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Project information
Title of proposed project :
Empowering Katawela children through English and Information Technology
Where the project will occur:
Katawela
Expected start date:
December 2008
Duration (Max. 12 months):
12 months
Project background and justification
Map of Sri Lanka and identification of Katawela
Katawela Kanishta Vidyalaya is a school; in the Kurunegala District. As it is remote in its location, the access to the school is very difficult, and most people walk. There is however a bus that plies from the local town,which transports teachers and students living around the area. Many of the students live within a 4 Kilometer radius and walk to school; the student body is about 150 students and 8 teachers. Many of the children come from a rural background. Their fathers are farmers, labourers or work in the nearby town as daily workers, and most of the mothers are home makers and take care of things in the house.
This school was very lucky when they got Mr. Wilbert Ranasinghe who took up the teaching assignment at Katawela. He was dedicated in teaching the children English from grade 1 to grade10. With the extra effort taken by Mr Ranasinghe, now 150 students can read, write and speak English.
In 2007 the Rotary club of Colombo West conducted voluntary weekly English classes to improve the students vocabulary, pronunciation, and general confidence to read, write and converse in English. This endeavour was a great success as the students who attended these classes went on to sit for their General Certificate of Education where English is a compulsory subject and their results were the best in the district. Most of the students scored 93%; this was a great achievement for the school teachers and pupils.
The students have little understanding on IT and are constantly pleading for connectivity and IT classes.
Motive for this project
To retain the excitement the children in Katawela had to learn English and IT and capitalise on this to provide them a better future.
Project objectives
Our goal is to provide English and IT education to children whilst opening a door to the IT technology by providing XO laptops.
1. Providing English Education
English is a job requirement for many jobs in the private sector in Sri
Lanka. Unfortunately, there are very few English teachers in the rural areas who have qualifications. Very few children in rural areas pass their English Ordinary Level examination and these children look at English as a task they will never be able to overcome. It lowers their morale and creates disappointment which prevents them from advancing in their studies.
This project aims at providing all 150 children English education, from a qualified teacher who will target at removing the negative barrier some children may have towards the language and provide the required education and guidance for passing the local exams the children have to face.
2. Providing IT Education
Some children in Katawela have an idea of what a computer is and how it may benefit them. However, they have not been able to understand all the advantages of IT and how it will give them an edge to advance in the world. The children currently have very little IT skills. They may understand that a computer will provide them a means to communicate via email but they do not know the full scope of IT.
This project aims at educating the children and their parents on IT benefits and demonstrating to them how their village will be able to be in par with the city through this skill. A qualified IT teacher will provide IT education to the children and encourage them to work on XO laptops at school and at home. The IT teacher will show children how the XO can enhance their learning through its unique software that is easy to learn and use.
3. Equipping children with IT tools/laptops
The children currently have access to computers only through the computer lab in the library and currently only children over 14 are allowed to use them during school hours. The children are currently using the computers mainly to write letters.
This project will provide 150 children their own personal laptop that will connect them to each other automatically. They will be encouraged to use their laptop at home to learn the tools in the laptop and also to communicate with each other. There will be no age limit to who gets a laptop, all the children will receive one and be responsible for its upkeep. The tools within the laptop can be learnt without the aid of a teacher so minimal supervision will be required for this. It is user friendly and the children will be given assignments promoting self learning.
Project beneficiaries
Children, Teachers, Parents: All these parties will benefit from the scheme, as the provision of laptops and education creates communication between them and creates opportunities for students to advance in English and IT skills.
Project methodology
Phase 1 is to provide English and IT education to the children and this has begun thanks to the volunteers from the Chart Foundation. However it is not complete without the employment of qualified English and IT teachers who will be dedicated to teach the children on a daily basis.
Phase 2 entails the purchase of 150 XO laptops.
Project outputs
This project will produce a new generation of children, with a skills balanced equally in all fields, especially English and IT. This is delivered through the employments of qualified English and IT teachers and workshops designed to engage the children in understanding the importance of IT and career counseling.
This project will eventually create an IT knowledgeable workforce that will be sustainable and advanced, in par with the rest of the world.
Project monitoring
1. The I.T. and English and teachers will report to the Management Committee of the Chart Foundation on the progress of the students,
and their achievements.
2. Project meetings will be held once in two weeks via telephone
conferencing
3. Site-visits will be made every month to evaluate the progress
4. Quarterly updates on project status will be sent to the Chart Foundation Trustees
Project budgets
OLPC XO Laptop
80 nos
Rs. 2,024,000.00
2 GB SD Cards
80 nos
Rs. 264,000.00
Salary to English Teacher
Rs. 35,000.00 x 12 months
Rs. 420,000.00
Salary to Computer Teacher
Rs. 35,000.00 x 12 months
Rs. 420,000.00
10 Trips to the Site
Rs. 15,000.00 x 10
Rs. 150,000.00
Miscellaneous Expenses
Rs. 50,000.00
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