THE PROPOSAL WHICH LED TO PATRIOTISM SCHOOL CLUBS

After attending training on African Good Governance Program on the Radio Waves by Municipal Development Partnership for Eastern and Southern Africa as sponsored by the World Bank Institute, I came up with the idea of Good Governance Practice (GOGOP) as a direct result of the need to disseminate programmes as initiated by Municipal Development Partnership for Eastern and Southern (MDP – ESA) together with the World Bank Institute (WBI).  MDP – ESA is behind the Africa Good Governance program previously on the Radio Waves which is divided into 4 parts:

i.      Governing Municipalities without Corruption

ii.      Civic Participation for Good Governance

iii.      Municipal Finance – Part 1

iv.      Municipal Finance –“Participatory Budgeting” – Part 2

The Program on Radio waves closed in 2007 and the beneficiary countries included Ghana , Kenya , Tanzania , Uganda and Zimbabwe . 

THE GOOD GOVERNANCE SCHOOL CLUBS (GOGOC)

PROJECT PROPOSAL

1. SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED PROGRAM

Good Governance Practice (GOGOP) is making an innovation into a new initiative which currently is not in practice in schools by the name of GOOD GOVERNANCE SCHOOL CLUBS (GOGOC) as a measure to start the building of a strong Civil Society from school level.  When the project takes off  in secondary schools, it is anticipated that the current non-involvement of local people in policy, planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation of what is to affect them, that is; What is to be done, Why it is to be done, and How it is to be done, hence the neglected lever of change towards combating the mismanagement of public funds and affairs, corruption and abuse of power, lack of reinforcement of accountability because the local society don’t know that it is their right to access information and through involvement in decision making to improve the local government service delivery, will gradually change.  This status quo will slowly become history as students will graduate from school well aware of their civic rights and duties.

Good Governance School Clubs (GOGOC) will help students understand their inalienable rights, social accountability, what corruption is and how to counter it, participatory governance, decentralization, issues concerning democracy, competitive elections, rule of law, freedom of expression hence communication.

The project shall be supervised by technical officers of GOGOP who will convene a One day Workshop for secondary school teachers of Humanities from schools.  The Workshop is to be used to illustrate the innovation to the teachers who will be the Club Patrons and shall oversee implementation in their schools.  The Workshop shall avail copies of Good Governance School Clubs Guidelines Manual as developed by GOGOP and Wall Charts for Teaching Aids to each teacher.  An inducement pay in form of an allowance is to be paid to each teacher monthly to ensure results (that is, the starting of GOGOC and activities).  School Club activities to be reported for publication in Good Governance Club Magazine.

3 visits to be made to each school in the course of the project lifetime of one year and shall make an evaluation of what is on ground in each school.  A Video on Good Governance School Clubs is to be developed by GOGOP and shall assist in disseminating the Good Governance School Clubs (GOGOC) activities countrywide including using and the Magazines produced to interest the Ministry of Education to incorporate Good Governance School Clubs in the Schools’ Curriculum. 

3. A Complete Project Description, including a Statement of Objectives, a Project Calendar, and a Description of Anticipated Results.

3.1 A Complete Project Description

3.11      Initially, there will be the booking of the date for holding a One day Workshop for the Secondary School Teachers of Humanities from secondary schools who will participate in Good Governance School Clubs (GOGOC).  This will be a one day event.

3.12      Writing to the Head teachers of the sampled secondary schools that are to participate in the GOGOC, introducing the idea to them and requesting that they kindly participate as schools, hence release one Humanities teacher who can have tome to perform roles of a School patron for GOGOC.  The Head teachers shall be informed of the date and venue for the One day event (Workshop) and the time by which participants should have arrived (9.00am) and that transport expenses to be refunded.  Speed delivery to be used.  Head teachers shall be requested for a feed back to confirm that their teacher shall attend and they are ready to have GOGOC in their schools.  This will be through use of telephone facility.   

3.13      The staff of GOGOP shall work on the Good Governance School Clubs’ (GOGOC) Guidelines Manual.    This shall have all subjects starting with how to form the Clubs, particulars to be included in the School Club constitution.  There will be briefing about what should be covered on various subjects say; Elections, Democracy, Human rights just too mention some.  Also charts shall be developed to give the pictorial representation on different aspects.  This work in (3.13) shall be completed in 3 weeks’ time giving an allowance of 1 week for printing the publications..

3.14      Just a month after the delivery of the letters to the head teachers, a One day Workshop will be due.  In the Workshop, teachers of Humanities shall be introduced to the idea of Good Governance School Clubs (GOGOC) and the challenge ahead to see that these clubs take serious root in schools as one practical way to promote informed citizenry well aware of what is expected of them in the promotion of democracy, human rights, rule of law, participatory governance, to mention a few.  They will be informed of the reporting mechanism and contribution to Good Governance Clubs’ Magazine for publicity.

3.15      The Humanities teachers, armed with copies of GOGOC Guidelines’ Manual and Wall Charts, shall be expected to see the Good Governance School Clubs (GOGOC) take off in their respective school.  This should be accomplished within the 1^st month after the Workshop.

3.16      A month or so after the Workshop.  Visits to the schools shall start to establish the formation of the Clubs and get opportunity to talk to Club members, hence give light on what the students are expected of and why they should participate.

3..17      While School visits shall continue, feedback from the schools shall be expected and this shall be used in the publication of Good Governance Club Magazines, where each school may have at least 4 copies of the publication.  (This shall be on-going in the life of the project).

3.18      From the seventh month onwards, work shall start to develop a Video on Good Governance School Clubs.  The development process of the Video shall involve writing of a manuscript, organizing those who will act, recording and producing copies in form of DVD for dissemination so that with time the whole country should have Good Governance Clubs alive and kicking. 

3.19      Evaluation of the Good Governance School Clubs (GOGOC) shall be undertaken by visiting the schools on the second and last visit during the life of the project.  The visits will establish number of registered members of each GOGOC per school and the activities the Clubs have been involved in as well as the knowledge of the students members in what is being promoted.

3.2 The statement of the GOGOC Objectives is:

“To help in the evolution of a strong Civil Society at an early stage when the students are encouraged to join Good Governance Clubs in which not only will they learn about their inalienable rights, social accountability, corruption and its ills in society, issues of democracy, competitive elections, rule of law, freedom of expression, so that on leaving school they are well armed to ensure that Good Governance Practice is the order of the day in their communities, and where leaders default, they can stand up to question them.”

 3.30                 The Project Calendar

No.	ACTIVITY	TIMELINE
3.31	Book date for the Workshop	1st month (1 day’s activity)
3.32	Letters written and dispatched to School Head teachers for the Workshop by teachers of Humanities.	Letters to be taken by speed delivery company (1 day activity)
3.33	Work on Good Governance Schools Clubs’ Guidelines Manual & Wall Charts	Activities (3.331 to 3.33) shall completed by end of 1st month
3.34	Humanities Teachers’ Workshop & anticipated results from their work.	1 day event.
3.35	Teachers getting GOGOC off ground in their schools	1 month duration
3.36	Visit to schools’ first round	2 months’ duration
3.37	Visit of schools on-going while feedback is got from schools for the Clubs’ Magazine	3 months’ duration
3.38	Start work on GOGOC Video Development	Project to completion in 2 months period
3.39	Evaluation through school visits and dissemination of GOGOC video DVDs.	The last 3 months of the project life.

3.40                 Description of Anticipated Results

3.41                  While still at school, students are to be induced into a new culture of active participation in society which will lead to the eventual development of true democratic processes and accessing higher rates of resource acquisition and use, better results, higher levels of volunteerism and a brighter community spirit.  In other words, they will be encouraged into participation in matters concerning them which can be summed up as an empowered community.

3.42                  Students are to change from passive involvement to intensive action oriented participation in their communities.  And it is true, active community participation is the key to building an empowered community.  This way, one can expect the students to get involved in community decisions making and also in spreading the ‘gospel’ to members of their communities that they should all be involved in matters concerning them and not wait for decisions from above. 

3.43                  Students will get to know their democratic and inalienable rights and as such shall not be subject to manipulation.  They will know that they can at all times stand and defend these rights as they are entitled to them.  And, they will be encouraged to educate fellow members of their communities.

3.44                  Students will be a pillar in their communities that will help in holding local government leaders in their communities accountable to deliver services to them with efficiency.  They will help other members of their communities in ensuring that policies and development programmes are adequately disseminated to the grass root communities through active participation in the interventions. 

3.45                  Students shall be expected to give a feed back on their practical work in their communities after each holiday time to ensure that they become active players in the anticipated changes in their communities.

3.46                  Students will be a key in the reach out to the local leaders to ensure that local leaders are encouraged and educated not to exclude or ignore the local population in the decision making processes.

3.47                  While students will be expected to be active players in matters of their communities in totality, they are seen as a pillar of change in society to have proper education about what is expected of them as useful citizens in their localities.

 

5. A Description of the methods to be used to evaluate the project in relation to its objectives

Evaluation of Good Governance School Clubs (GOGOC) shall be through the following measures.

5.1                       The numbers in the school who are members of GOGOC given the school population.

5.2                       The frequency of the GOGOC meetings and focal areas of discussion in the meetings.

5.3                       Students’ experiences of how community matters are approached in their local communities – which experiences shall be documented by the students and availed.

5.4                       Ability of GOGOC to mobilize resources in form of member subscription to the school clubs.

5.5                       How often relevant stakeholders in aspects of democracy, human rights, election organizations, anti corruption organizations, to mention a few have been invited to talk to student members of the school clubs.

5.6                       Individual student documented practices in own community regarding dissemination of the club activities.

5.7                       The contribution by students regarding their activities to the Good Governance Clubs’ Magazine.

5.8                       Short essays written by the students about what they have learnt in their clubs.

5.9                       Time allocated to GOGOC activities in the term by each school.

5.10                  The activeness of the patron as seen from the notes students have in their Club note books.

5.11                  The Patron’s remarks in relation to time allotment and students’ active participation.

5.12                  Individual student remarks as regards the club and how he/she sees himself/herself help better his/her community given what is on ground there.