Summer school classes provide second chance for displaced students

As part of its emergency response to the security crisis in Zemio, ACTED organizes summer courses in Zemio and Mboki for displaced and host community children who have failed the end-of-year exam to reach the next grade.

The security situation in Obo, a city in the south-eastern part of the country, is relatively stable, and the city has welcomed regular waves of displaced populations since mid-2017.

Since 2017, with the support of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), ACTED has been providing assistance to displaced people by building additional sanitation and water facilities in the city, while supporting emergency education activities for children who have dropped out of the school system.

On August 1st, 2018, 650 children were on their way back to school: girls and boys – from displaced or non-displaced families and of different confessions and ethnic groups – attended ACTED’s catch-up classes in four schools in Obo.

These classes will enable the children to take or retake their exam and to reach the next grade in the next school year.

The south-eastern region of the country has been hit by violent clashes between armed groups. Such conditions make it particularly difficult to find qualified teachers. Due to fragile trade and market conditions, furniture and school equipment are scarce. This makes it difficult for families to consider their children’s education.

As part of the same project, ACTED is renovating and equipping classrooms and has identified, in coordination with the educational authorities, 30 parents able to give classes to students, after being trained in basic pedagogy.