I spent a lot of time on my last trip planning future activities, and we are starting to make progress on some of them.
For the Secondary School
- We are now paying fees for about 85 children. I held a meeting with them, and with their parents, in May. We have now agreed the wording of a contract between the learner, his/her family and MSP, which will come into force in September. Also beginning September, we will provide them all with mathematical calculators and maths sets, which the school advises they can seldom afford.
- We will continue to provide solar lamps for needy children from homes without access to light.
- We are setting up a bicycle loan scheme for girls who live a long way from the school, and for whom the walk home, often in the dusk or dark, can be difficult. 10 bikes are on order, on a trial basis.
- We will provide more help buying uniforms for children from needy families.
- We are investigating the possibility of getting help for the supply of books and equipment for the school through the British charity, School Aid.They have just contacted me saying they "would be delighted to help you progress by providing some books in a future shipment". I will find out what, exactly, the school needs when next I visit.
- We are investigating the possibility of providing more teacher and head teacher training.
