Teacher Forum

Teacher Forum and Saving for Change

 Background

 In collaboration with CEDAC and Citizen Action Net for Social Development (CAN) the first teacher forum (TF) was organized in Baphnom district, Prey Veng province, on 6 July 2005. The venue of the meeting was in CEDAC’s branch office. The simple idea behind this first gathering was to try something new regarding to the local development’s initiatives, activities in rural areas and to promoting other potential local actors. In this regards, teachers could be viewed as real multipliers since they have strong influence and connection with students’ parents, pupils and students, local authorities and other stakeholders in their schools and their respective communities.

Group discussion in the first teacher forum on 6 July 2005 at CEDAC office-Baphnom

 Objective of TF

–          To provide opportunities to teachers in primary and secondary schools to share and discuss about their professions, the society and how to effectively help themselves to perform better in their own job in the current circumstances

–          To promote the culture of debate in the Cambodian society

–          To find ways to improve teachers’ economic and social situation

–          To strengthen the solidarity among teachers themselves and between teachers and development officials and/or other stakeholders

–          To strengthen the social capital in schools

Participants

Each time, around 50 teachers have been invited to join the forum. Also as target, half of them should be female teachers. They came from different schools in that area: teachers from Baphnom High School, Chheou Kach Primary School, Reakchey High School and Khlaing Primary School. All schools are located in Baphnom district, Prey Veng province.

Methodology

• Short theoretical input
• Short presentation of practical experiences and best practices by local resource persons
• Working group discussion
• Presentation and plenary discussion
• Distribution of relevant technical documents and reports
• Informal social interaction and networking during lunch and dinner time

Facilitation and resource persons

The organization, the moderation and the facilitation of the workshop were done under the supervision of FNF, CEDAC and CAN, in collaboration with the principals of the selected schools. The topics were proposed by the organizer’s team in discussion with the principals, vice-principals of those schools. Following persons have been involved closely with this pilot project at the beginning:

1. Khim Sophanna, Program Manager, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF)
2. Hour Sreng, CEDAC Zonal Coordinator
3. Dr. Yang Saing Koma, President of CEDAC
4. Mr. Var Sarun, Principal of the Baphnom high school
5. Cooperating farmers of CEDAC or young farmers
6. CEDAC development officials
7. Teachers or trainers working in local NGOs

Result of gorup discussion in drawing

The workshop program lasted one day and it happened about three times a year as shown in the table below:

N	Date	Topic	Schools	Participants
1	6 July 2005	Reflection to five years in the past and the vision five years ahead	2	50 p./25 F
2	18 December 2005	Environmental issues and Local Development	2	44 p./25 F
3	2 April 2006	Youth and local development	3	50 p./25 F
4	18 July 2006	Professional consciousness	4	59 p./30 F
5	15 October 2006	Seven Habits of Highly Effective People	4	60 p./17 F
	5 times	5 topics	4	263 p./122 F

  

Note: Number of women joined the forum was 46.38%.

 

 Financing

 At, the beginning FNF provided the full financial support TF. One day workshop costs around 400-500 USD, spending for lunch, dinner and organizer fee. Teachers contributed to the cost of the workshop such as meeting venue, seminar equipments and local traveling expenses of participants.

 Output

 5 workshops were organized in the one and half-year in 2005 and 2006. 263 teachers from four schools joined the forum. 122 were women which made up 46.38%. For each workshop, except the first one, around one-third of the participants remain the same which build the core group of the forum. Two thirds are newly invited, so that other teachers have opportunities to join the forum. The principals of the school proposed who should join the forum in collaboration with the organizer.

Participants were writing evaluation feedback of the first TF

 TF provided opportunities to reflect of the past development and the ability to create vision in the period of five years, the home gardening techniques, the environmental awareness, the youth and local development, the importance of saving group for self-reliance, the professional consciousness as teachers and the good habits of effective people were introduced and discussed deeply.  

 Impact 

–          Introduction of basic agricultural techniques among teachers

–          Raising awareness on environmental issues in schools

–          Saving for Self-reliance in Baphnom high school, Reakchey high school and Chheu Kach primary school

–          Change of habits and behavior of participating teachers

–          Improved culture of debate

–          More women participation

–          Improved collaboration between teachers and parents associations

–          Improved collaboration between teachers and CEDAC

Standard program

As of 18 December 2005

Ba Phnom, Prey Veng

Time	Activities	Moderator/Speaker
08.00-08.30	Arrival of participants Registration and document distribution Introduction Warming up on creative greetings	Mr. Pheng Kea
08.30-09.00	Welcome by the representative of FNF Presentation on background of dialogue and objective of forum on teacher and expected outputs of the forum	Mr. Khim SophannaMr. Hour Sreng
09.00-09.45	Sum up and review of our last meeting What have been done since our last meeting?	Mr. Hour Sreng
09.45-10.00	Tea Break
10.00-11.00	Presentation on Forestation project Presentation on Pesticide used in Cambodia	Mr. Khim Sophanna
11.00-12.00	Plenary discussion	Mr. Khim Sophanna
12.00-14.00	Lunch Break
14.00-14.20	Warming up	Mr. Hour Sreng
14.20-15.15	Group discussion on social and environmental issues and group presentation	Mr. Khim Sophanna
15.15-15.30	Tea Break
15.30-16.30	Group presentation and question and answer	Mr. Khim Sophanna
16.30-17.30	Preparation of action plan Sum up and reflection by participants Impression from participants for one day forum	Mr. Khim Sophanna
18.00-20.00	Friendship dinner and traditional music from Baphnom high school	Mr. Pheng Kea

 

Expanding phase

Dr. Koma, facilitator, looks at the result of the teacher saving associations

 Based on the successful experiences in the first two forums in Prey Veng the FNF project team (under the supervision of FNF former project director) decided to develop a proposal which was submitted to the European Union in March 2006. The project proposal was developed for a three years period. Teacher forum was one of the three main components of the proposal. Fortunately, it was approved by the end of 2006 and we can now expand our teacher forum in 2007-2009 to nine more provinces in Cambodia, plus Phnom Penh. Total teachers to be involved in the planned forum will be 2400 persons (See table below).

 Number of participants by province

N	Province	2007	2008	2009
	Phnom Penh	200	200	200
1	Prey Veng	100	100	100
2	Takeo	100	100	100
3	Kampong Cham	100	100	100
4	Svay Rieng		100	100
5	Kampong Chhnang		100	100
6	Kampong Thom		100	100
7	Pursat			100
8	Kampot			100
9	Siem Reap			100
Total participants		500	800	1100
Total participants in three years		2400

 

Representatives of the Teacher Saving Association presenting the progress of their saving group

 The three years project ended in December 2009. We are still in contacts with those teachers and schools, which formed teacher saving associations. There are more than 50 associations formed, with more than 1000 members and the saving capital of more than thirty thousand US dollars. Our last gathering was in Kampong Cham provincial town, from 29-31.10.2010, where we reflected our past achievements and looking ahead. We are now providing TF based on concrete demand from the school.