Summary: 13-year-old Wei Minzhi, who can barely read or write herself, is chosen to take over her impoverished village's one-room schoolhouse when its sole teacher must suddenly leave for one month to care for his ailing mother. Warned not to let a single student drop out over the course of his absence, Wei keeps a stern eye on her students, especially Zhang Huike, a bright but naughty 10-year-old boy. When Zhang doesn't show up for school one day, Wei is determined to go into the city, find him and bring him back.
SABAIDEE! As we leave this Inception Workshop, there are 5 things I wish for us to remember:
No.1, please remember the importance of education in pursuing the country’s development goals and that your various roles as education managers and policy makers are very significant. The MDG goal of universal primary education is important, and the country has warrant improvement towards education for all. However, it is still facing many challenges in sustaining improvements at the secondary level. Secondary education is a very critical stage in a person’s education. If less students finish secondary education, we have less students to pursue higher or vocational education. Thus, less people for the country’s knowledge and skilled labor economy.
No. 2, remember our SMART goal. In doing our SESDP work, let’s always have a SMART plan. Let us have specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time bound goals. Further, please remember that we all have to work smart because our resources are limited and we do not have all the time in the world to do what we have to do. We have to improve the education system now, not tomorrow.
No. 3, may I thank you for all your inputs, your active participation and your presence during the whole workshop. This has been a fruitful workshop and if indeed it is an indicator of project chance to succeed, I predict that we will be successfully implementing the SESDP together. We will consider all your comments in the preparation of guidelines which we will submit for further consultation. So expect a consultation workshop to finalize the various guidelines related to SESDP work.
No. 4, in confirming the SESDP school sites, in choosing the scholarship beneficiaries, in choosing the teachers to be deployed in remote SESDP LSE schools, let us remember the film we watched last Monday .
Let us remember the movie we shared, "Not-One-Less". Ajarn Wei in the movie made a lot of sacrifices to save a student from dropping out. When a student stays in school, we save him or her from child labor, prostitution and other forms of child exploitation. We prevent him or her from going into early marriage which causes more poverty. We give him or her more hope. A chance to build dreams. A chance to have an even better life. Who knows, the student you saved from dropping out will be your next minister or even prime minister?
In doing your work, when you go back to the central office, to the PES and to the DEB, remember the children who may have to drop out due to their difficult personal circumstances. Of course, most students in rural remote schools which we target are poor, and everyone is disadvantaged and could be at risk of dropping out. In targeting the SESDP beneficiaries, let us make it our policy to choose the right ones. Those we have to be saved from dropping out. Let’s make it our mission that in every secondary school, to prevent our students from dropping out. SESDP will assist the Ministry in building schools, dormitories and scholarships to achieve access and quality education. SESDP is your project, so please make it your mission to save students from leaving school.
As a symbol of our commitment, can we request everyone to stand up and promise to work hard to achieve education for all! NOT ONE LESS!
Lastly, in behalf of the workshop organizers, the DSE, Ajarn Keo, the PMU staff and my co-Consultants, let us wish all of you safe journey on your way home and see you again soon. Kop chai lai lai!
No.1, please remember the importance of education in pursuing the country’s development goals and that your various roles as education managers and policy makers are very significant. The MDG goal of universal primary education is important, and the country has warrant improvement towards education for all. However, it is still facing many challenges in sustaining improvements at the secondary level. Secondary education is a very critical stage in a person’s education. If less students finish secondary education, we have less students to pursue higher or vocational education. Thus, less people for the country’s knowledge and skilled labor economy.
No. 2, remember our SMART goal. In doing our SESDP work, let’s always have a SMART plan. Let us have specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time bound goals. Further, please remember that we all have to work smart because our resources are limited and we do not have all the time in the world to do what we have to do. We have to improve the education system now, not tomorrow.
No. 3, may I thank you for all your inputs, your active participation and your presence during the whole workshop. This has been a fruitful workshop and if indeed it is an indicator of project chance to succeed, I predict that we will be successfully implementing the SESDP together. We will consider all your comments in the preparation of guidelines which we will submit for further consultation. So expect a consultation workshop to finalize the various guidelines related to SESDP work.
No. 4, in confirming the SESDP school sites, in choosing the scholarship beneficiaries, in choosing the teachers to be deployed in remote SESDP LSE schools, let us remember the film we watched last Monday .
Let us remember the movie we shared, "Not-One-Less". Ajarn Wei in the movie made a lot of sacrifices to save a student from dropping out. When a student stays in school, we save him or her from child labor, prostitution and other forms of child exploitation. We prevent him or her from going into early marriage which causes more poverty. We give him or her more hope. A chance to build dreams. A chance to have an even better life. Who knows, the student you saved from dropping out will be your next minister or even prime minister?
In doing your work, when you go back to the central office, to the PES and to the DEB, remember the children who may have to drop out due to their difficult personal circumstances. Of course, most students in rural remote schools which we target are poor, and everyone is disadvantaged and could be at risk of dropping out. In targeting the SESDP beneficiaries, let us make it our policy to choose the right ones. Those we have to be saved from dropping out. Let’s make it our mission that in every secondary school, to prevent our students from dropping out. SESDP will assist the Ministry in building schools, dormitories and scholarships to achieve access and quality education. SESDP is your project, so please make it your mission to save students from leaving school.
As a symbol of our commitment, can we request everyone to stand up and promise to work hard to achieve education for all! NOT ONE LESS!
Lastly, in behalf of the workshop organizers, the DSE, Ajarn Keo, the PMU staff and my co-Consultants, let us wish all of you safe journey on your way home and see you again soon. Kop chai lai lai!