PVG PHILOSOPHY: COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Since our inception in 2006, we have embarked on a journey of learning, marked by both progress and setbacks, to assist individuals who possess a genuine desire to help themselves. Our daily mission revolves around becoming attentive listeners, recognizing the significance of patience and persistence in this endeavor.
While we still glean valuable lessons through trial and error, one critical realization has emerged: the key to achieving positive outcomes lies in motivating the teachers, parents, and students to set higher expectations for themselves. Remarkably, they have risen to this challenge.
Our aim is to afford these students the same educational opportunities as their peers who do not confront the significant economic and social barriers they face. Despite the fact that the elementary, middle, and high schools in the village are classified as “private” schools and thus receive no public funding, the children of the village attend these schools at no cost, provided that elementary school students maintain a 95% attendance rate and junior high and high school students maintain a 70% grade point average. Additionally, their parents are required to collaborate in school construction projects and assist with student supervision during recess. We emphasize that the parents of students who live outside the village, paying a nominal fee to attend the school, must also actively participate in their children’s education. Our community does not extend invitations to those who are unwilling to work together for the following school year. It’s a matter of being either part of the community or not.
The collective efforts of parents, teachers, and students have unlocked unprecedented opportunities, but these opportunities also come with unique challenges. For most of our parents, arranging access to advanced math classes over the weekend at the University or facilitating scholarship interviews in distant locations is beyond their means.
Consequently, we provide transportation for these students on weekends, as their parents lack any mode of transportation other than public buses. Acquiring birth certificates or passports for participation in international competitions involves enduring long waits in lengthy queues, and administrative paperwork often consumes an entire day. The students from the village engage in agricultural work, wood chopping, or domestic chores when they are not studying, leaving little time or opportunity for involvement in soccer leagues, dance classes, swimming lessons, or other extracurricular activities.
To bridge the communication gap and ensure inclusive engagement, our teachers conduct mandatory individual meetings with each parent twice a year.
We initiated these meetings after realizing that we had primarily developed strong relationships with the parents of students who were excelling or struggling academically.
Our goal was to establish contact with all parents to ensure their active participation in the educational process.