Investing In Education
Education is a privilege and not a basic right in many parts of the world, where school facilities are non-existent or inadequate. Therefore, in Africa, SOS Children's Villages often builds schools which are open to both the children and young people from the children's village and the neighbouring districts.
SOS Children's Villages provides Kindergartens, Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and Vocational Training Schools. There are also two SOS international colleges worldwide.
The objective of SOS Children's Villages' commitment in the educational sector is not to create academic and elitist institutions. The focus of our educational activity is to ensure that adequate schooling is provided to each child who grows up in an SOS Children's Village, and to as many local children as possible. By building SOS Schools, SOS Children's Villages not only provides for the educational needs of the children and young people from the children's villages, but also improves educational opportunities locally, particularly for children from the surrounding districts, and takes the strain off existing schools. Primary and secondary schools, which offer classes from the first to the ninth grade, are accordingly the most frequent school types amongst the SOS Schools. In addition, there are agricultural colleges, technical courses and vocational training programmes, special needs schools, and even nursing schools. All SOS Schools - often regarded as model schools in the country of their location - are state recognised and teach according to the applicable national curricula. Cultural features are taken into account. A maximum of between 30 and 40 pupils per classroom are taught by well-qualified teachers, almost exclusively local personnel.
The SOS Vocational Training Centres are an important building block in the work done with youths running parallel to the facilities where the youths live and in continuation of the training schooling they have received. They provide the youths from the SOS Children's Villages and young people from local communities with realistic chances for the future on their way to being independent.
Once finished with school you might face (amongst others):
- High unemployment
- Changing demands of the job market
- Economic marginalisation and a lack of training places
Through the SOS Vocational Training Centres, SOS Children's Villages is trying to offer the youths fair starting possibilities so that they can become independent and so that they are able to cope with the social and economic demands made on them.
There is no single rule which can be applied to teaching across all of Africa: regional diversity is a key part of Africa's identity. What is taught is therefore strongly orientated towards the local and regional job prospects. This is so that the youths are not trained and are then unemployable. SOS youths and young people from the local community who are socially disadvantaged or who have hardly any other training prospects are therefore given vocational qualifications and skills which will allow them to live an autonomous life as an adult. Each of the branches of training are the same length as is the norm for that country, follow the same curriculum and offer the same practical experience. On completion the youths are awarded a state-recognised diploma or certificate of apprenticeship.
Some of the SOS Vocational Training Centres offer temporary jobs where the youths can gain practical experience and either sell the products they make or offer their services. SOS Vocational Training Centres can either be in the form of small workshops or they can be projects which offer training in various trades to hundreds of young people. Often the centres work together with local firms or other partners. They also do research into the job market and offer careers advice.
Through its investment in the development of individuals and communities, SOS Children's Villages shows that it's work is not about hand-outs, but practical support; it is not about unilateralism, but co-operation; and it is not about pity, but respect.