Say Yes, Summer 2004: Instant Schoolspace
A school within walking distance of home can make all the difference to parents who want their daughter to have a basic education.
Photograph by Rana Mullan © UNICEF Turkey 2003
They may not be the most aesthetically pleasing of structures, but when the alternative to non-attendance is a pre-fabricated classroom, the choice is clear.
One of the most common expressions of resistance by parents to enrolling their daughter is that there are no nearby schools. In cases where a school is located in a neighbouring village, parents are often opposed to using the bussing system which, in harsh winter weather, can prove to be erratic or totally inoperative.
Traditional values may also contribute since parents are often adverse to the idea that their daughters will be riding on what is essentially a co-educational vehicle. It is the experience of field personnel that where a school is located locally parents will most certainly send their children to school -- barring other obstacles. In an alarming number of provinces, students are prevented from registering for school due to a lack of classroom space.
With the mid-September start of the 2004-2005 school year fast approaching, UNICEF has proposed an immediate yet temporary solution to this urgent need in the form of pre-fabricated buildings.
Between 7,000 and 8,000 units currently stand empty in Turkey now that the General Directorate of Disaster Affairs (AIGM) has relocated the majority of victims of previous national emergencies to permanent housing. The AIGM has therefore agreed to make these vacant units available in support of the girls’ education campaign Haydi Kızlar Okula! and increased enrolment in Turkey in general. The cost is a nominal TL 2 billion (less than US$1,500) required for the transportation of the pre-fabricated units and on-site assembly/disassembly.
Both UNICEF and the MONE Primary Education General Directorate have advocated on behalf of this initiative but obstacles remain.
UNICEF is confident of attaining the goal of enrolling 300,000 additional girls when the new school year begins on September 13th 2004. The need for an immediate solution to the scarcity of classroom space is therefore critical. Not surprisingly, funding is also a major obstacle. Provincial governors are under significant constraints since they must requisition the pre-fabricated units and finance them out of their annual budgets.
In spite of this financial barrier, the provinces of Şırnak and Siirt have taken the lead in this initiative by requisitioning a number of pre-fabricated units. More than one hundred have been delivered so far -- providing an educational experience and social haven for an ever-increasing number of disadvantaged girls.
Read more about Haydi Kızlar Okula! in our Programmes section. The full text of the Provincial Governors’ Declaration in support of Haydi Kızlar Okula! can be found in the UNICEF Turkey Press Centre.
Visit the website of the Turkish Government’s General Directorate of Disaster Affairs, Earthquake Research Department (AIGM).
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SAY YES, SUMMER 2004
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