Ever wondered what life is like in a UWS school? While no two days are exactly the same, this is what a typical school day looks like for many of our Cambodian students. 

 

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6:30 Walk to School

The morning starts with a short walk to school. We build all of our schools within a short walking distance of communities, so that every child can make the journey to school.

Many parents spend the morning working in the rice fields, which means an early start for the whole family.

 

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6:45 Kindergarten Drop-of

Older students can drop younger siblings off at one of our Kindergartens next to school. UWS Kindergartens are a great place for young children to develop their skills and get used to the school routine. They also allow older siblings to attend school without having to worry about childcare. 

 

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7:00 - 9:00 Morning Lessons begin

Students are split into two groups for the school day, attending either a morning or afternoon group. The younger grades are usually in the morning group, as the older students often need to help out in the fields or at home in the morning. The first lessons take place from 7am until 9am, and each lesson is an hour long. Lessons include Khmer, Maths and Science. 

 

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Break-time

After the first two lessons of the day, the students have a quick break, in which they can spend time in the library or play outside. All of our schools have playgrounds with swings, slides and outdoor equipment.

 

  

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9:00 - 11:00 Morning Lessons Continue

Morning lessons then continue up until 11:00, when the first group of students finish. Most students have lunch at home with 
their family. This lunch-break gives the teachers a chance to prepare for the afternoon session.

 

 

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13:00 - 17:00 Afternoon Lessons

Afternoon lessons begin at 13:00 and follow the same structure as morning lessons, each lesson being an hour long. The teaching is usually broken up with an afternoon reading session in the library, which gives students quiet time to spend by themselves, and promotes independent reading.

 

vegetables

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17:00 Picking vegetables and home time

When the school day is over, students can pick crops from the school vegetable garden to take home and share with their families. Incorporating these into the family dinner means a healthy diet, and a healthy diet means students are more mentally and physically fit to learn.  

 

 

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19:00 - 21:00 Evening classes 

In some of our schools, UWS teachers run optional evening classes for older students and adults. This enables adults to improve their skills, whilst also providing older students with an opportunity to catch up on missed lessons.

 

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