Homework Club: PEPY’s newest pilot project

PEPY’s Homework Clubs are working to help students in primary schools build their capacity in Khmer and Math. Currently we have Homework Clubs in two primary schools: Hun Sen Run Primary School, where 35 students in two classes attend a six-month pilot project, and Bom Bao Primary School, where 40 students are involved in a three-month pilot project.
We decided to initiate the Homework Club project for two reasons:

1. We found that students were not testing at grade-level in Khmer or Math.
2. We conducted a needs assessment with school principals, teachers, parents, and students and realized this was something desired by the community.

We aim to help struggling students in two schools improve their abilities in Khmer and Math, and our goal is to have strong, confident students who can share their knowledge and experiences to their peers.
We provide extra Khmer and Math lessons to students every Thursday while the students do not have scheduled classes. We have two levels: the first is for the students who have performed well, while the second is for students who are looking to gain confidence in their abilities.
During the first month, our facilitators taught students directly. In the later months, however, we started to provide opportunities for students in the upper level to share their knowledge and experience to students in the lower level. I have found that there are many students interested in the Homework Club. They enjoy learning with and from their friends.
In the beginning, we found that the weaker students were shy during with team activities. Some exercises were difficult for those who could not write and read Khmer properly. Weeks later, we have found that most of them are progressing well and respond well to learning with their friends. Having time to practices writing, reading, and math has resulted in positive outcomes.
Now that this project is up and running, we strongly believe that a greater percentage of students will become more successful in their studies, and we are excited to watch them grow as scholars and friends.