PROJECTS

Group projects

Everything we said about group work also applies to these kinds of projects.

Essential elements are:

• Students must be given as much control as possible in deciding how to carry it out the project.

• Most of the decision-making should be left to the students, even if things go wrong.

• Students should get some material benefit from the project, either by selling what they produce and keeping the money as savings or by keeping what they produce.

• In rewarding students, the Centre expenses such as timber or seeds or day old chicks must first be deducted.

Types of project

1. Group farms: Groups are given an area to cultivate, planning what to grow, and using techniques learnt in agriculture. They are allowed to eat or sell what they grow.

2. Animal projects: Groups keep chickens for eggs or meat, or pigs for fattening, and sell the produce.

3. Carpentry and building projects: Groups make one or more pieces of furniture for sale e.g. tables, food safes. Or they are contracted to build a building needed by the RTC or the local community and paid for their labour.

4. Clothing projects: Groups make items of clothing, for sale either to the local community or to other students.

5. Weaving projects: Groups make mats, baskets and other woven items for sale.

6. Engine repair and maintenance projects: Groups with the skills offer to repair engines for the local community, or to maintain pieces of equipment such as a generator or tractor. They get paid for this. This kind of project needs to be carefully supervised by the teachers to avoid damaging things.

7. Store project: Groups are provided with capital loans to buy goods for a trade store. They run the store, keep any profits and have to pay back the loan. In one school in PNG, the school bought the goods in bulk and then acted as a wholesaler to the student groups, who bought their goods from the central store and decided their own mark-up when selling them.

8. Community projects: Find out any help the local community may need such as building a piggery, chicken house, leaf house, community hall, fencing an area, clearing land, building toilets, or repairing water supply. Groups of students are contracted to do this for a fee. This may be paid by the community or by the Centres to help the community, or the work may be done free as part of community relations.

Organising RTC farms

Every RTC should be partly self-supporting in food. This means organising a Centre farm, growing root crops, vegetables and fruit, and perhaps keeping chickens and pigs. The students should be expected, as part of their training, to work on the farm for a certain number of hours per day. They are learning at the same time as supporting themselves and reducing their fees.

The farms can produce food for the students to eat and some for sale in the local markets.

Other income-generating projects

RTCs should normally have other income-generating projects. This may include any of those listed above as group projects, and many others such as producing honey, fishing or repairing sewing machines.

The difference is that Centre projects are done as part of the normal timetable and income goes to the Centres.