Author: Seanghak Khin, Blue Schools and Water Integrity Advisor, Caritas Switzerland in Cambodia
Photo Credits: Caritas Switzerland in Cambodia
The Blue Schools Kit is an open-source compilation of inspirational support materials to guide schools in their pathway to improve water and sanitation services and to integrate environmental education and practice in the curricula. The Blue School Kit was developed in 2018 by the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC), Helvetas, Caritas Switzerland, Terre des hommes and Eawag.
In the project “Cambodia Goes Blue Schools” by Caritas Switzerland, the Blue Schools Kit was adapted to the Cambodian context in 2021/2022. The adapted Kit is in the Khmer language, includes locally relevant technologies as well as Cambodian pictures and illustrations. The aim of the adaptation is to give inspiration and support tailored to the context to teachers and other school stakeholders in Cambodia to improve their way of teaching with practical exercises by using the low-cost materials and technologies available at their schools.
The Cambodian Blue Schools Kit aims to give inspiration and support to teachers by complementing theoretical classes with practical exercise by using low-cost technologies and locally available resources. For each Blue Schools topic, a compilation of hands-on exercises is provided that align with the national school curriculum for different grades. The catalogue of practical exercise provides the participatory training and teaching by putting in place an enabling environment for children to practice.
The Cambodian Blue School Kit will be published in May 2022 and will be available here:
https://waterconsortium.ch/blueschool/
How the Cambodian Blue Schools Kit was Adapted
The Cambodian Kit, just like the general Blue Schools Kit, is structured into six main chapters:
- My Drinking Water
- Sanitation and Hygiene
- Growth and Change
- From Waste to Resource (waste management)
- From Soil to Food (school gardens)
- Environment
The sixth chapter on environment focuses on the sub-components My River, The Water Cycle and My Forest, underlining the importance of trees and the negative impacts of deforestation, as these are important challenges in Cambodia.
The topics were elaborated through discussions with the implementing partners of the project from different sectors – the Department of Education, Youth and Sport, local NGOs and private sector stakeholders, as well as the school staff and teachers and students practicing the exercises and activities in school. The original Blue Schools Kit was adapted to the Cambodian context by including locally available resource materials from local NGO and government partners – including their existing best practices, interpreting activities to local customs and conceptualizing new exercises with children in order for them to reach the learning objectives better. Finally, the Cambodian Blue Schools Kit was visually improved by a local graphic designer, including pictures and illustrations from the Cambodian context while keeping the overall layout and identity of the Blue Schools Kit.
The Catalogue of Practical Exercises promotes hands-on practical exercises and introduces materials for the six components of Blue Schools. It also recommends the appropriate grade for which a particular exercise is suitable.
Blue Schools practical exercise
Training of Trainers: Blue Schools training for school’s teachers
The Catalogue of Technologies supports project staff, education authorities and school staff and stakeholders in selecting the appropriate technologies that can be put in place in a particular school. It provides references to low-cost technologies and points out general prices of local materials. It also includes Cambodia specific recommendations, for example Labobo [Happy Tap] or the touch-free handwashing unit. Environmentally friendly technologies are presented for students to experience them at school, learn how they work and get inspired to replicate these practices at home and in their communities.
In summary, the main features of the Cambodian Blue Schools Kit are the following:
- Inspiration for schoolteachers to engage students within the Cambodian cultural context
- Alignment of Blues School exercises to the existing national curriculum of Cambodia
- Adaptation of the exercises by aligning them with specific grades / learning levels
- All materials needed for the practical exercises are locally available
- Easy to follow layout with a nice local graphic design and pictures
Blue Schools training from teacher to students
The Original Blue School Kit
The Blue Schools Kit was developed in 2018 by the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC) project teams and advisors from Helevtas, Caritas Switzerland and Terre des hommes, in collaboration with Eawag based on field experience in WASH in Schools and lessons from piloting the environmental components in schools.
Between 2020 and 2023, the SWSC implements Blue Schools in over 150 schools in 12 countries. In addition, several other organisations are using the Blue Schools Kit in various countries.
The Blue Schools Kit is accessible online: https://waterconsortium.ch/blueschool