SOS Schools

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Education is a privilege and not a basic right in many parts of the world, where school facilities are non-existent or inadequate. Therefore, in countries outside Europe, SOS Children's Villages often builds schools which are open to both the children and young people from the children's village and the neighbouring districts. Education as basic right - Photo: D. Sansoni In Europe, the children and young people from the SOS Children's Villages attend local schools and make use of the existing education and training facilities. However, outside Europe and in regions where there are SOS Children's Villages, the education system is often inadequate because of a lack of state assistance and financial funds. The social situation of large sectors of the population makes it impossible for many to afford school fees. Education is a luxury beyond reach and as a result, existing schools frequently have overcrowded classes of between 50 and 70 pupils, and are unable to cope with an additional intake of children from the SOS Children's Village. By building SOS Schools, SOS Children's Villages not only provides for the educational needs of the children and young people from the children's villages, but also improves educational opportunities locally, particularly for children from the surrounding districts, and takes the strain off existing schools. School premises in Santa Cruz, Bolivia - Photo: A. Gabriel The spectrum of SOS Schools ranges from primary and secondary schools, to vocational training schools and international colleges, of which there are two worldwide. However, the objective of SOS Children's Villages' commitment in the educational sector is not to create academic and elitist institutions. The focus of our educational activity is to ensure that adequate schooling is provided to each child who grows up in an SOS Children's Village, and to as many local children as possible. Primary and secondary schools, which offer classes from the first to the ninth grade, are accordingly the most frequent school types amongst the SOS Schools. In addition, there are agricultural colleges, technical courses and vocational training programmes, special needs schools, and even nursing schools. All SOS Schools - often regarded as model schools in the country of their location - are state recognised and teach according to the applicable national curricula. Cultural features are taken into account. A maximum of between 30 and 40 pupils per classroom are taught by well-qualified teachers, almost exclusively local personnel. The school buildings, frequently arranged in compact smaller units and characterised by elements of regional architecture, are solid constructions that will provide suitable facilities for as many generations of school children as possible. The two international colleges in Tema, Ghana, and Santa Ana, Costa Rica, play a special role amongst the SOS Schools. These colleges are boarding schools and provide education to gifted young people from a variety of African and Latin American SOS Children's Villages, as well as to young people from Ghana and Costa Rica respectively. These senior schools lead to the international baccalaureate, a qualification which meets the entrance requirements to studies at almost every university in the world. Grooming students for university entry is not the only goal of the five-year course, however. The colleges also seek to focus students' attention on the development of Africa and Latin America in order to instil a sense of social responsibility and commitment to the continents in line with the motto "Knowledge in the service of my country". In addition, students at the colleges are expected to participate in community outreach activities, including literacy programmes for the local population where needed, or helping in homes for people with special needs or on water supply construction projects in the local communities. It was in recognition of these community programmes that the college in Tema was awarded the 1996 Robert Blackburn Award.