Collaboration makes preschool a reality

A new kindergarten with trained teachers is the result of a close partnership with local volunteers, Plan and the State University of Makassar in Indonesia.

Children need to prepare for elementary school

Without a preschool, the children in Appatanah village in the district of Selayar had no chance of an early childhood education. They had no trained teachers and no school building. So the State University and Plan developed a teacher-training program and ensured building materials were provided. The community did the rest.

So in December 2003 volunteers from the Selayar area attended a 30-day full-time training program for preschool teachers. Two volunteers from the Appatanah village attended plus 28 volunteers from 15 Selayar villages. After the training the volunteers started to enrol children.

Now all children aged 3-6 attend school in the village

The new preschool will strengthen elementary school too. Teachers agree that children who go to kindergarten are easier to teach. If a child is not prepared for school the chance of dropping out increases, so kindergartens and other preschool cprograms are essential, and in this case provided. 

Plan encouraged the community spirit by supporting building material, and people in the village contributed different local resources and labour. The new preschool was finished and ready as planned in February 2004, and the young children in the village now go to kindergarten every day to prepare themselves for elementary school.