Al-Abass Secondary School in al-Ezzlah region of the Governorate of al-Dhalea’a is a mixed school for both girls and boys. Thuraya Sadeq Ahmed Mohamed goes to this school as a third-year student. Thuraya is the daughter of a basic education school teacher and has seven siblings.
Thuraya says:”al-Abass Secondary School was rather different last year. The school was semi-dilapidated…no desks, doors, or windows, and even the blackboards were so badly broken, we couldn’t make-out what’s written on them.”
A Miserable Situation
Thuraya Adds:”Winds used to make students feel sick because of there were no windows. If it rains, classrooms get inundated with water forcing us to go on a holiday. Due to heavy dust carried by the winds, we would go home with dirty cloths; and whoever sees us in that state, would be amazed to see us looking like that. They would doubt if we were school students. We would come to the school in the morning and we can’t study properly because there were no desks in the classrooms, gusty winds would be blowing right into the classrooms, and wide-spread dust clouds around the school makes the situation even worse.”
She continues by saying:” The school is not in close proximity to everyone, and I am probably the luckiest as I live closer to the school. However many girls have to travel long distances, some for an hour or more. But people consider the school a model secondary school and everyone competes to enroll in it. It has the highest number of registered students despite the existence of another secondary school in the area, but they all want al-Abass Secondary School - girls and boys alike.”
Thuraya dreams that one day she would become a doctor, and wants to do good in science so that she can achieve this dream.
She says:” The PWP, through the YECRP – a World Bank funded program administered by the UNDP, renovated al-Abass Secondary School, and restored it to its normal state. Now, it’s a school that embraces many residents of al-Dhalea’a from both sexes.”
An Inviting Environment
Thuraya added:”Now, we can study better, understand the information we receive from the teachers clearly, and words written on the blackboard are legible – we can now catch up lost time since the damages to the school caused the school-year to start late.”
This subproject has created a better school environment allowing students to learn and complete their school-year in a way that allows students to easily receive the information. The school environment has become more conducive and attractive.
Thuraya adds:” The faculty in this secondary school is the best governorate-wide. The teachers are smart, they are outstanding in their pedagogy, and have the ability to easily deliver the information to the students.”
Benefit to the Community
Thuraya continues by saying:” I am happy for the many benefits that we will have as female students or males or even the entire residents of this and nearby areas. This secondary school will definitely uplift the students and will produce a responsible generation able to tackle the burdens of life and deal with the evolving world around them.”
Thuraya knows that al-Abass Secondary School needs many additions, such as new classrooms that will reduce congestion in the classroom, and new laboratories for practical experiments and applications.
She points out that the student population in a classroom is big: Each classrooms has over 41 female students. Practical application of theories is also lacking due to the lack of school labs – although the teachers are capable of practical applications of the theories included in the textbooks.
Education is available
Following the completion of the renovation subproject in the school, Thuraya is now seeing tens of female and male students pouring into the school for learning and self-development.
She feels grateful that this admirable work serves the entire area, and hopes that similar subprojects will be implemented to service the whole community and alleviates the hardship people suffer from lack of proper educational facilities.