School improvement booklet (english)

One of the key contributors to success has been shown to be the active participation of communities in the school improvement process, working together with government and teachers

A MANUAL FOR COMMUNITIES, TEACHERS AND EDUCATIONISTS

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

BOOKLET

Government of Pakistan, WFP and UNESCO gratefully acknowledge the support of USAID Pakistan and consent of UNICEF in reproducing this School Improvement Booklet.

Ensuring high quality education and

addressing the educational and

over-all development needs of children is

essential for the development of

Paki-stan The task is wide ranging and

complex, and needs to build upon

established good practices and

under-standings, both from Pakistan and

abroad One of the key contributors to

success has been shown to be the

active participation of communities in

the school improvement process,

working together with government and

teachers to address educational and

overall development needs of

child-ren

Community participation in school

affairs occurs mainly through Parent

Teacher Councils (PTCs), Parent

Teacher Associations (PTAs), or

Sch-ool Management Committees (SMCs),

which have been formed throughout

Pakistan The members of the PTCs,

PTAs and SMCs parents, teachers

and local community members are

required to develop strategies for

school development and contribute

their time and resources to

implemen-ting school improvement plans in an

effort to improve the quality of

educa-tion received by the children

This school improvement booklet has

been developed to assist communities

and teachers by providing a practical

and illustrated guide to improvement

of the school environment through development of strong school comm- unity linkages It has been designed

to assist them to improve the physical and educational learning environment

in schools, and to make them richer, healthier and more inclusive places for effective learning It has been dev- eloped as a supplement to official school policies and guidelines through

a joint effort by students, teachers, education authorities.

I would like to congratulate all those who contributed in preparing this valu- able booklet I have great pleasure in presenting this selfhelp manual to all partners who are involved in improv- ing education in Pakistan I hope that this booklet will be used to ensure effective community participation in school development and improvement

in the achievement of quality tion.

educa-JEHANGIR BASHAR

Federal Secretary Education

PREFACE – 29 IDEAS TO MAKE OUR

It primarily addresses the SMC/PTA/PTC

The SMC/PTA/PTC is a group of people

from the community who are elected by

the village to take the responsibility of

managing the school’s affairs It also

addresses teachers, students and other

community members on the importance of

the school and its environment

There are many different types of what we

call a ‘school’ There are Primary Schools

for young children, where basic subjects

are taught and where school life for

child-ren starts Therefore, it is especially

impor-tant to care about the quality of education

at this stage

In Middle and High Schools, it is essential

to provide sufficient means of education for a variety of subjects and a big number

of students

Since many schools have still not been rebuilt after the earthquake, there are also big differences in classrooms Some classes are taught in tents, some in semi-permanent structures and some in perma-nent buildings

In every type of school, these ideas apply,

as there is always some way to make a school safer and more comfortable.Different areas in a school, where improv-ement is possible, are discussed The booklet is therefore split up in six parts, which are separated by a colour code

This booklet is a collection of ideas and suggestions for the community to improve the school environment and thus the education of its children It was originally written in collaboration between UNICEF and Pro Loka and is then reprinted by UNESCO with necessary modifications UNESCO gratefully acknowledges the consent of UNICEF in reproducing this booklet.

Comments by the authors

The book is written in British English

All non-specified persons mentioned in this book, such as ‘teachers’, ‘SMC PTA/PTC members’ or ‘students’ are used in a gender-neutral form Both genders are addressed in all cases

Suggestions for the School Ground

These ideas are for all schools They aim at

the improvement of the school compound

and its buildings

Suggestions for the Classroom

These ideas are for all schools They aim at

the improvement of the classroom and its

teaching and learning atmosphere

Taking Care of a School Tent

These ideas are addressed to schools

where some or all classes are taught in

tents

Taking Care of a School Building

These ideas are addressed to schools where some or all classes are taught in buildings

Making Teaching Successful

These ideas are addressed especially to teachers They include suggestions for teaching and activities during school time

Appendix

The appendix includes helpful material forschool improvement

IDEA 1IDEA 2IDEA 3IDEA 4IDEA 5IDEA 6IDEA 7IDEA 8IDEA 9IDEA 10

SMC/PTA/PTC taking part

IDEA 11IDEA 12IDEA 13IDEA 14IDEA 15IDEA 16

IDEA 17IDEA 18IDEA 19IDEA 20IDEA 21IDEA 22IDEA 23IDEA 24IDEA 25IDEA 26IDEA 27IDEA 28IDEA 29

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE SCHOOL GROUND

REUSE OLD MATERIA L

WALLS AND FENCES

THE PLAYGROUND AND WHAT WE DO THERE

PATHS AND STAIRS

LET’S KEEP OUR SCHOOL CLEAN

GROWING FLOWERS

GROWING TREES

WATER TANK AND DRAINS

IMPROVE SANITATION FACILITIES

STREET SIGN

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE CLASSROOM

MAKING A WRITING BOARD

TAKING CARE OF A SCHOOL TENT

TENT INSTALLATION AND REINFORCEMENT

MAKING TEACHING SUCCESSFUL – TAKE CARE OF THE CHILDREN’S NEEDS

SCHOOL AS AN ENJOYABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN

TEN ALTERNATIVES TO CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

LOCAL STORIES

ART CLASSES - CREATIVE TEACHING

DIET & NUTRITION

SCHOOL AS A PLACE OF HELP AND RESPECT

TALKING ABOUT THE EARTH QUAKE

APPENDIX

FILL CHARTS

EXCERPTS FROM THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

CONTENTS

THE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The objectives of an SMC/PTA/PTC

include educational improvement,

involving the community in school issues,

supporting the teacher in any way, using

the school funds where need is at hand

and arranging activities for and with the

children

The committee will meet at least once

every two months If there is either an

important topic to discuss or an

emerge-ncy, spontaneous meetings may be

organ-ised All members of the committee have

to attend These meetings will always be

held in the school itself In these meetings

the SMC/PTA/PTC has to discuss all

issues that are raised by different

members, according to importance The

Committee also has to make sure to

decide on a few realistic tasks rather than

on many that won’t be realised

The SMC/PTA/PTC is responsible for the finances of the school and other material, like furniture It has to check the building frequently and take care of the school compound It is therefore also very important that a craftsman is part of the SMC/PTA/PTC He will provide expertise and know which kind of labour to arrange

if something needs fixing

The SMC/PTA/PTC has its own bank account, which can be accessed by the chairperson and the secretary It will collect government funds as well as donations on the account Government funds must only be spent on school maintenance issues But generally this money should cover all expenses related

to school improvement In case of money shortage, the community should

contribute with small donations

As members of the community, we can take part in the improvement of our school by becoming a member of the SMC/PTA/PTC By taking this responsibility we can improve education through this committee Depending on need, we can take care of the building and the school ground as well as teaching materials.

There are some guidelines to be followed to maintain an efficient management.

RELATED IDEA 29

Members of the SMC/

1 Chairperson – elected by the Community

1 Secretary – Headmaster

3 Parents – elected by the Community

1 Area personnel/leader – elected by the Community

1 Craftsman – appointed by the Community

In a Girls school, more than 50% of the SMC/PTA/PTC

members have to be women.

PTA/PTC Agenda of an SMC/PTA/PTC Meeting

Review of the last meeting What was achieved? And what was not achieved? Overall view of the educational environment Preparation of future programme / ideas School building – school improvement Finances

In every meeting, the SMC/PTA/PTC members should bring up their concerns and ideas This book is a guideline to carrying out these improvements easily

Any investment made has to be noted on

a list that will be with the person

responsi-ble for the account (either the chairperson

or the secretary) If you require labour for

work in the school, you have to sign a

simple contract, which includes the salary

and the due date These expenses will be

listed as well and the receipts kept

7

Activity: Acquire finances

Take a small paper or metal box to collect

money for the school Organise collections in

the bazaar or on Friday after the juma prayer by

talking up the school needs and the money

required Count the money collected and, if it is

not required immediately, deposit it in the bank.

Main Rules for the SMC PTA/PTC

Document your work!

A comfortable and stimulating school

environment helps to create a positive,

child friendly learning environment Such

an atmosphere will influence children a lot,

as they will enjoy school This extra

motiv-ation will help them to learn

Also, the process of school improvement

can itself be a great experience; finding a

way to realise ideas is a skill children can

learn and apply in their future Activities

like how to make a decision as a group,

being creative in different ways, creating

artworks with their own hands, and even

working as a gardener are very valuable

In this book you will find many ideas, you

can realise these together with the

children, to make your school a nicer

place The more you include them in the

work, the more the children will feel

that this is their school and they will be

proud We call that ‘Participation of

Children’ They will be asked for their

ideas and wishes and they can also work

on solutions themselves

The ideas in this booklet will always

contain suggestions as to what on a

particular topic you could directly do with

the children These are activities you find

in the boxes on the bottom For creative

outcomes you should also try creative

methods in finding and realising ideas

Children have very diverse ways of

expressing their ideas Some of them can

express themselves by talking about

something, some of them would not know

what to say, but can do great paintings, or

write a story You can use these skills to

realise an idea Some of these ideas on

how to involve children will help you:

Creative Methods

• Role-play: Make groups of five and give them the topic ‘How my school should be’ They will have one lesson to prepare their ideas and will then present them in class

• Drawings: In one lesson the children can make drawings of their imaginary school with all the features they would like it to have Like, after a role-play you can discuss their ideas afterwards

• Songs and poetry: Let them write songs

or poems about their ‘dream school’, and discuss these texts afterwards

Workshops

A workshop is a meeting where all the children can share ideas and state their opinions on a topic or proposal They will separate into small working groups, where they discuss their ideas within the group; then they present their ideas to each other

in the big group and then settle on the best ideas To decide which ideas are the most feasible, you have to make a chart listing all the ideas Every student can make a star for their favourite idea and those ideas, which have the most stars, will then be followed up

Questionnaires

A questionnaire is a written list of

questio-ns that you hand out to schoolchildren, which they will answer In most cases, an effective questionnaire asks simple yes/no

or multiple choice questions, and takes no longer than 15 minutes to complete, for example:

a) Do you like the school and why?b) How would you like to improve the school improvement?

c) What is your favourite activity in the school?

The children explore the school area in

groups of two to four pupils and look for

places they like most, places they think

are dangerous, places they think they

could have made more beautiful, and so

on They can then write down their

observations and discuss them in class

The Decision Circle

After you have identified good ideas, you

can move to the next step to decide

whether you are able to realise these

ideas yourself Draw a big circle on the

floor Inside this one draw another and

another, until you have more than 5

circles The first circle can be called ‘Who

can do it?’, the second ‘Do we have the

material/ funds?’, the third ‘Do we have

the time and labour to do this?’ Think

about other questions you have to ask

yourself before you can start with a plan

and write them in the other circles

Take the ideas written down on paper and

put them in the outermost circle Those

ideas, for which you find a solution to the

question in the first circle, can move to the

second inner circle The others have to

stay outside Do likewise for the other

circles, until some ideas have reached the

inside of the circles At the end you will find the feasible ideas in the middle and can start working on them Those ideas that had to stop in some circle can’t be realised due to some problem and every-one will understand why

Participation of the Community

To implement these ideas you need people to help you, people like a carpen-ter, who have certain skills or people from the community who are willing to support you The SMC/PTA/PTC will always be the first address for people in the community Therefore you should find a way to include the community into your realization process Organise a small celebration at the beginning of the school year Parents can prepare sweets and food for the celebration and the children can present the results of their idea-finding process.During this celebration you can start talking to the guests about the ideas and

so integrate them in the process You can also invite officials like the DEO or others from the Education Department or from NGOs to present them your plans

9

Ideas to pass the decision

circle are for example

Let’s keep our School clean

Tent maintenance

Build a water tank

Whenever a question can be

answered with YES the idea

passes on to the next circle

Ideas in the inner circle are ideas

to be implemented The final

question is to find a responsible

person.

If the answer is NO, then the idea

stays at an outer circle until the

question can be answered with

YES.

In the name of Allah

Most merciful, Most Beneficent

With God’s help the schools begin with

morning assembly every day Thank God

we are Muslims and hence we should lead

our life according to the teachings of

Islam

In the initial years of its life the child is

under the supervision of its parents and in

a safe environment If God forbids this is

not the case than the child not only loses

the loving and caring environment of his

home but is also deprived of any initial

education However, in such cases it is

then our responsibility to make the child

familiar with religious education so that the

child does not fall prey to evil influences

Children should also know the basic five

principles of Islam, which are Kalamah

Tayyaba, Namaz, Roza, Zakat and Haj

It is therefore very important to start all our

activities in the school with the morning

assembly The day should begin with the

morning assembly, when children of all

age groups get religious education to

become familiar with the teachings of

Islam and our Prophet PBUH and lead a

life in the light of Quran and Hadiths

The Government has suggested special

activities and topics for morning assembly,

which you will find on the following pages

We hope to improve these further with

2.Teachers and children should observe good hygiene

3 Under the supervision of the teachers and the headmaster, the children will attend morning assembly and they will be given light exercises

4 Teachers and the entire staff will attend the morning assembly

5 Children should stand class wise

6 If more space is available the children will be divided into two groups from class one to five and class six to ten

7 The morning assembly will start with the recitation of the Holy Quran

8 For the recitation of the Holy Quran, there is no age limit for teachers or children

9 After the recitation, there will be Naat Urdu, Persian and Arabic language for the Naat are preferred After the Naat, teach-ings from the lives of the Holy Prophet and humanitarian values will be highlighted so that children learn from them

MORNING ASSEMBLY

10 The Pakistani flag will be hoisted and

then all will sing the National Anthem with

respect

11 The entire proceedings of the morning

assembly will be carried out with utmost

respect

12 The teachers will be placed according

to the space available so that they can

supervise and keep an eye on every child

13 There will be special awards for

cleanliness of classes and there will be

competition among the classes on special

To educate Pakistanis to be:

• Seekers of truth and knowledge, who can apply both for the progress of society:

• Creative, constructive, communicative and reflective individuals;

• Disciplined, productive, moderate and enlightened citizens;

• Capable of effectively participating in the highly competitive global, knowledge based economy and the information age; citizens committed to creating a just civil society that respects diversity of views, beliefs and faiths

CURRICULUM AIMS

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE SCHOOL GROUND

Every school, whether it is in a tent or

in a building, whether it is a Primary, Middle or High School, has an outdoor area around its classrooms This area includes the garden and the

playground.

These are the parts the teachers, the students and the visitors who come to the school see first: they form the first impression of the school The

community has to put some effort into making the ground safe and beautiful

A nice school ground will be stimulating and everyone will be proud of the school

The following pages are full of ideas for the outside areas of the school.

Some of this material is dangerous; you

have to remove it (make sure only adults

remove the dangerous material) Old

metal and glass pieces have to be cleared

and any holes must be filled

Some of this material is of no further use

You can bury this debris Look for an

appropriate area close to the school With

the help of people from the community,

you can dig holes and dump the old

material into them Afterwards, you can

cover the holes with soil again

Some of this material can be reused in thenew school Old wood can either be used

in the structure of the school building or a local carpenter can make new furniture out of it You can easily repair broken furniture Use the old stones lying around

to make walls, stairs or a pit

REUSE OLD MATERIAL

RELATED IDEAS , ,2 4 14,25

On most school sites there are remnants of the old, collapsed building, like stones, old concrete, wood and metal pieces As we want our new school to look beautiful, we will have to do something about it Together we can have a look at the rubble to decide if or how we can reuse it in the future.

Activity for children

After the dangerous rubble is removed, the

school children can look through the old material

and find ways to reuse it again Buy some paint

from the bazaar and paint old stones and wood

These artworks can be displayed in the school

ground.

Activity for the community

Think about ways to make the school compound more beautiful and safer as well Use the stones from the old building to build paths that are linking the classrooms and are leading to the school ground To mark the school ground, use the stones to erect a wall or take the old wood for

a fence Together with a trained carpenter you can also use the old wood, save money and make new furniture from it.

You have to make sure that dangerous

areas around the school are made safe

Depending on the material available, you

should make a wall or a fence Use the

stones from the old building or from

around the school to erect a wall Make

sure that it is stable and can’t fall over

when children sit on it To make it more

solid you could also make a stone wall

with concrete You can use old wooden

planks lying around on the school site to

Activity

The community should sit together and decide who will

provide the necessary material and who will provide

the skilled labour This way you will be able to make

the walls yourself very quickly Take some paint and

brushes from the bazaar and colour the stones

together with the students Always stay with the

children while they are painting, as the colour is often

toxic and must not be inflamed or swallowed.

Material

For this idea you can mainly use old material from the school site, or, if that is not available, from the community Stones and wood, you will find anywhere Get paint and brushes from the bazaar

to make your school ground beautiful.

The school ground needs basic facilities

like walls, pathways, a water supply and

garbage bins They guarantee that the

ground is safe and provide a good

enviro-nment for the school and the children who

come here every day

After these basic needs are met and the

most necessary facilities are provided, we

can work on the playground It is very

necessary for the children’s health to

spend time outside and get exercise

to consider the age of the children as well

as safety issues For a Primary School, you can build a seesaw and hang a swing on a tree or a metal frame From polished wooden boards or metal sheets, you can also build a slide If the children are a little older you can provide them with exercise bars This is a structure of a couple of wood

or metal bars, which the children can climb

Game Periods

Give appropriate space in the time table to game

periods The children need this time to be

concentrated again in other lessons and moving

around is very essential for their health On the

other side you shouldn’t give too much free

time They also have to learn to be disciplined.

Tournaments

The children can establish teams for different sports and together you can organise local tournaments with neighbouring schools This will give everybody motivation to train better and will also connect different schools and their children.

When you start working on a playground,

you should remember that the most

important thing for the children will be the

free space The children will invent the

best games themselves and often they do

not need more than the school compound

For older students there can be an area where they will place their wickets and play cricket or football If they like volley-ball and there is enough space around the school, you may also put up a net and make a court for them.

Somewhere, in the shade of a tree, there

should be an area where the children can

sit down, chat, eat their lunch or do some

studying It should be an area where those

who do not want to run around can relax

Some benches and a table can be enough

space, depending on the size of the

school

Sit together with the children in the school

ground and talk with them about traditional

17

Build a seesaw and a swing

For the swing you need an old tyre, which you can get

for free from the bazaar, and a rope Fix the rope on

the tyre and to a strong branch of a tree.

For the seesaw, ask a local carpenter to help you

prepare the long wooden board and joint in the

middle Make sure that the equipment is safe!

Build a slide

Take a polished wooden board or metal sheets and put them on a slope so that children can easily access the top and slide down Fix the board well and ensure to have enough free space at the bottom of the board, so you do not hurt yourself when you land.

trenches that will collect the rainwater and

it won’t do any damage With some fine crush you can cover the paths in the end.You can use long and flat stones as steps With a shovel you prepare the ground to fix the stones well

The community should decide where to

build paths and how to make them safe for

the children You can align the path by

using stones from the area To make sure

that the paths are not always washed

away, you should build water drains Using

a pick and a shovel you can make small

PATHS AND STAIRS

RELATED IDEAS2 8 , , 25

During the monsoons and in winter it is often very difficult to access the school ground School buildings away from the road and on mountain slopes are especially hard to reach With little material, we can make proper paths to the schools and between the school buildings Paths leading to the schools have to be safe but they also make the environ- ment more beautiful.

Activity

Paint the stones colourful, using normal paint from a

bigger bazaar You can also do this with students but

teachers or people from the community should

always accompany them as the paint should not go

on the skin and is mostly inflammable.

Material

Stones and crush from the area or the old school buildings Shovel and other tools Paint and brushes from the bazaar

and the smell doesn‘t affect the ding area When the garbage bins are full, you can dispose of the waste in these pits.When the pit is full you can burn the waste and cover the remnants with soil properly.

surroun-Make sure that the school is cleaned regularly (dusting and sweeping) Decide within the community who will care for that and how this person will be rewarded for the work

Take small bins (you can make them

yourself!) and put them up in the school

compound and the classrooms Take care

that the outside bins are fixed, otherwise

they will get washed away in rains Make

the children understand that it is very

important to put all the waste in these

bins Not only will then the school be clean

but it will make a big difference to hygiene

A little bit away from the compound you

can dig holes (check with the owner of the

land) and collect the waste Always cover

these holes properly with wooden or

plastic materials so animals can‘t get in

of their environment and how to keep it clean will raise their awareness and will later make

a big difference to their areas and its people.

Activity

Appoint different students to empty the garbage bins

into the pit You can also make cleaning days where

everyone is engaged in cleaning the classrooms and the

outside area As soon as the pit is full, someone from

the community should burn the garbage in a controlled

way and cover it up afterwards.

Awareness

We have to learn to take care for our environment.

A first step is to identify garbage Keep your eyes open in the bazaar and on the streets and look for plastic bags, bottles, etc lying around Then raise awareness amongst your friends and the community and explain them where to put garbage and especially where not!

You can use the plants you grow in the garden for your science lessons as well Take a close look at leaves and flowers or

at vegetables and fruits and you will find out how they grow

Dedicate two lessons every week to

making the school ground more beautiful,

and soon you will have a much more

comfortable school environment

Sit together in the village community and

decide how the school ground should look

in the future, by making paintings and

small sketches Quickly, you will have a

good plan and you can decide who will do

which part of the work

One idea is to plant flowers and

vegeta-bles With old oil cans from the bazaar you

can make flowerpots They are filled with

soil where you put the seeds If you put

the cans with vegetables (tomatoes, etc.)

GROWING FLOWERS

RELATED IDEAS , , , 2 7 8 26

During school hours, the children spend a lot of time outside their classrooms: in the morning, during breaks and at lunchtime The school ground is used for games as well as for sitting outside and studying If we make the ground more beautiful, studying outside will be even more exciting.

Ask within the community for the necessary shovels and garden tools to dig holes Find a good place in or around the school compound where a tree can grow,

is protected and provides good shade Dig

a small hole and plant the seedling You should appoint a patron for each tree planted, who is responsible for caring for the tree, to water and protect it

To plant trees, you first have to find tree

seedlings Ask your teacher which sorts of

trees are suitable and then go to the

bazaar and get the seedlings You can

either get them for free for your school or

you can ask members of the School

Management Committee (SMC/PTA/PTC)

therefore stand for a healthy and safe environment We can identify trees in our school environment and together with the teacher discuss their names and properties Then we can decide where to plant new ones for shade, soil and good air.

Activity

You can build a protection wall with wooden sticks,

branches or with bricks around the tree This way, the

small trees are protected from being run over

accidentally by animals or other students.

Material

Tree seedlings Shovels Garden tools Bricks or wooden sticks

GROWING TREES

RELATED IDEAS , , , , 2 4 6 8 26

Skilled labour in the community will be

able to make U-shaped drains from metal

sheets, which you can fix on the roof

Each drain has to be solid enough to

withstand the snow and heavy loads of

water The pipe should end at a tank

where the water is collected Cover the

tank with a strong layer of plastic Fix it

We can use the rainwater for many different purposes We can water the plants in the schoolyard, clean the school ground and use water for the washrooms By installing water drains on the roofs of the school building, we can even collect a big amount of water and don’t have to carry it from somewhere else

Activity

Make water drains around the school buildings

and along the compound together with the

children during gardening lessons If there are

heavy rains, the school compound won’t be

flooded Take a shovel and a pick and dig small

trenches If there is a river close by you can lead

the water there.

Awareness

As a teacher you have to teach the children about hygiene Tell them about the importance of washing their hands with soap and about the transmission of diseases caused by not taking care of hygiene.

WATER TANK AND DRAINS

RELATED IDEAS , , , 5 6 7 9

be covered with plaster The pit will be covered with a concrete slab that is strengthened with iron rods Training and material for school sanitation and hygiene education can be requested from UNICEF / UNESCO.

The most important part of the washroom

is the pit It has to be constructed to clean

the sewage and preserve the soil from

contamination The most effective way is

to build a dry-stonemasonry, which only

needs a big hole, stones, sand, crush, iron

rods and cement The circular hole has to

be eight to ten feet deep with a diameter

of three feet Inside the hole there will be a

To build the pit you should ask a stone mason or

experienced people from the community to help It will

take several days to dig the hole, make the stonewall

and the washroom cabins There are different ways to

do it – discuss with the stone mason which one is the

most suitable in your case.

Activity

Someone should take care that the toilets are clean all the time Make sure that there is always water available for the washrooms If there is no water pipe close by you can use rainwater from a tank with a simple filter on top.

RELATED IDEAS 8

IMPROVE SANITATION FACILITIES

Put up a street sign to warn the car or bus

drivers that there is a school nearby You

can paint a round or tri-angular sign

outlined in red that shows school children

crossing a street Use simple colours and

simple motives, so the sign can be easily

recognised Take a metal board and paint

on it or ask an artist to do this for you Ask

While putting up a street sign for safety, you can also

do an art activity with the children Take chalks or even paint and paint the asphalt This can only happen in villages and on roads where very few cars come by.

STREET SIGN

RELATED IDEAS 16, 25

Some schools are situated very close to the main road For the cars and buses on these roads it is very helpful to know that there is a school nearby In this way, they can drive slowly and more carefully, letting school children cross the road to reach their school or return home after school.

Once the school ground provides a good environment for the school and the buildings are safe and ready for use, the classrooms need attention Here, the students and the teachers spend most of their time Nice classrooms will make them feel comfortable and they will enjoy teaching and studying

The community has to make an effort

to create a comfortable teaching environment together with the children and the teachers Everyone involved will afterwards feel proud about having participated in this cause.

The classrooms in tents and in buildings look very different But with creativity and some effort you can make the classrooms suitable in any condition, even with a low or no budget

The next pages are full of ideas to make the classrooms a great place to study.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE CLASSROOM

so not lose them Writingboards should be low enough so the children can sit on a mat and use chalk to draw and write If you have enough of these boards in the classroom or on the outside walls, they can be very useful in Art lessons.

The writingboard has to be big enough for

everyone to see it on the front wall of the

classroom If writingboard paint is

availab-le and you have a plain underground, you

can easily make one yourself Take a

wooden board, plane it and paint it

thoroughly You can also acquire a

writing-board from the market or an education

organisation but make sure it’s a board

that can be fixed on the wall

Writingboar-ds on a stand break easily and are not

very stable

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The classroom writingboard is one of the most effective and frequently used teaching aids

It must therefore be well constructed and maintained to be used efficiently In Primary classes, we can additionally make writingboards on the classroom walls inside as well as outside the building Children can paint and write on the walls without destroying paint, whenever they feel like it.

on the wall Get chalks in different colours and start drawing, painting and writing!

The children can draw their own timetable and a year calendar, including all major holidays and school events like exhibitions

or sports days

Ask the government or buy some health

charts There are some with very good tips

concerning psychosocial health and safety

issues These are topics every student

should be aware of, and the teacher has

to include these charts in the lessons

Charts with images of animals, plants,

jobs or just colours including the names

help to enrich the English vocabulary of

the children You can also make charts

A chart is a big page of paper that is used to display educational topics in a visually simple and conceivable way We can summarize all basic contents of a subject on a chart and display it on the classroom wall Children will remember the visual content of these omnipresent charts Charts can also be timetables, calendars or student lists where you can mark their special achievements.

Activity

Remember to always positively reinforce children

Make a chart with all the student names to put up

in class For special achievements like winning a

painting competition or helping in the cleaning of

the school the student will get a star At the end of

the year, the student with the most stars will be

awarded a prize This is great motivation for

children to actively participate in the school life.

Collection of Ideas

Timetable Student list for special achievements World map/Pakistan

Animals/plants/vegetables/fruits Alphabet

Psychosocial charts Earthquake charts Hygiene charts Mathematics EnglishRELATED IDEAS 25

CHARTS