ID :
185963
Wed, 06/01/2011 - 22:17
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/185963
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ROTA-Vodafone Qatar Project Improves Quality of Education and Disaster
Doha (QNA) - Thousands of Nepali residents are benefitting from a joint Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) and Vodafone Qatar initiative focused on educational institutes and disaster preparedness in the country.
The $3,000,000 project is carried out with support from Mercy Corp ROTA strategic international partner- Action Aid Nepal ,and other local groups including, the Forum for Awareness and Youth Activities (FAYA); and the Nepal Red Cross Society. The project is Improving Quality of Education and Building Resilience in Schools , a press release issued here Wednesday said.
Nepal has made headway in its efforts to reduce poverty; nonetheless, it still remains as one of the poorest countries in the region. Even with an impressive enrollment approaching 89% of primary aged school children, the quality of education is still poor as this number reflects the move towards community schooling, rather than homeschooling.
Further alleviating Nepal s social situation is the country s proneness to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, avalanches, and droughts.
"We immediately recognized that Nepali teachers required extensive training to improve the level of education for children," said Lamis Sabra, International Programs Managre, Director of ROTA. "However, we also recognized that continuously investing in workshops and trainings would be futile with school structures being destroyed yearly by natural disasters. Therefore, our program is composed of two key components: training teachers to improve education quality, and designing and promoting safe schools through disaster prevention and mitigation initiatives."
"We realized that when Nepal successfully switched from home-schooling, to a community based education system, that the community itself is the main proponent of change in the country," said Ms. Luisa Gentile, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Vodafone Qatar. "By essentially educating the educators about disaster readiness, we hope that what the children and teachers learn will spread beyond the walls of the schools themselves. We have been successful so far, as more and more community members are prepared for the yearly challenges that nature brings to them."
The numbers of beneficiaries itself speaks about the success of the program. The initiative targets 150 schools, with close to 69,000 students and 1500 teachers directly reaping the benefits of the program. A further 85,000 students and 129,000 community members also benefit from the ripple effects of the initiative. The program is expected to last through the end of summer 2013.
The $3,000,000 project is carried out with support from Mercy Corp ROTA strategic international partner- Action Aid Nepal ,and other local groups including, the Forum for Awareness and Youth Activities (FAYA); and the Nepal Red Cross Society. The project is Improving Quality of Education and Building Resilience in Schools , a press release issued here Wednesday said.
Nepal has made headway in its efforts to reduce poverty; nonetheless, it still remains as one of the poorest countries in the region. Even with an impressive enrollment approaching 89% of primary aged school children, the quality of education is still poor as this number reflects the move towards community schooling, rather than homeschooling.
Further alleviating Nepal s social situation is the country s proneness to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, avalanches, and droughts.
"We immediately recognized that Nepali teachers required extensive training to improve the level of education for children," said Lamis Sabra, International Programs Managre, Director of ROTA. "However, we also recognized that continuously investing in workshops and trainings would be futile with school structures being destroyed yearly by natural disasters. Therefore, our program is composed of two key components: training teachers to improve education quality, and designing and promoting safe schools through disaster prevention and mitigation initiatives."
"We realized that when Nepal successfully switched from home-schooling, to a community based education system, that the community itself is the main proponent of change in the country," said Ms. Luisa Gentile, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Vodafone Qatar. "By essentially educating the educators about disaster readiness, we hope that what the children and teachers learn will spread beyond the walls of the schools themselves. We have been successful so far, as more and more community members are prepared for the yearly challenges that nature brings to them."
The numbers of beneficiaries itself speaks about the success of the program. The initiative targets 150 schools, with close to 69,000 students and 1500 teachers directly reaping the benefits of the program. A further 85,000 students and 129,000 community members also benefit from the ripple effects of the initiative. The program is expected to last through the end of summer 2013.
