Participatory Learning Review of the Empowerment of Ethnic Minority Children through Education Project

Background:

During the first phase from 2006 to 2008, the project built a solid foundation for the improvement of quality education for the Akha children in Boakbor and Soploi areas. A Child Centered Approach was introduced to the schools in the project areas, core teachers and school principals were trained in school management, multi-grade teaching, and parents were involved in the project activities, such as developing local content for the curricula. The net enrolment rate increased from 50% in 2006-2007 to 56.8% in 2008-2009. Primary schools were expanded from 21 to 26 and 2 secondary schools and 9 pre-schools were constructed and opened in Boakbor and Soploi sub-districts.

During the second phase from 2009 – 2011, the quality of education for ethnic children was improved step by step. Educational opportunities for children increased, for example the increase in number of primary schools from 26 to 28 schools; net enrolment rate increased from 56.8% in 2008-2009 to 73.2% in 2010-2011; pre-schools were expanded from 3 to 5. Many more children who completed primary schools were able to continue secondary education because 2 lower secondary schools are now available (to accommodate about 200 students). However, dropout rate remained very high. In the third year of the second phase, an initiative, a so-called Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) was used for the project review called Participatory Learning Review (PLR). PLR helped shed light on unused strengths/indigenous knowledge of the community in education development and lack of quality and relevant formal education to the living conditions of the community. Due to lack of formal educational relevance, parents were not active to support their children to go to schools. PLA application for PLR that time started to change the working approach. It was convinced that community members were significantly empowered by the PLA process; they were able to exchange their views and lead the PLR process and the planning process for the third phase of the project.

Results from the PLA planning helped to shape the third phase of the project with a given timeframe from 2012 – 2014, which has focused on improving educational quality and relevance to the livelihood of the community with integration of indigenous knowledge and skills into the community education development plans. NCA and government partners continue their commitment to applying PLA; the whole project cycle has employed PLA in order to ensure participation and empowerment of villagers in 18 villages. It is obvious that the community has been playing a very important role in driving the process of education development at the community.

Purpose/objective:

• To learn how the project is structured/staffed at different levels to implement, support and manage the implementation and monitoring (relevant also to senior organisation management staff, admin staff and finance staff as well as PESS and DESB structure in support of the project)
• To learn how the ultimate direct project participants (children of the age from 6 – 14) are empowered to participate in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• To learn how community members are empowered to participate in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• To learn and analyse whether the current project structure and approach are leading to local ownership and sustainability and to draw recommendations for improving project structure and approach for increased ownership and sustainability.
• To assess the achievement of the project outcome indicator and associated output indicators.
• To provide clear recommendations to be considered for planning and implementing the new project.

Methodology:

1) PLR Team preparation building and Communitly PLR Planning

2) Community participatory learning reviews

3) Indigenous Knowledge Exchange Event (IKEE),

4) Unseen IKEE

5) Review and consultations with all stakeholders

Key findings:

PLR process:

1. Informing village authorities: Village authorities coordinated and cooperated in the PLR.

2. PLR team members split to visit individual households and invite men, women and children to participate in the PLR, if they were available. It was considered that this way won villagers’ supports and participations. It was evident that the majority of the community members spent 2 to 3 days actively taking part in the PLR process.

3. Many of the PLR team members slept in villagers’ houses. It meant a lot to the villagers in terms of sincerity, respect and virtue that the PLR team had to them. We learned that villagers were happy that we stay overnight in their houses. This was also an encouragement for their participation in the PLR process.

4. Different groups of villagers required different approaches to get to know each other. For example, the PLR found out that sports and fishing were the entry point to get to know the children’s groups. For women’s group, the PLR team found out that fun activities like chanting, dancing and singing worked well with this group. Time was essential for the PLR team and the villagers to get to know each other before start doing anything. [If we do not have enough time, it is our problems but not villagers’ problem at all!]

5. While the PLR team was in the villages, they meet with elderly people to find out if an individual or a group of people to have open inaugurate the PLR process and closing it in the last day. This was also one of a very good process.

6. The PLR team members were overwhelmed by villagers’ sincerity and warm hospitality. They brought their fruits and snacks and shared with us during our visits to their houses and the PLR processes.

Difficulties:

1. There have been some communication gaps between project staff and the villagers. To ensure that communication is effectively passed on to the receivers, checking and follow up from time to time is required. If did not happened, various and alternative methods of communication should be employed. Just one time and one method of communication may be not be sufficient for the villagers to understand and get the ideas, especially if project staff speak or use different language with the community people. For example, in the IKEE the staff wanted the 6 communities that participated in PLR to present the processes and products that done in their communities, but because of the communication were not clear the villager didn’t prepare anything for this section.

2. The management of NCA with regards to delay in implementation process was mostly related to the supply of construction and IK materials. The need to comply with organization policies is one hand and there is a different situation in the field work is on the other hand. It is essential to look into on addressing the issue of accountable for the project objectives and addressing the need of community based on situation in one time.

3. The commitment of project workers. In applying the PLA philosophy for working with a community, not only the staff understanding of the philosophy is enough but also their commitments have to be there toward the feasibility outcomes.

Experiences enhanced:

The community proposed a project directly to the district government, for them to follow the policy of government, to let the people able to participate in country development.

NCA started the planning to establish Community Base Organization (CBO) to preparation for exit Lao PDR and assist in setting up a local organization.

Challenges:

1. How to implement the child protection program in accordance with the community culture, still safeguarding the well being of each child, with expertise from outside.

2. How to link the old area of project implementation to the new ones, as of IK education community network. People have express strongly that it is very important to maintained, but continuing of the process that means so much to the people, seems to be a challenge. Who will be responsible to take it forward?

3. How NCA will integrate the related departments such as education, public health and agriculture to be the PLA focus group if the organization were going to exit Laos.

4. How the government education department can expand the good process of project, as accepted by all stakeholders, from the old areas to the other new project target areas.

Recommendations:

• A new educational approach can be developed (diagram presented in the report)
• Need to identify commitments and define roles and responsibilities of each holder through PLR matrix.
• Expected impact on the community on sustainability (overall project activities, some activities, heart sustainability).