Pheap and Srey Meas both go to the Spitler school. Following our story yesterday on Sarin, we thought it would be a nice touch to interview a couple of the students.
I was collected by Sarin in the school’s tuk tuk. He told me they provide it for taking a child to hospital in an emergency and for the use of the school volunteers. He also told me that since the roads to the school were so bad, it was almost impossible to get a car there. I asked about the students I would be meeting and Sarin said he would introduce me to the English teacher and they would tell me about the students.
We set off out into the country. At the back of Road 60, we turned onto the country lanes. Soon were were passing through poor villages – as poor as I have seen anywhere in Cambodia. 
The huts were mainly palm leaf covered, and it was patently obvious the community needed help. Another couple of turns and we arrived at the Spitler school. A girl, possibly around 12 rushed forward to open the gate to us. I was told she was their security guard. The school itself caters for kids from Kindergarten to Grade 6. However ages vary considerably, and you can’t classify children’s ages by school grade.
I was taken to the office and introduced to the English teacher. They brought in two students – Phat Pheap and Tha Srey Meas. For a variety of reasons, I was glad the English teacher stayed, but his help was unnecessary. Their English was close to perfect. I did ask one rather complicated question, which the children didn’t seem to understand, and I asked him to explain. But he merely repeated the question, using my exact words in English and they got that. Magic eh?
So here we go with the interview. In the picture above, Pheap is the boy on the left, and Srey Meas the girl on the right.
Q. Hi, my name is Guy, what are your names?
SM. My name is Tha Srey Meas
P. My name is Phat Pheap.
Q. How old are you?
SM. I am 12 years old.
P. I am 15 years old.
Q. What are your favourite subjects and what do you study here.
SM. My favourite subject is Khmer studies. I also study Math, Science, Society, English and Art.
P. My favourite is English. I only study English here as I have already graduated and I’m studying to go to Angkor High School. I hope to go next month.
Q. Where do you come from?
SM. I come from Boeng Dompa village.
P. I come from Nokor Kroa village.
Q. How long have you been at Spitler?
SM. I have been here 2 years and will graduate soon.
P. I also have been here 2 years and have already graduated.
Q. I know you must get up early, and then eat breakfast. I also know you go to morning school. (7 – 11am). What do you do when you go home in the afternoon?
SM. I like to watch TV. I also have extra English lessons at a different school.
P. In the afternoon I serve in a Temple. It is next to Bayon. When I come home, I also like to watch TV.
Q. What are your favourite programs?
SM. I like music – Korean music
P. I like sport on TV.
Q. Do you like playing sport?
SM. I like tennis. I can play here.
P. I like football, but it is too hot. I also like volleyball.
Q. Do you like Spitler school?
SM. I like it very much.
P. Me also. I think it is a good school and is good for all the children here.
And we closed. Sarin let me take some pictures, then we took the tuk tuk to the Spitler Foundation’s second school – Kurata School. This is about 15 minutes away. In the tuk tuk, he told me a little more about the school. How it was supported by the Spitler foundation. 100% of the costs of the school are met by the foundation.This includes the teacher’s pay, books etc. He said that uniform was normally paid for, depending on how the school’s budget was running. He said the only thing they didn’t pay for were meals. I asked how much they were and he said he didn’t know exactly, but around $1 a meal. He said most students ate twice a day at school. He also commented that many students couldn’t afford them. In a land where the average wage is $2 a day, this was a heavy price. He said the kids would eat at home and would eat tree roots or leaves, shrimp paste, anything they could find. Maybe they would have an egg (at less than 10 U.S. cents, this was affordable). He also told me that the kids would pick recycled rubbish from the amusement park or wash dishes to supplement the family income.
The road was atrocious! Here I met their English teacher again. Sarin proudly showed me the office, where there was a certificate on the wall confirming Kurata’s approval by the Ministry. He also showed me large photos of children doing hazardous work in fields. he said this was child exploitation, and they were actively doing all they could to stop this. He also showed me some photos of the work they had done on Kurata to make the school look good.
I went into the English class and was introduced to the students there. They were Grade 2, and I was told were aged from 8 to 12 years. The counted off the days of the week, sang the alphabet song, then I told them my name and what I was doing (writing a story). They had a “game” of point to different things – the windows, fans, their own nose. I then went into the classroom next door where some Grade 6 students were studying maths. Again I repeated who I was and what I was doing, this time the students appeared to understand.
So, to sum up the morning at the two Spitler schools. The students have a wonderful grasp of English. They seem to be happy and enjoying life. It’s patently obvious that this is a poor community. Without projects such as the Spitler Foundation, there would be no way for the kids to break out of the cycle of poverty. And this, above all else, MUST be the reason for the schools and the Foundation. If you want to read more about their work, please visit http://spitlerschool.org/
Click any of the small pictures below to open a lightbox. You can then scroll through the whole gallery
Spitler School
Kurata School
