Education

The education element of the Fullness of Life programme will address the following United Nations Millennium Goals (UNMDG) by achieving the targets set by the United Nations. Progress towards the UNMDG will be measured against the United Nation’s own indicators as listed.

UNMDG: Achieve universal primary education

Target: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, girls and boys alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

Indicator
(a) Improved net enrolment in primary education
(b) Greater proportion of pupils starting grade 1 reaching the last grade of primary

UNMDG: Promote gender equality and empower women

Target: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015.

Indicator
(a) An improvement in the ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education.

Target: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Indicator
(a) Increase the ratio of school attendance of orphans against school attendance of non-orphans aged 10 to 14 years.

The educational element of Fullness of Life falls into two halves. The first will be to address any lack of access to primary education and, subsequently, to address the same issue in secondary education.

In keeping with the concept of sustainability, Fullness of Life does not see the provision of a school, or the sponsoring of school fees, as the way forward.

Operation Fullness of Life will create a library of resources that will be centrally placed within the identified community hub. This library will consist of DVDs/videos and books, and any other relevant material and resources, which can be accessed under the control of an adult. The resource will also include a DVD/video player and a screen. The adult will not be expected to be a teacher, but will be there to maintain a register, ensure proper use of the resources and ensure the well-being of the children during their time at the library. It is anticipated that a rota of responsible adults could be organised as part of the local people taking control of their own destiny and contributing to the development of their whole community.

The library will cover the core subjects of the national primary syllabus. In addition to the core subjects, teaching resources will be available in a range of life skills and vocational skills. Where suitable resources do not exist, it is planned to use national University staff, students and resources to produce, on a voluntary basis, that which is required. Once the initial set of resources has been produced, all others will be available through simple duplication.

The resources will be available mainly for the children of primary age but where possible the resources will also be available to older young people and adults in the locality. The resources will be used according to a published timetable in exactly the same way that a school operates. It means that all children (and adults) will be able to access primary level education without any concern about lack of finance for uniforms and ancillary costs.

Some initial input of finance will be needed to purchase the materials – DVDs, DVD player and monitor. It may be necessary for local people to construct a rudimentary shelter for the children to use so that they – and the resources - are shielded from the elements, although this may not be an issue if an existing building within the hub complex can be used. Arrangements will have to be put in place for the security of the resources when not in use.

Power for the DVD player and screen may come from different sources depending upon what is available. It may be possible to use the hub’s electricity supply. Wind-up technology may be another option, as may solar power. The purchasing of a generator is an option, but the least desirable because of the initial outlay, the ongoing running costs and the harm to the environment in terms of noise and other pollution.

Once the resources have been created for primary level education, Fullness of Life will repeat the process for secondary level education with a view to making these resources available to all who have finished primary education, either through school or Fullness of Life resources, but who then cannot afford secondary education.

Start-up needs include: Video camera, DVD player and monitor, DVDs, sustainable power source