Khnar Village Learning Centre 2023 Update
We are proud to have worked with the Rotary Club and The Ponheary Ly Foundation. We donated £5,000 to support the building of The Knar Village Learning Centre. Here is an update of how far the project has come over the past few years.
Since 2006, Ponheary Ly Foundation has been working in 5 underfunded primary schools to help improve the dismal (55%) graduation rate from Primary School (grade 6). Over the years they not only accomplished that objective but saw a pressing need to find a way to serve the ever-growing number of secondary school students.
In 2018 The Ponheary Ly Foundation embarked on the establishment of a Village Learning Centre in Knar Village to create the physical space necessary to deliver much-needed services to their high school students and eventually, to the wider community. Delivering the things missing from Public School curriculum has improved high school graduation rates and is now opening access to university for some of the graduates. None of this progress would have been possible without the Centre.
The Ponheary Ly Foundation brokered a deal for some land in the village with a small house on it and a tool shed behind (no running water, no electricity) and began building the project.
For more information about the project please visit
www.theplf.org/2019/08/01/knar-learning-center-blows-our-heads-off
Knar Village Learning Centre, Banteay Srei District, Siem Reap Province
In 2019, the construction started to add classroom space. Three modular classrooms were built in 2019 behind the original building.
A large solar panel was installed so that a Tech Lab could be built. A toilet block was also installed, an outdoor classroom in the front of the property and the tool shed was converted into a kitchen.
The construction of the new classrooms has made a massive difference to the learning conditions of the school, for both the pupils and the teachers.
There are currently 130 Secondary School students who go to the Centre after school and have English Classes, Tech Classes where they can earn MS Office Certificates, attend various Life Skills Workshops & eLearning, and have access to a robust lending library.
Additionally, The Ponheary Ly Foundation Invites students in grades 4-6 (current enrolment is 109 students) to attend the Centre after school (which ends at 11 am every day for them). Primary school students study English, have Khmer Language tutoring for students requiring it (Post-COVID response), have a healthy Lunch, can join the Chess Club or learn to play the Ukulele.
Additionally, Grade 6 students have a science lab and the younger students have arts & crafts classes. All Primary School students also have Library time with one of the most experienced Librarians who leads them through fun reading activities. The library is also equipped with e-readers to expose younger students to technology.
The Learning Centre at Knar was so successful that this model has now been repeated at three other locations and with more robust support for secondary level students, which is already showing a healthy and promising impact on high school retention across locations.
