Summer Program: Herder's Children Improve Their Knowledge and Skills While Playing

UNICEF Mongolia is organizing the Summer Program for the second year in the Saintsagaan and Erdenedalai soums of Dundgobi aimag. The goal is to help students in remote areas overcome educational setbacks and strengthen their reading comprehension skills.

This year, 80 children are attending the summer classes. In Erdenedalai soum, the program includes children of herders from remote areas, while in the aimag center of Saintsagaan soum, it serves children who live in the town and do not go to the countryside during their holidays.

Over 21 days, the children are learning many new things through play, using digital technology to review subjects like Mongolian language, math, human and environment, and social studies. They are also making friends and acquiring daily life skills outside of their regular lessons.

Today, children in the Erdenedalai soum summer program learned about desertification and the importance of everyone's participation in stopping it. They discovered that their own soum is significantly affected by desertification.

The teacher explained that one way to combat desertification is to plant trees, so the children planted trees together. They are happy to be engaging in creative activities while learning, rather than just sitting in a classroom.

“My two daughters, O. Tsendnaran, 11 years old, and O. Tsendjargal, 10 years old, have been attending the summer classes for two years now. When they first started school during the pandemic, their reading comprehension was poor. After attending the summer program, their skills improved, and they enjoy the additional lessons. Last year, they learned about water conservation, and now they practice it at home. They love the summer program and are eager to go every morning,” said E. Munkhjargal, a resident of Saikhan soum.

“The children enjoy lessons about the Sustainable Development Goals. They are particularly interested in learning about nature and what they can do to protect and cherish it,” said T. Tsevelmaa, an elementary teacher in Erdenedalai soum.

Parents and guardians are grateful to the teachers and local leaders for ensuring that their children are not left alone at home, but instead are learning in a healthy environment, making friends, and gaining practical knowledge and skills.

“At first, my child was reluctant to go, thinking it was just regular school. But after the first day, they came home excited about making new friends. Now, they are always eager to go,” said the mother of B.Davaa-Ochir.

“Taking the children out and showing them around, such as explaining who works in the local government office and what they do, or teaching them how to shop at the store, has been very popular,” said A. Naranbat, an elementary teacher in Saikhan soum.

As a result of the Summer Program, the number of children who enjoy going to school increased from 22% to 92%, and their reading comprehension skills improved by an average of 12%. This shows that children learn more effectively and enthusiastically through play.

UNICEF Mongolia Representative Evariste Kouassi-Komlan attended the opening of this year's summer classes and wished the children success in their studies. “UNICEF implements this initiative together with local communities, parents, and guardians. We aim to expand this initiative to more provinces and rural areas to benefit more herder families and their children,” he highlighted.