The Cambodia Rural School Project
The Yukiko Ukai School
Mr. Thoeun HeungSa, the director of the Yukiko Ukai School,
poses in front of his classrooms.
Mr. Thoeun HeungSa is the 24-year old school director of the Yukiko Ukai School. He is married and has one 2-year old daughter. His family sells goods at the market in addition to his job. He walks 150 m from home to school everyday.
“I have been director of this school for 4 years now. I went to a Pedagogy school in Phnom Penh to train for 2 years before becoming director here. I sometimes teach grades 5 and 6 here in a class together.”
“We have an awards ceremony at the end of every semester for children ranked 1 to 5. Prizes are normally notebooks and pencils, but change depending on funds available. Sometimes the teachers have to buy prizes for these ceremonies themselves.”
“The old school was very leaky, and it was difficult for the children to sit and study in. Whenever it rained, many would not come to school because they couldn’t study even if they did. However, nowadays the drop out rate has decreased drastically and the kids no longer abandon their studies. There are still a few problems when heavy rains come, but these are small in comparison to before.”
“We feel fortunate to have the new school and have everything we need. The children enjoy coming to school because not only is it no longer a pain when it rains, but the building itself is pretty. I would just like to thank the donor and AAfC for making this all possible.”
