To the request of Cambodian authorities, we closed Sala Baï School on March 9th for an originally expected length of two weeks which will finally be extended till at least end of April. Since March 16th, and after Siem Reap did, all schools and universities are closed in Cambodia. A few Covid-19 cases have been declared in the country: 96 cases on March 26th.
In this context, we are going on and doing everything possible to fill up three priorities :
- ensure health safety of Sala Baï students and staff;
- enable students of the current intake to validate the integrality of their training;
- reinforce the support of the future graduates so that their hiring is not too much affected by the economic situation of the tourism sector.
All the students have gone back home. Thus, trainees had to stop their internship, as they were sparsely effective in the situation of a very large decline in the touristic activity.
It seemed essential to us to keep a link with all of them. Thus, the Sala Baï social worker team maintain consistant phone follow-ups of the whole intake with a weekly call and themselves can be joined at any moment by the students.
A continuity plan has also been implemented at Sala Baï. Trainers and social workers take advantage of this time to have English lessons with the School English coordinator. All the team is making every effort as well to do some general interest works and proceeding to a large tidying and cleaning of the school, training restaurant and training hotel and dormitories as well.
More importantly, the School management, the trainers and social workers are paving the way out of the crisis to enable the students to validate the entireness of their training despite the long suspension of the training. Thus, the trainers are now adapting a boosted teaching program for the re-opening of the school. The setting-up of an internet-based platform, mailing of material and homework to the student, is also being prepared.
Concomitantly, the administrative and educational team in coordination with the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training are studying the possibility of lengthening the training year by one month. If this option is pursued, the 19th intake will start school on October 1st and not on September 1st.
We wish to thank all the members of the Sala Baï team for their oustanding work and for the commitment they are showing.
We do not forget the Organization for Basiic Training teams, an organisation supported by APLC. They had to close their program in Chiro, in the centre of the country.
Because of the constantly evolving situation and in particular a possible future confinement, we will keep you posted regularly. We entirely remain available for any further information.
Be sure of our full commitment and of the team good moral,
Take good care of yourself, of your close family and of the most vulnerable.
Yours sincerely,
Claude Colombié, president of Agir pour le Cambodge