Parents will do almost anything to give their children the best possible start so they can succeed later in life, and Cambodian parents are no different. However, many parents in Cambodia are left frustrated as they cannot afford the extra tuition that is often necessary to give their children a quality education; so enrolling them in JWOC's Free Classes program can ensure their children get the quality education they deserve.
To find out how the Free Classes was helping JWOC families, we caught up with a parent to find out how her daughter studying in the program was impacting their life...
Please
introduce yourself and your daughter.
My name is
Tola, I am 32 years old. I have worked at local hotel as a cleaner for about 2
years; I am divorced and now live with my daughter, Vichika, who is 7 years
old. She studies in grade 2 of Primary school in the mornings and at JWOC in
the afternoons. We live in Svay Dongkom commune, Siem Reap town (approximately 2km from JWOC). Every day I go to work at 2pm, returning home
at 11pm. When I am working, I leave Vichika with her grandmother.
How
did you first hear about JWOC? Why did you decide to bring Vichika to learn at
JWOC?
I first heard
about JWOC when another parent told me about the organisation. Her daughter
shares the same grade as Vichika, she told me about JWOC and about how they
help poor students, she told me that JWOC’s teachers are qualified and provided
students with a good education. I was motivated to take Vichika to study at
JWOC. This was great timing as I had been looking a free school for Vichika because
I could not afford to pay for private schools.
How
long has Vichika been studying at JWOC? Have you seen an improvement in her
studies since she started?
My daughter
has been studying at JWOC now for about two years. She makes me very proud, I
speak no English but even I can learn a lot from her, now I can understand
common words and phrases and communicate in funny ways with her. She has made
big improvements in her English!
What
do you think about the learning process and JWOC?
I love the
ways that JWOC teaches Vichika. It has one of the highest reputations as an
English school in Siem Reap, with well-trained teachers building the children’s
confidence to speak, think creatively and build good morals. JWOC is playing
very important role in helping to develop the local community. This is
especially helpful for parents like me (a
single-parent), who spend most of their time working to support our
children. JWOC is like my daughter’s second home, I feel safe when she is
there.
In
your opinion, how do you think learning at JWOC helped prepare Vichika for
state schooling?
I can see that
Vichika is a very fast learner, she has not only
learnt new English at JWOC but also is now more creative. She can use these
experiences and does well at state school. JWOC provides a good model for the
children learning there, they understand the importance of education and how it
will help them in the future.
As a
parent, how important is it for Vichika to obtain a quality education?
Education is
very important for my child, I have very little knowledge to give her. I have
very little education and, as a result, I do not earn a high salary. However,
quality education is now required to get a good job and succeed. If I encourage
my daughter to study hard but the quality of education she gets is still low it
will make it much harder for her. There are so many challenges and competition
in the job market so it’s really important that she can get the qualifications
and find a good job. I put my hope in JWOC, and I am so proud that my girl not
only studies English, but that now she can use her English to give herself a
better life in the future.
How
do you think Vichika’s education at JWOC will help her in the future?
I often talk
to Vichika and say ‘child, if you study hard the teachers or staff at JWOC will
choose you to work there when you grow up, so please study hard’, this would be
my dream for her. It acts as inspiration for her and it gives her the
motivation to study hard. In the future, I would like her to continue her
studies and work in company or organisation like JWOC. JWOC is the critical place
to sharpen her English skills and other skills like IT. I would like her to
study at JWOC till she finishes all courses if allowed.
Credit goes to JWOC scholarship students Yeat Sean and Thaireth Sob for their part in conducting and translating the interview.
