1 Jun 2010

SYRIA / REFUGEE SCHOOLS

In an effort to improve the school environment for Iraqi refugees in Syria, UNICEF and the European Union equip janitors with better maintenance skills and tools needed to support refugee schools. UNICEF

Posted at: June 1, 2010 10:51 am

Duration: 01:59

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: SYRIA / REFUGEE SCHOOLS 
TRT: 1:59
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC

DATELINE: 17 MAY 2010, DAMASCUS, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
 
SHOTLIST:

1. Med shot, children in classroom
2. Wide shot, students exercising and clapping
3. Med shot, boy
4. Wide shot, janitors in conference hall
5. Wide shot, janitor picks up toolbox
6. Med shot, two janitors holding school desk
7. Med shot, school children
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdul Salam Salamme, Director of Planning, Ministry of Education
"When the idea of training was offered it was hugely welcomed by the head teachers and by the janitors, so we created a three month training course."
9. Pan right, janitor training course
10. Wide shot, first aid demonstration
11. Med shot, janitor working at band saw
12. Wide shot, janitors at work table
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Muhammed Hahmmon Haswej, School Janitor: 
"A lot of people have the idea that the janitor is a nothing, a nobody. He is not just the janitor at his school, but also at his home."
14. Med shot, two girls playing
15. Wide shot, janitor walking into school
16. Med shot, janitor walking along street and into store
17. Med shot, janitor and his wife outside front door of their apartment
18. Med shot, janitor holds certificate, baby in background
19. Med shot, baby
20. Close up, certificate
21. Med shot, janitor and family at home
22. Med shot, girls exercising and clapping
23. Wide shot, children in playground
24. Med shot, boy and ball
25. Med shot, children in school
26. Wide shot, maintenance workshop
27. Wide shot, audience
28. Close up, man writing on paper
29. Med shot, girls jumping and clapping

STORYLINE:

Syrian schools have been feeling the effects of the daily influx and the additional pressure of thousands of Iraqi refugee students.

As part of their support programme for schools catering for Iraqi refugees, UNICEF and the European Union are training those at the blunt end of this maintenance work, equipping janitors with the skills and the tools to better support their schools.

SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Abdul Salam Salamme, Director of Planning, Ministry of Education:
"When the idea of the training was offered it was hugely welcomed by the head teachers and by the janitors, so we created a three month training course that prepared the janitors for maintenance and provided with them with the necessary tools."

The training covers crucial maintenance techniques as well as first aid courses.

Muhammed Hahmmon Haswej, one of the newly trained janitors, demonstrates just how important maintenance training can be.

SOUNDBITE: Muhammed Hahmmon Haswej (Arabic) School Janitor
"A lot of people have the idea that the janitor is a nothing, a nobody. So he is not just a janitor literally in his school but also in his home."

Although it is the students that benefit most, the impact of this training isn't just felt within the school walls. These skills flow over into the wider society.

The newly trained janitors can now use their technical knowledge to maintain their own family homes, forging a secondary benefit for their own children and community.

As the future of Iraqi refugees in Syrian remains unsettled, such training remains crucial to building a better education system in Syria.

Maintenance workshops are a fundamental element helping to ensure that important educational gains don't just disappear because of dripping taps or broken desks.