A Children Council alumna leader has inspired other children in her community to continue learning remotely during school closures. Her aim was to help and encourage her junior council members to be brave enough to be able to raise their concerns in the meeting with their teachers. 

Fourteen-year-old Seng Dyna is the third daughter of four siblings in her family living in the remote area of Sameakki Mean Chey district, Kampong Chhnang province. She is currently starting seventh grade at Krang Srama high school. 

Previously, Dyna struggled with her role and responsibilities as a Children Council leader when she was in primary school. “I was appointed as a leader but I did not really know what Children Council members should do or how I could contribute to my school,” revealed Dyna.  

She continues to tell us that she did not contribute anything to her school at that time. She was too shy to speak up in front of people and lacked the confidence to lead her group members. Before her school had the Children’s Council structure but it only existed on paper, the teachers and school principal had never trained the Children’s Council. Therefore, it was difficult for Dyna to get support from her teachers. 

With funding support from Save the Children Korea, Save the Children and partners have worked closely with the Provincial Office of Education to implement the Education with Quality and Inclusive Learning (EQUAL) project in Peam Commune. One of the goals of the project is to support teachers and school principals on the Children’s Council and to mobilize communities to participate in children’s education as well as to support child-led activities.

After receiving support from the project, Dyna was trained for the role and responsibility for the work of the Children’s Council, which includes leading monthly meetings with the council members and monitoring school hygiene. Dyna provided the other members with clear instructions on their roles to ensure they fully completed their tasks. She also provided advice to her members about building confidence to speak up about their concerns so that teachers and the school management committee can solve them. Dyna and her members also helped raising funds for school activities, including social events, helping people in need, and school reform.  

In October 2019, Mrs. Elizabeth Pearce, Save the Children's Country Director, and the Regional Team visited Krang Srama Primary School. Dyna spoke with confidence about her role and responsibility as head of the Children's Council. She also described to the visitors how the learning centre in the community benefits her and other children. She was happy to represent the school: “I also showed the visitors our study materials that the teachers and community produced for children to do extra learning,” Dyna told us. “I was thrilled that the visitors praised me for my performance and my bravery.”

Because she fulfilled her responsibilities in primary school, Dyna was selected to be Class President at the high school level. She still helps her junior council members to strengthen their abilities and responsibilities as council members, especially she inspires them to keep learning remotely during the school closures. She spent one to two hours guiding other children on tips for speaking up to help facilitate visitors to the school. 

After getting great advice from Dyna, “I am so excited and feel confident to lead the discussion with my council members because Dyna often instructs me whenever she is free, described Kry Lyly, Dyna’s junior council leader, “I have also learned about how to encourage and inspire other children to become involved in school activities. 

Dyna is being a good role model; showing gratitude to other juniors who raise their interests, ideas, and thoughts to make discussions run smoothly. “I feel happy to share the knowledge with my junior members because I also strengthen my abilities whenever I help them,” Dyna said.   

When asked what she wants to be in the future, Dyna happily replied, “I have two main ideas for what I want to be in the future - I want to be a teacher or a doctor.”