It’s 9 o’clock in the morning. The bell rings for a break and the students come out of the classroom to enjoy playing on the playground before it is completely covered by flood waters from September to February. Despite this, a young child remains in the classroom and attentively reads the lessons in the textbooks.
“I like to review the lessons and do the homework because it allows me to follow the lesson well and do well in the exam,” said CHHONG Chhenghun, a fifth-grade student at Kampong Plouk Primary School, located in the flooded village in Kampong Plouk commune, Prasat Bakang district, Siem Reap province.
Chhenghun is a diligent student and committed to studying both at school and at home. This is why he is one of the best students in his class. This excellent performance is mainly due to his determination and also to the help from his teacher during the remedial course.
Due to the lack of language comprehension, Chhenghun always had difficulty understanding the explanations of his teachers. He was therefore shy and did not feel comfortable at school.
“When he was very young, he was seriously ill and now he is not developing as well as his peers. Even though I tried to help him with his study at home, the result was not so good. I’m afraid he won’t go to school anymore, and go with his father for fishing,” said Mrs. EOUN Dany, Chhenghun’s mother.
Mrs. Dany’s concern is gradually being relieved after her son attended the remedial course from October to November 2022, during which he was encouraged to engage in various intensive activities such as spelling, reading, writing, wordplay, role-playing, composing poems and songs, etc. At the end of each session, a competition was organised and the winners were rewarded with school materials. It was through these activities that Chhenghun was able to improve his learning.
“The main cause of Chhenghun’s weakness is related to how to blend words, which makes him unable to read and write properly. First, I have to help him blend words and write difficult words. Once successful, I encourage him to write, read aloud, and participate in role-playing because this allows him to improve blending, and understanding of words, enriches memory, and develops self-confidence. I am very excited about his rapid progress.” explained Miss. NOUT Sreyleak, the teacher in charge of remedial lessons.
“I like the remedial class because my teacher takes good care of me and explains all my questions. What I like a lot are the educational games and competitions because I often win,” added Chhenghun.
From the beginning of this school year, Chhenghun has become an outstanding student in his class. He is very brave and actively participates in class activities. In addition, he often helps his friends with homework and solving difficult points in the course.
“I would like to help my friends so that they are comfortable at school. In addition, I am determined to work hard to always be at the top of my class. I want to become a good teacher to support children facing difficulties in the classroom,” Chhenghun said.
CHHONG Chhenghun is one of thousands of students who took the remedial course, supported by Action Education in 2022. The main purpose of this remedial program is to put the marginalized out-of-school children and other slow learners back at the same level as their classmates. This also aims to reduce the repetition and dropout rates as well as promote the transition rates.
In the context of the Cambodian Consortium for Out-of-School Children, Action Education, in partnership with Education Above All’s Educate A Child programme, is working to identify and support children like Chhong Chhenghun who are at risk of dropping out of schools in the Tonle Sap region of the Fisher Folk Making Circular Economy Work for the Western Tonle Sap Lake (FOSTER) led by Oxfam.
