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104th secondary school of the Songinokhairkhan district is one of the 22 schools that are using three-shift system. Students of 4th and 5th grades are going on third shift. It is tough for children under 10 years old to walk for home in the dark and cold winter night. In the winter it gets dark at 5pm in Mongolia. Most children are picked up by their parents, brothers or sisters. However it is heartbreaking to hear that children from difficult background walk alone in dark streets with fear.
On Wednesday, students of grade 4B with home room teacher Delgermaa dismissed classes at 7:20 pm. If they have six hours of lesson, they finish classes at 8:10 pm. They have six classes twice a week.
J.Zoljargal, student of class 4B travels long distances to reach home from school. She walks through the mountains after getting off from a bus. Her father`s work finishes at 10 pm, so she can`t wait for him. Her mother looks after her baby sisters and brothers aged from 6 months to 6 years old.
Thus her grandmother picks up Zoljargal. However old woman gets tired after the long walk. Zoljargal, the eldest girl of the family is a smart girl. She walks with her schoolmate who lives near to her house. Then they desperate from one point where she meets her grandmother.
At 7:20 pm bell has rung to announce the ending of class. It was already getting dark outside. Students have raced for their outwear and went to home with their parents who came to pick them up.
At 7:40 pm. The nearest bus station locates 0.5 km away from the school. There were no people except 7-8 students aged 10 years old at the bus stop. Zoljargal says "Buses do not stop, if there were only children at the bus stop. Maybe it is because of children travel free on buses".
Bus has arrived after 13 minutes. A girl said "Today is a lucky day. If the bus did not stop, I would have to walk to my home".
Distance meter shows 2.8 km from her school to home, while the distance was 1.2 km to home from the bus stop. Thus Zoljargal walks an average of 2.5 km to school in a day.
I WALK CLOSE TO SOMEONE IN THE DARK
We talked with Zoljargal on their way to home.
-How long does it take to get to your home?
-It takes an hour. I walk for 20 minutes to bus stop from school. Then I ride bus passing two stations and walk again to home.
-Why your parents does not pick you up?
-No, dad works late. My dad is translator. I don`t know where his office is, but I heard that it is very far. My mom is looking after my sisters and brothers. I have three younger siblings. The youngest one is just less than four months. My next brother is a student of first grade and the middle one is three-year-old.
-How is your school?
-I love studying, but it is frightening to walk alone in dark streets when our class dismisses late. We will still walk in dark next year unless our school stop using three-shift system.
-Luckily your street has light, right?
-It will get dark as we go further.
-Are you afraid of walking alone in dark street?
-Yes, of course. I am really afraid of dog attack. I was bitten by a dog from that yard when I was in 1st grade. Owners still have not tied the dog even my parents demanded. Also there are two more dogs on my way.
Moreover households dump grey water on street and it causes slippery road in winter.
-Do you really walk through these dark streets alone?
-Not all the time. But sometimes I do if I have to. At that time, I try to walk close to someone.
At last we have reached to her home.
At 8:30 pm. "Our ger locates on the top of the mountain where wind cleares the air, we have clean air here. Smoke increases as we reach close with households and roads", told Zoljargal.
We were very pleased to hear that Zoloo and her three siblings breathe clean air.
POOR TEACHERS SUFFERING FROM LABOR EXPLOITATION
104th secondary school has been using three-shift system since 2008. Teachers must hand over every students to their parents after class. All parents of 42 students don`t come on time to pick up their children. Thus teachers wait until the last child is picked up parents.
Sometimes teachers took students to home. Thus the teachers work will not finish at 9 pm-10pm. The Government of Mongolia has already forgot that the teachers have families and children too. Even teachers don`t receive overtime pay, revealing that the Government is exploiting teachers.
Young teachers who are working for the second year at 104th school get salary of MNT 430 thousand per month. 10 percent of the salary is added when they are in charge of one class. Teachers who are working more than five years are paid MNT 550 thousand per month, of which MNT 350 thousand will be paid for their salary loan. Almost all teachers have salary loan.
They get loan again after one. It is common among teachers to live from loan to loan.
104th school building has a capacity of 750 children, but it has 1600 students today. Every new candidate for the Minister of Education promises to stop the three-shift system. However it has not decided yet. Teachers and students of 104th school told that three-shift system will end, if school extension is commissioned next year.
There are many children who travel longer distance than Zoljargal, who are in great risk of abuse and dog attack.
Dear Minister of Education, please stop using three-shift system as soon as possible, for the sake of preventing the potential threat.
104th secondary school of the Songinokhairkhan district is one of the 22 schools that are using three-shift system. Students of 4th and 5th grades are going on third shift. It is tough for children under 10 years old to walk for home in the dark and cold winter night. In the winter it gets dark at 5pm in Mongolia. Most children are picked up by their parents, brothers or sisters. However it is heartbreaking to hear that children from difficult background walk alone in dark streets with fear.
On Wednesday, students of grade 4B with home room teacher Delgermaa dismissed classes at 7:20 pm. If they have six hours of lesson, they finish classes at 8:10 pm. They have six classes twice a week.
J.Zoljargal, student of class 4B travels long distances to reach home from school. She walks through the mountains after getting off from a bus. Her father`s work finishes at 10 pm, so she can`t wait for him. Her mother looks after her baby sisters and brothers aged from 6 months to 6 years old.
Thus her grandmother picks up Zoljargal. However old woman gets tired after the long walk. Zoljargal, the eldest girl of the family is a smart girl. She walks with her schoolmate who lives near to her house. Then they desperate from one point where she meets her grandmother.
At 7:20 pm bell has rung to announce the ending of class. It was already getting dark outside. Students have raced for their outwear and went to home with their parents who came to pick them up.
At 7:40 pm. The nearest bus station locates 0.5 km away from the school. There were no people except 7-8 students aged 10 years old at the bus stop. Zoljargal says "Buses do not stop, if there were only children at the bus stop. Maybe it is because of children travel free on buses".
Bus has arrived after 13 minutes. A girl said "Today is a lucky day. If the bus did not stop, I would have to walk to my home".
Distance meter shows 2.8 km from her school to home, while the distance was 1.2 km to home from the bus stop. Thus Zoljargal walks an average of 2.5 km to school in a day.
I WALK CLOSE TO SOMEONE IN THE DARK
We talked with Zoljargal on their way to home.
-How long does it take to get to your home?
-It takes an hour. I walk for 20 minutes to bus stop from school. Then I ride bus passing two stations and walk again to home.
-Why your parents does not pick you up?
-No, dad works late. My dad is translator. I don`t know where his office is, but I heard that it is very far. My mom is looking after my sisters and brothers. I have three younger siblings. The youngest one is just less than four months. My next brother is a student of first grade and the middle one is three-year-old.
-How is your school?
-I love studying, but it is frightening to walk alone in dark streets when our class dismisses late. We will still walk in dark next year unless our school stop using three-shift system.
-Luckily your street has light, right?
-It will get dark as we go further.
-Are you afraid of walking alone in dark street?
-Yes, of course. I am really afraid of dog attack. I was bitten by a dog from that yard when I was in 1st grade. Owners still have not tied the dog even my parents demanded. Also there are two more dogs on my way.
Moreover households dump grey water on street and it causes slippery road in winter.
-Do you really walk through these dark streets alone?
-Not all the time. But sometimes I do if I have to. At that time, I try to walk close to someone.
At last we have reached to her home.
At 8:30 pm. "Our ger locates on the top of the mountain where wind cleares the air, we have clean air here. Smoke increases as we reach close with households and roads", told Zoljargal.
We were very pleased to hear that Zoloo and her three siblings breathe clean air.
POOR TEACHERS SUFFERING FROM LABOR EXPLOITATION
104th secondary school has been using three-shift system since 2008. Teachers must hand over every students to their parents after class. All parents of 42 students don`t come on time to pick up their children. Thus teachers wait until the last child is picked up parents.
Sometimes teachers took students to home. Thus the teachers work will not finish at 9 pm-10pm. The Government of Mongolia has already forgot that the teachers have families and children too. Even teachers don`t receive overtime pay, revealing that the Government is exploiting teachers.
Young teachers who are working for the second year at 104th school get salary of MNT 430 thousand per month. 10 percent of the salary is added when they are in charge of one class. Teachers who are working more than five years are paid MNT 550 thousand per month, of which MNT 350 thousand will be paid for their salary loan. Almost all teachers have salary loan.
They get loan again after one. It is common among teachers to live from loan to loan.
104th school building has a capacity of 750 children, but it has 1600 students today. Every new candidate for the Minister of Education promises to stop the three-shift system. However it has not decided yet. Teachers and students of 104th school told that three-shift system will end, if school extension is commissioned next year.
There are many children who travel longer distance than Zoljargal, who are in great risk of abuse and dog attack.
Dear Minister of Education, please stop using three-shift system as soon as possible, for the sake of preventing the potential threat.