out. Public information measures are organized by the DEB in partnership with local authorities using appropriate mechanisms such as the school cluster system, for instance. The DEB will visit model schools with strong community partnerships, as an effective and preferred option for knowledge sharing.

At the community (VEDC) level, financial assistance, labor/technical and material

support are generated and mobilized for priority school-based projects. The success of school based management in the context of the 3 project small schools was seen in the joint implementation of school-based projects with the VEDC. Based on interviews with concerned stakeholders success depends on the commitment, involvement of, and partnership with, parents, local residents/villagers, leaders, private individuals and other sectors representing the youth, women, labor, religious, senior citizens, among others.


At the school level, school based management activities are planned, implemented/monitored and evaluated by school leaders together with families and communities as partners to ensure that the delivery of instruction is learner-centered participatory and unleashes the potentials of children, youth and adults as lifelong learners. Guided by the principles of inclusive leadership, the school principal organizes face-to-face interactions with teachers and stakeholders through regular meetings, as an institutionalized practice in school; makes necessary decisions in consultation with stakeholders; implements joint school projects that revolve around mutual goals and ensures school commitment and support at all levels.


CHAPTER VII. FINDINGS,

CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS ON

SMALL SCHOOLS

MANAGEMENT IN

SOUTHEAST ASIA


This section summarizes the general insights: findings, conclusions and recommendations on

small schools management based on the lessons and experiences of the seven small schools in Lao PDR, Malaysia, and the Philippines supported by literature on small schools in Southeast Asia. The management of small schools in different settings in the aforementioned pilot countries is a microcosm of a larger group of small schools in other SEAMEO Member Countries. Thus, the overall recommendations listed below could serve as a guide not only for the aforementioned participating countries but as well as for other small schools in Southeast Asia. If properly acted upon and prioritized by the education ministries, the succeeding findings, conclusions and recommendations could provide measures on how to further strengthen the management of small schools and protect the gains of EFA agenda for the next 15 years in terms of increasing the participation and completion rate of school-age children in disadvantaged primary schools.

KEY FINDINGS PER PARTICIPATING COUNTRY

Based on the research questions, the following summarizes the key findings of the study on small schools in each participating country: 1. What critical areas of community-based support are needed by small schools?

1.1) Lao PDR

The Lao Ministry of Education and Sports recommended three schools located in Vientiane Capital because almost all primary level schools fall in the category of small schools. The critical areas of support needed in small primary schools are a) capacity building on multi-grade teaching for school teachers, and b) conscious effort to operationalize the Village Education Development Committee (VEDC) as a national policy to help the primary schools level up within the decentralized education management framework. Only two of the three project schools in Lao PDR had active VEDC engagement. In the 3rd project school, the project raised awareness on the existence of VEDC structure that support small schools operations and management. Notably, majority of Lao PDR teachers and school heads in the three project schools have tenure of more than 11 years.


1.2) Malaysia

Small schools or under-enrolled schools in Malaysia were mostly found among the Orang Asli (indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia) spread throughout the rural areas of Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia. The project site comprising two Orang Asli schools was identified in Perak State, West Malaysia. Upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Education, the project chose as its research site the Orang Asli schools in Peninsular Malaysia where innovations have sprouted. The critical areas of support needed are a) more committed local teachers, and b) educated parents who can help provide sources of Orang Asli culturally-appropriate teaching and learning materials.

1.3) Philippines

In the Philippines, small schools are scattered all over in rural areas characterized by a multi-grade system. The Department of Education in Region VII recommended two project sites in Cebu Province because of a prior project engagement (Applied Academics for Excellence) with SEAMEO INNOTECH to further strengthen the public educational system. Critical areas of support needed are strong parental and community support to augment the limitations of small schools in rural areas in terms of resource requirements and strengthen the motivation of head teachers to stay and serve in the school because the community provides back up support not only in financial and administrative aspects but also assistance in teaching and school-based management. This is exemplified in the IMPACT Learning System developed by SEAMEO INNOTECH, where parents and the local authorities were capacitated to help the school as itinerant/volunteer teachers. By engaging educated/trained parents in teaching and available local talents/professionals as volunteers, the school head/teachers can shift their focus on improving the quality of instructional supervision, setting-up a sustainable mentoring and coaching system for both student leaders as programmed teachers, and local talents as volunteer or special teachers.

2. How do small schools engage, manage and sustain critical areas for community support?

2.1) Lao PDR

All the three project schools actively engaged the VEDC in Project SMaLL action plan implementation in the spirit of decentralized education management


2.2) Malaysia

The two Orang Asli schools under the project motivated and engaged the parents, teachers, and community in Project SMaLL action plan implementation which includes adult learning, livelihood, academic (English lessons), healthy lifestyle, physical exercise (aerobics), and community visioning. They also engaged students on remedial classes on vocabulary, reading, writing, calculating, and improving their study habits.

2.3) Philippines

The two project schools in the country actively engaged the parents, teachers, school and community leaders in Project SMaLL action plan implementation in collaboration with the school-based management (SBM) initiative of DepEd within the context of the IMPACT Learning System framework.

3. What new capacity-building interventions may be jointly pursued by schools and

community members in managing small schools? As part of the action research design, the project was able to document the anticipated capacity-building needs of the seven (7) project schools as a result of series of consultation meetings with them. The following capacity-building interventions were identified, validated, implemented and monitored by SEAMEO INNOTECH in cooperation with the 7 participating schools in three SEAMEO Member Countries. Other future capacity-building needs were identified after the training on small schools management and monitoring of the action plans which were implemented by the project schools. The emerging capacity-interventions are discussed in the ensuing recommendations section. 3.1) Lao PDR

To accelerate the multi-stakeholders partnership in the project site, the MOES in Lao PDR,

Vientiane Capital, and SEAMEO INNOTECH organized a training on collaborative management of small schools and provided an orientation on the rudiments of multi-grade education anchored on the existing curriculum for primary schools.

3.2) Malaysia

The training on collaborative management of small schools was conducted in joint partnership with the Ministry of Education in Perak State for the Orang Asli stakeholders: parents, village officials, teachers and school directors. They were also given an orientation on K9 Comprehensive Model School/Special Program to prepare the graduating primary learners to enter secondary school.


3.3) Philippines

The training on collaborative management of small schools was implemented by DepEd in Cebu and SEAMEO INNOTECH for the two project schools. The training on IMPACT technology was also conducted as a separate capacity-building program for school teachers and principals in the project site which included other multi-grade teachers from partner schools.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Project SMaLL was implemented in seven primary schools in three SEAMEO Member Countries for eighteen months. As presented in country reports, small schools in Southeast Asia faced common operational problems in terms of management, particularly those located in disadvantaged and underserved communities. The main challenge for the education ministries in each country was on how they could best support the small schools to ensure that the schools as learning organizations would be able to achieve their vision and mission of promoting quality education for all school-age children in their respective areas. The study revealed that education ministries had varying levels of difficulties and bottlenecks in managing small schools. This being the case, interventions tended to vary from one country to another. Nevertheless, a systematic analysis and prioritization of the challenges and opportunities in managing small schools was the first viable step in strengthening and sustaining the initiatives of these ministries for the underserved small schools. Small schools, at a glance, seemed to be easy to manage due to their size. Resource requirements were considered minimal, hence, provision of resources and supportive services was limited. However, small schools have unique requirements, and the sets of competencies required of school heads in managing small schools are different from those who manage big or regular schools. This is one reason for education ministries to pay more attention to addressing the strategic and operational issues faced by small schools and to ensure that they perform just as well as big schools. A number of interventions were described in the country reports, with focus on long-term directions, developing manpower, redesigning the organization, and managing the appropriate teaching and learning program.

Specific Conclusions

The following are the project conclusions and recommendations across countries for application and adaptation to other SEAMEO Member Countries to help address the challenges faced by small schools. These recommendations will serve as the basis for defining specific courses of action that SEAMEO Member Countries can pursue to improve the quality of education services in rural areas despite the complexities of small schools in Southeast Asia.


Conclusion 1) The main challenge for education ministries in each country was on how they could improve the status of small schools to ensure that the schools as learning organizations would be able to achieve their vision and mission of promoting quality education for all school-age children in their respective areas. Specifically, the following challenges were identified by the MOEs in the three participating countries under Project SMaLL: Low academic achievement. This was evident in the three pilot schools prior to the capacity-building interventions implemented through Project SMaLL. To help improve the quality of learning, multi-grade instruction was upgraded using the IMPACT technology (Philippines); family, school and community involvement were enhanced to support student learning (Philippines, Malaysia and Lao PDR); and, after-school learning activities were implemented to assist the slow learners (Malaysia). In Lao PDR, the general attitude toward multi-grade education has been positive and many primary schools appear to be adopting this teaching approach by choice. Heads of primary schools have reported that their motivation for adopting multi-grade was a confluence of both educational reasons and need for resources. There was, however, some resistance toward this approach. Particularly in the Philippines, a few parents were not willing to support it because they considered the monograde system (with one teacher per grade level) better than the multi-grade (with one teacher teaching several grade levels at the same time) in terms of quality of learning and teacher-student interaction. In general, multi-grade has been viewed by the teaching profession as a “second-class” solution to educational problems which beset disadvantaged communities. Moreover, multi-grade approach is often presented as a strategy for cost-saving. This instructional strategy has also been perceived only as a compromise approach, or a short-term solution when there are insufficient teachers and resources. Based on interviews in Cebu, some Filipino parents expressed preference for their children to attend classes exclusively with same grade level. Such attitudes hinge on the assumption that school enrolment will eventually increase, thereby warranting a transition from multi-grade to monograde learning system. Nonetheless, others perceive the multi-grade system as a long-term solution for low-resource schools. In Malaysia, the multi-grade schools were gradually phased out by the MOE because, as of 2008, the under-enrolled schools, including SK Sungai Perah and SK Chenderong Kelubi (Project SMaLL schools) now enjoy an adequate number of teachers and clerical staff, and the same teaching and learning facilities as in normal schools, if not more. As a matter of policy, the MOE adopts the student-teacher ratio of 1:17 to supply teachers to the under-enrolled schools.


Limited number of teachers. In developing countries in Southeast Asia, small schools are defined mostly in the context of rural and small populations. However, these are often school-age populations which are growing rather than declining. General population growth and increased participation in schooling among communities which have not yet achieved universal access to primary education give rise to schools which tend to be located in areas where access to the next school is difficult, where facilities are already extremely limited, and to which teachers generally do not wish to be posted. Thus, small schools usually have a small number of staff to perform the intricate job of teaching the young. Due to lack of teachers, head teachers in small schools are also engaged in teaching. Moreover, head teachers tend to have fewer prospects of delegating their work because they are more likely needed in directly engaging a diverse groups of stakeholders, and in providing remedial programs for slow learners and adult education for poor parents. All of these make it more challenging to work in a small school context. Difficulty on teacher deployment and retention. Given, the complex realities in small schools, head teachers in remote areas have been forced to consider alternative, more creative approaches to staff deployment and retention. It was divulged that the head teacher of Hawanay Elementary School (Philippines) had preferred to stay in Tapul Elementary School, the former’s mother school. Thus, the School Division assigned a newly promoted school principal who had neither received an orientation nor training on IMPACT technology to supervise the Hawanay Elementary School as a satellite school of Tapul ES. It is quite difficult to encourage the teaching staff to stay in rural areas based on salaries alone, particularly if the motivation to teach in rural schools is mainly based on a tour of duty for rural service and as a training ground for newly graduate teachers and newly promoted school heads. Upon successful completion of a tour of duty, school heads/teachers can eventually request for reassignment in a school of choice usually located outside the rural areas. On average, primary schools in the Vientiane Capital and some provinces (Vientiane, Sayabury, etc.) have more teachers than the national average, while other provinces (Pohensaly, Houphan, etc) have teacher shortage (Source: Lao EduInfo +EMIS 2014-2014). Thus, to address the issue of shortage and surplus of public school teachers in some areas, the MOES has reviewed the distribution of teachers to maintain an acceptable increment of teachers in both primary and secondary levels. To attract teachers to work with indigenous communities and under-enrolled schools, MOE-Malaysia introduced the remote schools incentive program that gives teachers and support staff “allowances” based on how remote the schools are. Moreover, to retain qualified teachers from urban areas, they were given quarters or house rental subsidy allowance (rental ceiling). In 2007, the Philippine DepEd provided Special Hardship Allowance to public school teachers assigned in “hardship posts” characterized by extreme difficulties, as well as performing multigrade teaching, alternative learning systems or mobile teaching functions. In addition, the Philippine government had increased the basic pay of all public school teachers and administrators. To date, salaries of teachers in public schools are relatively higher than private school teachers.


Limited resources, including high average cost for pupils, unrealistic per capita grants, and limited access to basic infrastructure and learning facilities. Primary education offered by small schools faced a number of problems because the institutional capacities for management, planning, and budgeting were limited. The costs of school operation is higher in a small school because an additional teacher makes a big difference in the student-teacher ratio, or the number of students per teacher. Such is not the case in large schools where the effect is quite negligible. This means that control over unit costs is lower in smaller schools than in larger schools, especially since teacher salaries constitute by far the largest portion of operating costs. A stiff budget cuts the school’s flexibility in managing resources, such as in financing shortage of learning facilities. Based on the Research on Cost Analysis for Small Schools (MOE Malaysia 2003), the average school cost for pupils means the total overall cost divided by total enrolment in a particular school. The total overall cost includes managing teaching and learning as well as pupil’s welfare costs. It is found that the size of school has an influence on the average school cost for pupils. (Source: Small Schools Management Workshop 2010 Country Report-Malaysia). According to the per capita grant table of MOE Malaysia, it is found that small schools with enrolments of less than 100 pupils, receive the same per capita grant (prorate). For small schools with an enrolment of less than 20, its average school cost for pupils is RM10,144.63. When the enrolment increases to 20-45 pupils, the cost is reduced to RM3,808.91. The cost is further reduced to RM2,988.82, RM2,747.75, RM2,325.21 and RM2,383.74 for enrolments with 46-70, 71-95, 96-120 and more than 120 pupils, respectively. This clearly shows that small schools require greater funding but at the same time are ineffective when it comes to cost. This shows that the preparation and financial grant for small schools oftentimes do not take into account their actual needs which depend on the current calculation of per capita grant based on the number of pupils which in this condition does not favor these small schools. Weak school-community support and partnerships. To increase enrolment, expanding the community awareness of children’s education, continually sustaining school operation and maintenance, and establishing community ownership of the operations of small schools are vital.

Results of initial consultation meetings with small schools revealed that formal mutual support networks for head teachers were less ingrained and established in rural schools. This may be partly due to their heavy workload and geographical isolation. In view of this, it appears that mutual support networks are potentially more important and crucial for school head teachers, but are ironically more difficult to establish and sustain.

Further, small schools management entails collaboration with family, community and other networks. Many challenges faced by small schools can be addressed through more systematic, formalized collaborative working mechanisms. Partnership with stakeholders can help address issues such as the feelings of isolation experienced by many head teachers of small schools. Small school leaders interviewed for this study recognized the need to develop greater collaboration between stakeholders within their own school-community. Small schools management heavily relies on promotion and revival of community spirit which has


been a social policy for many governments. It takes on many names such as “bayanihan” (the Filipino spirit of communal unity), “gotong royong” (Malay word for communal spirit of sharing, looking out for one another) and “suanyheu khonun” (helping others in Lao PDR).

In the Philippines, the “bayanihan” is evidently practiced particularly during “Brigada Eskwela” (National Maintenance Week), fund-raising, disaster risk management and other cause-oriented community-based projects. During Brigada Eskwela, members of the school-community either provide financial support or volunteer to repair chairs, tables and blackboards, and clean and repaint walls, windows, doors, rest rooms and school grounds to ensure that school facilities are functional and meet minimum standards to make the school conducive to learning before the official opening of classes. Brigada Eskwela was launched to attract volunteers, maximize civil participation, and use local resources to help improve public schools. Brigada Eskwela has since become the Department of Education’s model of genuine public and private partnership in action in which participants from the communities as well as foreign volunteers give their time and effort for schools’ clean-up campaign. It shows to the world that volunteerism is very much a part of the Filipino culture. Like the Brigada Eskwela, community-based support is very evident in the implementation of the IMPACT Learning System where key stakeholders such as parents are enjoined to directly participate in their children’s education by taking on learning support-related tasks and leadership responsibilities in support of DepEd’s school-based management advocacy. In Lao PDR, community support is fostered and strengthened by propagating the spirit of “suanyheu khonun”. This culture of cooperation resonates with the existence of VEDC. Thus, the Lao government realized the need to reactivate, reorganize and build the capacities of the VEDC in each village as an emerging mechanism for enhanced community engagement in support of decentralized education management. Similarly, in Malaysia, the spirit of “musang” or “gotong royong” binds the indigenous peoples (e.g., Orang Asli) together to support the small schools in the villages. Thus “gotong royong” epitomizes the spirit of sharing so that no one is left behind, regardless of race. As part of a collaborative practice in Malay traditions and customs, gotong royong was established as an important socio-economic value in its National Cultural Policy of 1973 (https://remembersingapore.org/2013/ 09/17/ kampong-spirit-and-gotong-royong). Conclusion 2) The big challenge for small schools is their geographic location because a) they are oftentimes far and difficult to reach by social, communication and infrastructure services; and b) they are differentiated in ethno-linguistic groups that require translation of evidence-based curricular materials.

The demographic and linguistic situations in small schools and their communities tend to be complex, too. Education solutions can sometimes emerge only from the local community and local education authorities based on their understanding of the situation, including the development objectives of the community, and of the alternative resources available within the community or outside. Consequently, the school needs to actively engage parents and


members of the community in identifying and addressing the learning needs of children, and to carefully include the contributions of all stakeholders in integrating local wisdom in developing and implementing the curriculum, giving due recognition to the valued contributions of stakeholders, while at the same time encouraging them to become fully responsible for their contributions. Small schools need to enhance the spirit of mutual support. One solution is the improvement of informal and formal networking. School cluster system, in-service training, and similar programs implemented for mutual benefit among schools did provide such support systems, and can be capitalized as useful basis on which mutual assistance can be built upon in the future. In view of the foregoing, school clusters, i.e., grouping of schools within the same geographical location, for economic, pedagogic, administrative and political purposes (Bray, 1987), is a rational and feasible solution for developing countries to achieve their education goals (both quantitative and qualitative) within the framework of school-based management and financial austerity. For instance, focus group interviews with cluster heads, school heads and teachers in Sisattanak District in Lao PDR revealed that cluster approach utilized by the District Education Service paved the way for the promotion and expansion of GIZ’s Regional Fit for School Program in primary schools. Utilizing existing structures (i.e., cluster school meetings and joint projects) in implementing and sharing information was one of the key factors and catalysts in the successful scale-up of the program. Conclusion 3) Small schools feel greatly accountable to the communities that enabled them to be established, yet they do not have the necessary formal leadership development and school-based management training to help them meet the community’s expectations. Specifically, there is a need to develop or enhance the technical leadership of the school head/ head teacher and strengthen their competencies on instructional supervision. As an organization, a small school has a high degree of complexity, stemming from the small number of staff employed and the intricate jobs they need to fulfil. In particular, head teachers have fewer opportunities to delegate their work, and as a result, are more likely to engage directly with diverse groups of stakeholders in the community. Dealing with initiatives such as extended services, for instance, is therefore markedly more challenging within a small school context. Small schools in rural areas also face demands that are different from those encountered by larger schools, particularly because of the central role that small schools play in their local communities. In such contexts, the small school is more embedded and significant to community life than larger schools, which then adds to its complex nature. Small schools are often found in isolated communities and need to have the involvement of many individuals, some of whom come from outside the community. Having outsiders visit their small community is a unique but nonetheless important experience for everyone in the school and community.


Demands felt by small school head teachers often result in feelings of isolation. When things go wrong in the school, head teachers are made to feel that they are the only person in the community who is accountable. They tend to more keenly feel the demands that come from new initiatives and policies compared to their larger counterparts. In some schools, there tends to be an increase in bureaucratic procedures, possibly because of the leadership styles applied by head teachers. For this reason, it may be appropriate to allow smaller schools to have more flexibility in terms of their organizational structure given their unique context. In most small schools, head teachers also take up teaching tasks. Their teaching assignments place additional considerable demands on their time which can act as obstacles not only in mentoring, coaching, and monitoring teacher performance, but also in accessing their own professional development. It has been revealed that oftentimes, promotion of head teachers in small schools has been overlooked, because those in big schools are more favored due to the size of their schools. However, there seemed to be some marked benefits for head teachers in small schools.

It was also noted that the competency checklist administered to schools heads and teachers prior to the implementation of Project SMaLL revealed low ratings of school heads in managing school-community partnership and in designing teaching and learning strategies for teachers. School heads and teachers of Talisay Schools Division in the Philippines shared difficulties in offering teaching posts to newly qualified head teachers due to the fact that work demands limited opportunities for providing regular mentoring to teachers. One head teacher (officer-in-charge) in Cebu, Philippines disclosed that aside from managing the barangay (village) school assigned to her (Tapul Elementary School), she was also managing a satellite school (Hawanay Elementary School) which she had to visit twice a week. She found it difficult to provide instructional leadership to teachers in her assigned school, particularly in using the newly implemented IMPACT Learning System for very mixed age groups. Consequently, she had to assign one teacher to assume the coordinator role for the program. In this situation, the head teacher was not able to give the teachers adequate support. Interestingly, the highly complex nature of small schools offer a unique setting for learning about school headship. Furthermore, the kind of influence that comes with the position of headship in small schools means that there are greater demands for the heads to lead by example and to demonstrate a grounded and pragmatic view of their pivotal role in the school as a learning organization. There is evidence that collaborative working is increasingly being applied between schools, and within clusters, but is not yet viewed as an ideal context for honing leadership potential. Head teachers in the study were keen on conversing and learning with others while building opportunities for their schools to work together to support the communities they serve. At the same time, they were also eager to retain an appropriate degree of autonomy in keeping with the concepts and principles of school-based management or decentralized education management.


The small number of staff in small schools means that the initiatives that can be pursued are likewise limited. Nevertheless, it is also a situation where there are more leadership opportunities within the organization. Thus, management in small schools is more likely to be shared, which, in turn, has positive implications for developing school leadership potential. Inclusive leadership can help small schools get the best out of all teachers (regardless of gender, age, and background) in a complex and diverse environment. In 2011, one study found that over 80% of people who had worked with an inclusive leader were more motivated, productive, and loyal to the organization and were more likely to go the extra mile (Laura Swiszczowski, Opportunity Now). On the other hand, one study highlights the mechanism by which small schools become more effective than large schools. Lee and Smith (1994) used data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (1994) to show that small schools increased teacher collaboration and team teaching. Small schools are often more flexible and responsive because there is less formal bureaucracy, and because people are known to each other. The research about the value of smaller schools shows that small schools are safer schools and better places for students to work with adults who know them and whom they trust (Barker & Gump, 1964; Wasley, 2000; Cotton, 2001). Lee and Smith report that “large size and fragmented human contact complicate the management of [large] schools, which elevates the importance of formal rules to regulate behavior. The environment in comprehensive high schools is therefore less human”. People cannot connect in the same ways in a large school because intimacy is impossible and students are anonymous. Examples of small schools taking advantage of their size to do outstanding work with students are evident during and after the action plan implementation of the seven project site schools. In view of the above premises, the education ministries need to emphasize the importance of investing in capacity-building of school heads so they may improve their abilities to take advantage of the strengths of small schools, practice instructional leadership with diverse learners, facilitate change management to address the weaknesses of small schools and to foster community partnership to make small schools management more cost-effective. Conclusion 4) Given the nature and location of small schools, it is important that the schools, in partnership with the MOEs, provide not only academic learning but also lifelong learning appropriate to different cultures and natural environments. To achieve the desired vision and mission of small schools, and in light of EFA 2030 Agenda, the education ministries need to develop culturally-appropriate curricula in cooperation with the community, civil society organizations, business, and industry entities to keep education relevant and sensitive to different cultures and natural environments of school children. By doing so, this could address the peculiar learning needs of indigenous people such as the Orang Asli in Southeast Asia. Developing a culturally sensitive curriculum and indigenous learning strategies and materials aligned with local values, cultural norms and traditions can help develop basic skills for lifelong learning. The IP learners can find more meaningful connections of concepts discussed in the classroom and circumstances in the real world, i.e., home, school, local communities, and global environments.


Specific Recommendations

Following are recommendations that may serve as basis for defining specific courses of action that SEAMEO Member Countries can pursue to provide equal access to lifelong learning opportunities for all school-age children, youth and adults in rural disadvantaged areas. On low academic achievement of students Recommendation 1) To sustain the project interventions relevant to student learning, there is a need for education ministries to strengthen curriculum and instruction, using modified strategies that align with the contextual realities of small schools, and to improve the acceptability and appreciation of multi-grade instruction in small schools. It is important that learning packages on multi-grade also contain information, education, communication and motivational (IECM) materials that will promote and gain support for multigrade instruction among parents and community members. Success stories and experiences of current multi-grade schools in the Philippines can be a rich source of caselets or vignettes for illustrating the advantages of multigrade as an instructional approach. The MOEs, particularly at sub-national levels, need to support the development, adoption, monitoring and assessment of using learner-centered strategies for small school improvement such as the IMPACT program as pioneered by SEAMEO INNOTECH. The IMPACT Learning System develops and enhances the competencies of students on programmed teaching, self-instruction, peer learning, and parents and community representatives are engaged to provide support to learning services at home and in the school. On limited number of teachers Recommendation 2) Continual review of teacher compensation policies and incentives to encourage both teachers and school heads to seek or accept assignments to lead and/or teach in small schools. Teacher motivation and competency are key factors in improving quality of education systems. Therefore, the provision of improved incentives for teachers working in small schools should be continuously reviewed and adjusted to motivate, attract and retain quality teachers and school heads. Incentives in the form of merit increase in salary, out-of-station/hazard pay (special hardship allowance) in accordance with remoteness, additional credits or points in performance ratings, special commendations, staff development assistance (i.e., scholarships), better housing/accommodations, among others, may be given in keeping with what are appropriate and applicable in the respective education ministries.


The governments of Lao PDR, Malaysia and the Philippines have all showed their commitment to continuously raise teachers’ status and motivation by reforming its incentives systems, with mechanisms targeting teachers in small schools. In Lao PDR, the MOES reviewed the distribution of teachers to maintain an equitable increment of teachers in both primary and secondary levels. As just compensation for teachers in remote rural areas, the government revised the incentives package (topping up the basic salary with teachers’ titles/recognition and honorarium) as they were paid higher than those of other civil servants and salary payments were arranged in a timely manner. The MOE-Malaysia introduced the remote schools incentive program that gives teachers and support staff “allowances’, quarters or house rental allowances based on how remote the schools are. Comparatively, the Philippine DepEd increased the salary grade of all public school teachers and provided Special Hardship Allowance for those assigned in “hardship posts” which are characterized by extreme difficulties, performing multigrade teaching, adopting alternative learning systems or mobile teaching functions.

On weak school community partnerships Recommendation 3) Encourage small schools to establish multi-sectoral action teams focused on designing and implementing initiatives for family–community-school partnerships within small rural schools and indigenous communities. This can be introduced as a sub-committee of existing parents-teachers association (PTA), or where there is no PTA, a separate association or precursor to a PTA. From observations made during the study, educators and teachers in small learning communities generally work as partners and impulse-givers: asking questions, being curious and sensitive, and at the same time learning from and with others. They do not appear to be giving orders from command posts. As demonstrated by the VEDC (Lao PDR’s model of community engagement), and KEDAP (Malaysia’s model for Adult Education Classes) and the IMPACT system (Philippine model for multigrade instruction), parents/families and the community can be mobilized to take on a more active role in what is happening in their children’s education. Present when meetings are called, and generally wanting to be involved in making decisions, they act both as participants and active experts in the learning process. Educated/trained parents and the VEDC were able to offer specialized programs for students and assistance in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities -in view of the great variety of competencies they possess, particularly those needed in critical situations (such as: handicraft making, gardening and other livelihood programs, health/hygiene/feeding program, disaster preparedness, waste management, sports, music, study tour, construction, repair and maintenance of school facilities.


For instance, the VEDC together with the District Education Service (DES) team, provided Fit for School program orientations to students, parents and teachers. The VEDC also assisted the DES in monitoring the school health activities and providing technical support, continued guidance, and motivation throughout the process. With these, all interventions schools received feedback and everyone was involved and encouraged to continuously improve the program. Recommendation 4) Provide small schools strong technical guidance and support on how to pursue and sustain collaborations with multi-stakeholders in their own school-community. Many of the challenges of small schools can be addressed through systematic, formalized, collaborative work. Many head teachers of small schools expressed concern over feelings of being separated or secluded; and increased partnership activities with community stakeholders can help mediate these apprehensions. Head teachers recognize their need to develop greater collaboration with stakeholders in their own school-community. Community-based organizations such as the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and the Lao Village Education Development Council (VEDC) have helped build bridges with the community by facilitating communications with local school boards or to municipal or local government links assigned in the area and other stakeholders in the municipality or city. Together with school heads, the PTA/VEDC leadership can co-preside over meetings during school-community assemblies, disseminate information and updates, and follow-up or monitor commitment and compliance to conditions and plans on education. School improvement plans in rural schools in particular must be collectively discussed, reviewed and expanded to include social centers, breakfast programs, after school programs, adult education, early education, recreation and similar broader purposes. In all these school activities, the children, youth and adult learners can largely participate and benefit for the community and with the community. Schools contribute significantly to the vitality of local economies and are essential to a community’s long-term development potential. Schools foster community cohesion and may increase civic participation. These considerations are especially relevant to small villages weighing the costs and benefits of consolidation, but they can also help guide decisions about the size and location of urban and sub-urban schools in order to maximize their value to surrounding neighborhoods.

Multi-stakeholder and multi-level engagement and support are important for sustainability and success of family-community-school partnerships. Such efforts entail creating alliances with supportive individuals and organizations at national and regional levels, some of which may include the following:

NGOs (e.g., Save the Children, Plan International, World Vision, Care International, CRS, etc.) who are child-focused and have educational and development programs for indigenous and disadvantaged communities;

Civil society organizations that have special interest and focus on children (e.g., Rotary International, Soroptimists, youth groups, women’s groups, interfaith groups, etc.);

Other community-based development organizations.


On teacher deployment and retention Recommendation 5) Strengthen the institutional management capacity at the district, provincial and other sub-national levels in providing technical advice and assistance on matters affecting teacher deployment, incentives, capacity building needs, teacher quality, establishing school networks, contextualizing curriculum materials, encouraging school-based innovations (content and processes), and addressing operational issues. To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of small schools, it is essential for the MOEs to focus on building the capacity of provincial and district education offices in providing technical advice and other assistance to small disadvantaged schools through trainings programs, orientations, review and planning workshop, benchmarking/study visits in model schools, among other need-based interventions. The provincial, division and district education levels’ supervisory, mentoring and monitoring skills can also be enhanced so they can effectively monitor and assess the performance of students in small schools so that lessons and good practices gathered from evaluation can be used to guide the design of future improvement projects for small schools. On limited resources, including high average cost for pupils, unrealistic per capita grant, and limited access to basic infrastructure Recommendation 6) Create an enabling environment that provides favorable and supportive policies, a pool of school champions, sustainable financing mechanisms and diversified resource base that would address the inequities faced by small schools in disadvantaged communities. Research showed that by two important measures of student outcome, smaller schools in Nebraska generally perform better than larger ones. The additional input cost of supporting students in smaller schools needs to be weighed against their more positive educational outcomes. The so-called inefficiencies of small schools are greatly reduced when calculated on the basis of cost per graduate, and virtually disappear when the substantial social costs of non-graduates and the societal impact of college-educated citizens are considered (Funk & Bailey, 1999, p. 3). Pilot schools in this project can perform if not better, than large schools in accordance to standards if given appropriate interventions, and if their teachers are provided with materials and appropriate training on effective teaching approaches (such as IMPACT). Thus, to uphold effective performance of teachers in small schools, a sustainable funding and incentive scheme that ensures equity among schools, regardless of enrolment size, is needed. In the Philippines, the new MOOE allocation for schools in remote areas is not only based on enrolment but also takes into consideration other factors such as distance, type of school and financial capability of local government units, and other applicable factors (DepEd Order 13, s 2016).


The MOOE allocation system for remote schools and the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) or 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino) Program of the Philippines, and the stipend system of Malaysia for the poor and indigenous learners can be further reviewed and improved to make them more responsive in keeping disadvantaged children in school and in supporting them to complete their basic education. Financial allocation and disbursement must be timely and equitably distributed to ensure that small schools are not left behind. Alleviating the noticeable neglect of rural schools will require creative ideas, alternatives, and collective actions of individuals and special interest groups concerned about inequities in resource allocation and utilization. Small schools in isolated communities will need to go out and entice others to come to the school-community environs as a way of improving access and mobilization and use of scarce resources. Across countries in this study, there have been inspiring accounts of how parents themselves took the initiative to get the MOE support to have schools built in their communities, or to raise extra funds for teachers so that they will be motivated to go to or to stay in their communities. However, not all indigenous or disadvantaged communities are able to raise additional resources for this purpose. Local governments can be encouraged to tap private foundations or philanthropic institutions that may allocate funds and/or may develop public-private partnerships that will make teacher assignments to small rural schools attractive and thus, ensure availability of teachers in poorer, indigenous, disadvantaged communities. On geographic isolation of small schools Recommendation 7) Provide an enabling policy environment for small schools to thrive and foster growth and innovations in remote and rural communities. 7.1) It is costly to construct and maintain schools and basic infrastructure in remote areas.

Thus, small schools built by the government often remain old, dilapidated and sub-standard, including the so-called boarding schools. With only few enrollees, small schools in general tend to have lesser budget compared to big schools with over a thousand pupils. But, in Malaysia, it is the policy of the government to provide adequate safe schools in all parts of the country, be it rural or urban, small or big schools. Thus, the government continuously provide better and cheaper school buildings (e.g., cabins), and upgrade school facilities and amenities such as electricity, water supply and other utilities.

7.2) The mainstreaming of IMPACT in Philippine basic education as the preferred ADM for elementary education provides small/multigrade schools with more tools, confidence and skills in providing inclusive and quality education not only during normal school days but even in times of emergencies. Thus, the Philippine DepEd had officially recognized the adoption of IMPACT as an ADM and provided funds for the training of regional and division champions and master trainers and teachers, reproduction of modules and other learning materials, and monitoring and evaluation (DepEd Order No. 53 s. 2011). However, the ADM guidelines should be well disseminated by DepEd to make the IMPACT implementation more effective and efficient.


7.3) Address ethno-linguistic differences by developing culturally appropriate/sensitive teaching-and-learning strategies and curriculum materials attuned to specific needs and conditions of individual learners and to create a natural learning atmosphere where indigenous children are motivated to fully express their own minds and talents, and apply what they learned in the real world

Recommendation 8) Design distance learning programs for students and teachers to provide them access to new knowledge and skills offered by Ministry of Education and learning institutions/networks with the assumption that internet connectivity, internet skills and language facility are in place. To widen access to quality education in rural areas and to keep students, teachers, and school heads abreast with the recent developments in achieving 21st century learning, it will be beneficial for them to participate in distance/e-learning programs. The MOEs may need to invest in providing solar energy equipment for schools without access to electricity, speed broadband access /internet access devices for schools in rural areas to improve the viability of small rural schools. Specifically, to assist in providing rural students access to a wider variety of courses, virtual schools, and collaborative learning opportunities outside of their immediate communities. SEAMEO INNOTECH attempted to provide an online learning management system to connect the seven project schools for learning exchange and sharing of learning resources during and after the training on small schools management for lifelong learning. However, due to limitations in language barrier, internet connectivity, and unavailability of technology infrastructure in the project sites, only DepEd officials and some teachers from Cebu, Philippines and a few teachers in Malaysia were able to connect with SEAMEO INNOTECH for online sharing of their experiences in their action plan implementation. As a long-term solution to provide education access for isolated schools in remote and rural areas, the MOE needs to promote online or distance learning to enable teachers to have the most advanced learning technology tools to teach and communicate with students and other teachers and experts anywhere, anytime and to bring in unprecedented exposure to rigorous, world-class content and resources. It provides students with flexibility to move at their own pace, while building a wide range of competencies, technology literacies and experiences necessary to succeed in 21st century schools and work environments (Susan Patrick, President and CEO, International Association for K-12 Online Learning, 2013). Online courses are appropriate for small schools in rural areas as they face education funding inequities, challenges in recruiting and retaining highly effective teachers and leaders, limited access to advanced education and placement, and out-migration of young people and professionals (Report on Rural High Schools, Alliance for Excellent Education). The MOEs can authorize multiple full- and part-time learning providers and/or engage representatives of local governments, NGOs, community-based organizations, interfaith groups, sectoral associations and other CSOs as potential online teachers. In this way, online learning can help rural schools survive financially and thrive academically.

http://inacol.org/


Recommendation 9) Develop a robust infrastructure for learning and sharing such as clustering of small schools in rural areas. With technical guidance of the District Education Service, the cluster approach was utilized in the expansion of GIZ funded- Fit for School implementation in Lao PDR, which only started from five model schools (2011) to 22 intervention schools in Sisattanak District (2012). Eventually, the district was able to scale up to 42 schools or practically all schools in the District. How did it happen in just a short period of time? The Sisattanak district made good use of their existing cluster structure. The MOE used the cluster system to create awareness on school health and as a support hub for learning exchange. The District selected the schools of three cluster heads as model schools. These cluster heads became role models and advocates of the program. All the other schools in this cluster went to model schools for regular meetings, so they can see the program in action and learn from it. In each cluster, the pedagogical advisor and the cluster head formed a team, which provided support to the schools. Regular cluster meetings were used to share learnings, provide technical advice and to motivate the school leaders. The strategic location of model schools was a great help to share knowledge and experiences and to scale-up the program. After seeing the facilities and the program implementation in model schools during cluster meetings and/or school visits, many school principals became interested to adapt the Fit for School Program in their schools. Undoubtedly, through the active cluster system among other crucial factors (stakeholders’ ownership and commitment, parents technical support, provincial and district’s strategic leadership and technical assistance) helped in accelerating the expansion and transformation of small schools in Lao PDR into healthy and safe learning environments, even with limited resources. Clustering is an efficient strategy for sharing resources and expertise between and among small schools. Technically, a cluster is a grouping of schools for administrative and educational purposes. A common cluster comprises of one school which is made a 'core' or 'central' institution, serving as the lead and model school of several 'satellite' schools or institutions. Under the cluster system, a school head is assigned and/or appointed by the district or division office to manage the small schools in remote communities. In other settings, the cluster head is elected by school heads within the cluster. The function of the head of the “core” school is to coordinate the work of the cluster. The core school usually pays particular attention to four aspects of school administration: economic, pedagogic, administrative, and political. Some of the activities among school clusters are as follow: 1) Economic: Sharing of access to extra resources (facilities and staff), bulk ordering materials, fostering community financial support, encouraging teacher development; 2) Pedagogic: Promoting curriculum development, providing an environment for innovation, encouraging cooperation in school projects, encouraging pupil competition (e.g., sports and examinations), integration of different levels of schools, integration with non-formal education; 3) Administrative: Acting as a focal point to which instructions from higher levels in the hierarchy may be sent, serving as a center for collection of information on enrolments, staffing, etc., local decision-making, (e.g., on teacher posting and leave


arrangements), improved planning, and providing a better framework for teacher inspections; and 4) Political: Raising consciousness about the causes of underdevelopment and of the actions that can be taken by individuals and communities, increased community participation in decision making, and reduced regional and social inequalities (Digest 23 School Clusters in the Third World: Making them Work by Mark Bray University of Hong Kong, UNESCO-UNICEF, Paris). The value of school clusters as a resource network can be viewed in three ways: 1) as resources in themselves, 2) as mobilizers of resources, and 3) as users of resources. Resources are both human and material. Human resources include school staff, parents and pupils; material resources are buildings and other facilities. Clusters can mobilize resources given by both the government and community members to affiliate schools. They can use the resources that are based in either the core schools or the satellite schools for cluster projects. Clusters can be vehicles for decentralization of educational administration and can be particularly valuable to small schools in providing extra resources, collegial support for teachers, and wider social, academic and sporting contacts for pupils, as in the case of small schools in Lao PDR. A well-organized cluster can generate additional resources from its communities. They can hold combined meetings of PTAs from each school, and then can launch and build joint projects. Previous studies have shown that clusters can play a positive role in helping improve the operation of school systems. The Fit for School experience showed the impact of cluster approach in bringing a simple and sustainable school health program to isolated schools. To make it contextually feasible to other SEAMEO Member countries, the MOEs must take into account the 1) topography of areas to be covered (if schools are reasonably close together), 2) the ease or difficulty of communication and transportation (if roads and other systems of communication are reasonably good), 3) the attitudes of people in communities surrounding the cluster (if the communities concerned have broad outlooks and are prepared to cooperate with distant neighbors), 4) the attitudes of officers in the higher levels of the education system, 5) the need for additional staff to make the cluster work, 6) the skills of people responsible for operation of the cluster, and 7) the financial requirements to operate the cluster. The MOEs should also determine if the cluster is meant to be for secondary schools, primary schools, or both; and if the cluster system is meant to operate instead of an existing district education administration or in addition to it (Source: Digest 23 School Clusters in the Third World: Making them Work by Mark Bray University of Hong Kong, UNESCO-UNICEF co-operative program Paris 1987, Feb 2, 2016). Much can be achieved using the cluster system, provided policymakers determine realistic goals and pay careful attention to the design and implementation of the system. The District and/or Division Office need to develop appropriate school-cluster models and assist local educators and communities in organizing school clusters. They also have to build up their capabilities in managing and evaluating the effectiveness of cluster system.


Recommendation 10) Conduct further research and provide guidance on models of formal and informal school clustering to evaluate their potential benefits for small schools and as well as providing a context in developing the next generation of school leaders. Cluster system and other soft and hard federations appear to have particular potential for small schools and may offer one way of overcoming specific challenges faced by these schools, while at the same time enabling them to retain important aspects of their unique characteristics. Further research and guidance are needed on models of formal and informal clustering to evaluate their potential benefits for small schools and as well as providing a context in developing the next generation of leaders and workers in the school-community. Good schools can drive economic development. A community’s overall quality of life and the quality of its public services are increasingly important factors in attracting skilled workers and new investment. A study of rural communities in South Carolina found that those with better schools (as measured by educational spending, class size, and test scores) experienced significantly higher levels of job growth compared to those with lower quality schools. The relationship between schools and economic well-being was particularly strong for isolated communities far from urban centers (Barkeley, 1996). High quality small schools can therefore be among a community’s most important economic assets. Recommendation 11) Foster a learning exchange through informal and formal networking such as those in a school cluster system. Networking within the cluster proved to be a useful basis for cooperation which could be fortified further according to the needs of small schools. Informal and formal networking such as those in a school cluster system are advantageous for mutual benefits, as observed in the GIZ Fit for School Project expansion in Lao PDR. Networking proved to be a useful basis for cooperation which could be fortified further according to similar needs of small schools. However, it has been observed that networking has not yet been used systematically as a specific model for developing leadership potential. Head teachers need to communicate and learn with others in order to build opportunities for small schools to work together in supporting the communities they serve. At the same time, they need to retain an appropriate degree of autonomy in keeping with the concepts and principles of school-based management or decentralized education management. The emerging social media, increasingly accessible through mobile devices, can provide opportunities for facilitating professional learning networks among teachers and school heads from small schools in cyber space. SEAMEO INNOTECH has developed a mobile technology resource kit known as MT4T (Mobile Technology for Teachers) to support Southeast Asian (SEA) teachers make use of mobile devices to support professional networking and learning. Access to mobile devices is rapidly expanding and these mobile devices can be used to penetrate remote schools in rural areas.


Recommendation 12) Connect or link family, community, and school relationships and roles with curricular and instructional reforms. Engaging and involving parents and building more robust family-community-school (FCS) partnerships aimed at children's learning and development are an important component of curricular and instructional reforms. Although one of the components of school-based management (SBM) is partnerships, not all SBM models distinctly operationalize the links between improvement of students’ academic performance and FCS partnerships. Schools that have not adopted SBM see parents’ roles as limited to getting feedback through parent-teacher conferences or parent-teacher associations rather than as partners in the learning and development of their children and the other students in the school. To enhance FCS interaction in education, it will be important to integrate regular, simple, diverse, and practical socio-cultural activities and events that will encourage maximum participation of parents and other community stakeholders. On developing or enhancing the technical leadership of school head/head teacher and strengthening instructional leadership Recommendation 13) Promote school-based management to strengthen relevance, effectiveness and sustainability of education services provided by small schools in rural areas. A regional or international conference on good practices of school-based management in small schools that provide exemplars of family-community-school partnerships can be hosted by SEAMEO INNOTECH. An opportunity can be created to bring together theoreticians and practitioners to map out the workable modalities and forge pathways for addressing the complex realities faced by small schools in disadvantaged communities, for the purpose of improving student learning and assessing the contributions of small schools in ensuring equitable access to quality education in Southeast Asia. The experiences of exceptionally performing small schools can be showcased in such a forum. Recommendation 14) Encourage school heads or head teachers of small schools to demonstrate excellent teaching craft to provide instructional leadership through modeling of good practices in teaching and learning and mentoring/coaching of teachers, parents-mentors and students as programmed/little teachers.

This way, head teachers are well-placed in having meaningful discussions with other teachers in terms of assigning responsibilities and sharing tasks. Given limited human resources, collaboration and team spirit work well in most small schools.

Moreover, in small schools, the head teacher assumes the role of instructional supervisor and is in the best position to provide coaching to his/her co-teachers according to their actual teaching experiences. Thus, it will be necessary for the MOE to build the capacities of head teachers on instructional leadership, supervision, counselling and peer mentoring of teachers.


Classroom observations are easier and manageable in small schools and can be done regularly because of the limited number of teachers and classrooms. Instructional supervision of co-teachers by head teachers can succeed given the respect, camaraderie and favorable social climate that tend to characterize small schools. The head teacher, together with his/her co-teachers, can develop programs and processes, selected materials, new teaching strategies, and activities suitable to their classrooms. Moreover, their work environment enable them to develop mutual encouragement and support. Head teachers’ involvement in implementing the core purpose of small schools can help raise standards in instances where the former are good teachers. Generally, there are advantages that come with their having close relationship with pupils and parents. One such advantage is the support they get for the methods they use in monitoring student progress such as teacher-parent conferences and home visits. Close monitoring can be easily undertaken in the form of informal conversations with students and parents, and in making informal observations of classroom instruction.

Recommendation 15) Establish a SEAMEO Network of Small Schools engaged in family-community-school partnerships There is a robust online network of academic practitioners and communities in USA, Australia and UK providing a rich resource base for strengthening school-community partnerships. Participating schools in this project were encouraged by internet resources and sites to the extent that they used and adapted learning materials and special events and interactive learning activities in reading, English language, math and science. Establishing a learning and knowledge network for small schools in SEAMEO Member Countries will be a desirable pathway to scale-up knowledge and experience-sharing among small schools operating under the SBM/DEM framework and other schools that (while not SBM) have operationalized family-community-school partnerships. Through social media (online), face to face meetings, planning workshops, join monitoring with community partners, small schools can initiate partnerships, and form networks not only with rural schools but also expand their network to include large/urban schools and other groups with similar interests so they can have a fruitful encounter, better appreciation of the good practices and operational processes in SBM in different settings, sharing of resources: human, material and financial aspects, and benchmarking on workable systems and viable processes which may include curriculum adaptation, developing culturally appropriate multi-media materials, learner-centered delivery modes, authentic learning assessment, sustainable funding schemes, strategies in overcoming challenges faced by both small and large schools and other emerging issues affecting small schools and EFA goal achievement. Recommendation 16) Enhance SBM and leadership capacities and commitment of school heads and teachers by creating a pool of trainers across SEAMEO Member Countries and/or by encouraging the MOEs, particularly at the provincial/division and district/sub-district levels, and their partners to integrate and/or mainstream principles and practices of family-community-school partnerships in their training and education programs for teachers.


Support is needed to help head teachers access professional development opportunities, which are often overlooked in leaders’ efforts to cope with the daily life in small schools. Head teachers in rural schools face difficult and unique circumstances and as such need more adequate in-service and/or pre-service programs to hone their skills in managing small schools. Likewise, the preparation of young teachers for service in rural areas is vital. All too often, teacher training and in-service training are geared toward urban settings and are superimposed with whatever misfit occurs onto the rural scene with the result of teachers not being adequately prepared to function successfully in a rural school and community setting. The pre- and in-service training of teachers in small schools should aim to enhance their abilities to deal effectively and efficiently with distinctively rural problems, while taking advantage of the unique opportunities of rural schooling. The MOEs need to work together with partner institutions that offer training programs designed to prepare educational personnel: school heads and teachers, for school-based management in rural areas. In the process of identifying their training needs, the MOEs may benefit from utilizing the Competency Framework for School Heads and Teachers in Southeast Asia developed and validated by SEAMEO INNOTECH with technical guidance from the MOEs. In one study of a random sample of small high school principals, 66.7 percent believed there was a need for special training programs for rural teachers (Oelschlager, R. 1979). Specifically, at a minimum, teachers in rural schools should have experiences which will enable them to:

Individualize instruction to take advantage of the small size of schools and to expand subject offerings;

Understand the dynamics of life in rural communities;

Effectively utilize the community as a laboratory for integrating learning to the real world;

Engage resource people in enriching regular school programs;

Develop and adapt curriculum to fit the needs of students, and cultural contexts of rural communities;

Incorporate global and multicultural components into the social studies curriculum;

Develop self-directed professional development practices;

Utilize a variety of resources and technology to eliminate barriers of isolation;

Function as a counselor particularly in the areas of career guidance; and

Function effectively in community service areas other than teaching, e.g., as local historian, paralegal advisor, health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, disaster preparedness, etc.

To achieve these competencies, several components of pre-service and/or in-service programs will be necessary, among which are as follows:

Preparation in a broader-than-usual range of general and professional education coursework;

Coursework/in-service in global and multicultural education;

Rural culture and sociology, practical rural living, community service and utilizing community resources and rural economics;


Multi-grade instruction, educational technology, including computer literacy; and

Early field experiences in student teaching and an internship in rural schools (pre-service teachers) in career counseling and in school-based management (SBM).

On the other hand, the absorptive capacity of sub-national offices to provide technical guidance and support to small schools networks/clusters must be assessed and identified. Individual and organizational capacity assessments may be done following the current initiatives of the GIZ Fit for School Program in building the capacities of the provincial coordinators and pedagogical advisors and school health supervisors at the district /sub-district levels. In the Fit for School program, the district team are empowered to facilitate the scale-up plan/phase-two expansion of the school health program not only in their own district but also to other districts within the Vientiane Capital through well-coordinated learning exchange programs, for instance. The GIZ capacity building model for sub-national structures in Lao PDR can be replicated and adapted by other SEAMEO member countries not only on strengthening school health programs but also in sustaining all curricular and co-curricular programs that show promising results. To deliver these programs, there is a need to engage more interested partners such as the local NGOs and other civil society organizations (CSOs) that have education-focused programs as part of a network or pool of trainers/resource-facilitators for small schools. Small schools should be persuaded to integrate and/or mainstream the principles and practices of family-community-school partnerships in their educational programs and initiatives within the framework of inclusive educational leadership. The MOEs should encourage development of educational programs and policies that are supportive of small schools. For example, small schools may be utilized more fully as a means of developing leadership capacity through placements of individuals with strong leadership potential in these challenging work situations. Greater practical encouragement and support are needed to facilitate networking between aspiring and substantive small school head teachers. On creating opportunities to promote lifelong learning in small schools Recommendation 17) Develop students as partners, anchors and catalysts for educational improvement and lifelong learning. Family-community-school partnerships do not and cannot in themselves produce successful students. Studies indicate that students’ engagement are integral and crucial for the success of family–community-school partnerships regardless of school size or enrolment. Thus, students in the Philippines were given challenging responsibilities as programmed teachers (little teachers) and peer group leaders (as learning partners and coach) in implementing the IMPACT program to improve the academic performance of students in multigrade schools.


Likewise, the little doctors in the UKS (School Health) program of Indonesia were trained to support each grade level in the orderly practice of group toohbrushing and handwashing before meals. In in the Philippines, the school formed the health patrol team to monitor the orderly implementation of group toothbrushing and handwashing as a daily group activity. In Lao PDR, student leaders (as little marshalls) likewise assist their teachers in the orderly distribution of deworming tablets and toothpaste for pupils who lined-up towards their assigned handwashing facilities. Student leaders lead the singing of nursery songs in chorus, while students wash their hands and in the inspection of faucets to check whether there is running water and it is closed after use. Lao students, were also trained by the school to clean the toilets using soap and water, and maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the school environment through job rotation of assigned team of cleaners. In so doing, the self-confidence and leadership skills of young students are developed and honed because they lead a small group to practice small repetitive acts of simple preventive health interventions as a daily habit. Through their experience in Fit for School Program students are made aware of their critical roles as anchors and catalysts for bringing together their families, communities and their school. This layer of support is particularly crucial in disadvantaged schools in rural areas where parents who are less educated and/or busy at work in farms are difficult to reach. Students should ultimately have a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by their school and the issues affecting the development of their community through investigative projects where students are given a chance to identify, assess and prioritize the learning needs/issues of the community which could be addressed through school-based management and project-based learning activities. They should be taught how they can exercise responsible citizenship at an early age. With greater awareness of their role and contribution in addressing the needs of the school-community, students can volunteer and actively commit their time for community-based projects for lifelong learning in the short-term, and for community development in the long-run. Empowered students, by far, are the most powerful partners and catalysts for change and improvement in the quality of life of rural families in remote areas because all activities are not only learner-centered but culturally appropriate and responsive to their learning needs and connected to their natural environments. Recommendation 18) Small rural schools can be transformed into community centers to serve as hubs for linking and integrating development initiatives that will, in the long run, have a cumulative effect. Small schools need to contextualize lessons based on the existing realities of the school-community so that students are able to better appreciate and understand the basic concepts or core learning areas. By connecting lessons to real world issues and linking topics to the most pressing issues and concerns of the community, students benefit more from school experiences. When schools use the community as a laboratory for learning, students are able to experience a holistic approach that supports the learning in, with, and for the community. These school-community partnerships count on self-reliance and mobilize the power of communities, focusing on sustainable development and on solutions to social, cultural,


technological, economic and ecological problems. When parents, families, local officials and other members of the community are involved in school programs, there is greater chance of success. Students who are exposed to community education develop additional life skills, integrating their education with life experiences. Key problems and situations of the people in the community become starting points for the learning process. For example, the search for local alternative forms of renewable energy can be turned into a science project that has the potential of becoming a contribution to prevent negative effects of global climate changes. Similarly, many local problems cannot be solved without community awareness, education, and support. This is true for family planning as well as for responsible management of natural resources. Beyond formal schooling, lifelong learning is more than just receiving education; it is also having organization in pursuing goals and taking action when necessary. Thus, the application of acquired knowledge and abilities learned in school to complex real-life situations becomes an integral part of the learning process. Not only should specific school subjects be made the point of concentration, but also the situations that should be dealt with and improved using one’s learning. This is the reason why lifelong learning is encouraged, that students be reminded to aim not just the development of their academic skills, but also their ability to constructively deal with realities in which they currently live. Community learning, when properly encouraged in small rural schools, is especially sensitive to and responsible for the living conditions of marginalized ethnic groups. For the Orang Asli schools in Malaysia and neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, there is a need to anchor and integrate the lessons in students’ everyday lives. As observed in SK Chenderong Kelubi and SK Sungai Perah, most students are interested in performance arts: such as traditional dance, music, and sports activities. According to teachers, Orang Asli learners are motivated to go to school if academic teaching utilizes the sports and/or performance arts as a concept and learning context to introduce the topic, connect to the lesson proper, assessment and application in real life. In this way, the teacher can get their enthusiasm to learn new knowledge and take examination/assessments with joy and pride instead of avoidance. Community learning also supports social movements that aim at overcoming marginalization, discrimination and bullying in school. The VEDC as mechanism for community learning can influence its community members to develop school-based activities that would promote and support their efforts for full equal rights for the women sector; the realization of children’s/human rights for the youth and labor sector; and integration and acceptance of ethnic, cultural or religious minorities for the indigenous group. Community members develop an intercultural and antiracist orientation, and become active against the isolation of disadvantaged groups such as children with special needs.


The creation of community learning hubs in rural areas can be an answer to specific weaknesses of the curricula in the formal educational sector. Learning in the form of participation in sustained development does not need any artificial motivation as it comes out naturally and spontaneously. Learners find it easier to put new insights into reality, particularly when academic knowledge is used for concrete problems and not taught in an alienated form or perspective. Knowledge and abilities can be acquired in the process of investigating learning with close connection to theory and practice. In rural areas, a small school is essentially a community school where local needs can be integrated in the curriculum so that students are able to reconstruct their relationships with the neighborhood, thereby leading children and adolescents to social fields of action at an early point in their lives. Some of the possible topics for community learning include health, water, sanitation, hygiene, sustainable livelihoods, environmental management, indigenous knowledge, skills and values, and climate change adaptation. Development programs and services can be offered to parents and other community members when the school is not being used by students (e.g., late afternoons, evenings, and weekends). For instance, the pilot school in Malaysia intends to provide community learning by offering English language classes, trainings for livelihood, entrepreneurship and other income generating purposes for parents of their students. One pilot school in Lao PDR has previously used its facilities for weekend cultural presentations as well as for community recycling activities. Recommendation 19) Enhancing the content and expanding availability of localized learning materials are necessary in ensuring lifelong learning and integration of learning with real-world experiences such as use of the concepts of family-community-school partnerships, school health, disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, resiliency and indigenous culture and knowledge as learning context. This includes investing in developing indigenous learning materials which are culturally appropriate and sensitive, and using pedagogies that support linguistically and culturally diverse learners, e.g., mother-tongue based, multi-lingual education (MTB-MLE). Specifically, for the Orang Asli learners and the indigenous communities, there is a need for the MOEs and its institutional partners to invest in developing indigenous learning materials which are culturally appropriate/sensitive, using pedagogies that support linguistically and culturally diverse learners. Mother-tongue based and multi-lingual education (MTB-MLE) and emotional intelligence should be strengthened in the early grades to motivate pupils to listen attentively, relate with teachers, interact with other pupils and actively participate in class discussion and learning activities, with more confidence and freedom to express themselves.


By technical design, the training framework used on collaborative management of small schools was adapted from the six types of stakeholder involvement in education, (Joyce Epstein, John Hopkins University). The Epstein learning materials provided to teachers, school heads, parents and community leaders during the training on collaborative management of small schools can be enhanced by including the experiences, good practices, and tested innovations narrated by participants in this action research. Similarly, locally developed templates and tools for creative and interactive “family” homework and “school homework” can be reviewed, consolidated, and transformed into digital learning materials for use of teachers and students. Vignettes and knowledge nuggets can be developed from significant milestones, successful innovations, and effective initiatives of pilot schools captured by the research. However, there is a need to develop complementary teaching-learning materials intended for training and/or orientation of parents and community members. To facilitate localization and institutionalization of family-community-school partnerships, a guidebook on how to make this happen and what the good practices are at each stage of development, and crucial milestones, can also be developed in partnership with SEAMEO INNOTECH.

CONCLUDING STATEMENT

In summary, small schools represent a large portion of the educational landscape in developing countries in Southeast Asia. Small schools are defined mostly in the context of rural and small populations but small schools may also exist in urban populations (e.g., Vientiane Capital). With subsistence farming as the main source of livelihood in Southeast Asia, children in underserved and disadvantaged rural and urban areas are at risk of not completing the full cycle of primary education. Thus, it is important and urgent to provide greater support to small schools in disadvantaged and indigenous communities. Project SMaLL was designed to provide better understanding of how small schools operate, the challenges they faced and innovations they made in providing equal access to lifelong learning opportunities for all rural children, youth and adults. Overall, the action research on Small Schools Management for Lifelong Learning project reveals the following realities:

Small schools management is complex;

Small schools management requires inclusive leadership;

Small schools management needs to enhance the spirit of mutual support among stakeholders;

Small schools management entails collaboration with family, communities and networks.


Small schools are not effective solely by virtue of being small. Rather, small schools work best when they take advantage of being small. The best small schools offer an environment where teachers, students, and parents see themselves as part of a community, and deal with issues of learning, cultural and ethno-linguistic diversity, local governance, and building community at the local level. Communities should respect and promote their small schools and policy-makers should support these schools with enabling policies, adequate financial resources and responsive technical assistance. The challenge to rural educators is to demonstrate and sustain the communal and social benefits of small schools and local schools. This may be done both through empirical analysis and by forming coalitions with cluster schools in both rural and urban areas and other learning institutions with similar interests. The key findings and recommendations of this report will help inform the preparation of SEAMEO Member Countries for the next 15 years of post-EFA, which constitutes the commitment of the education community to Education 2030.


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