Graduation in Phnom Penh

Basic Education

Graduation in Phnom Penh
28 February 2008

The Basic Education Project of the Deaf Development Programme is a two-year program for young deaf people who are 16 years of age or older and have never been to school before. DDP teaches them sign language, literacy, simple mathematics, and basic life skills. Today was a graduation ceremony for the Year 2 students who finished their education in December.

We invited the ten graduates and their parents to eat with us before we presented them their certificates. Our project officer chose this restaurant, under a big roof with a car wash(!), which seemed somewhat strange to me but which all those invited found perfectly appropriate.

Along with the graduates and their parents, we invited the new Year 2 students at DDP. We want them to have a sense of what we hope they will achieve also and to know that we genuinely respect and applaud those who finish their education with us.

Deth Bunthok (far right), our education project officer, spoke to the students and parents about the value of education and about what the students have accomplished.

Keat Sokly (far right), our new program manager, was introduced to the students and their parents.

One of the parents was invited to speak to the group about his hopes and dreams for his deaf son's future.

Charlie Dittmeier then handed out the certificate as the name of each of the graduates was called.

Some of the students then posed for various group photos with their friends as the meal ended and people prepared to leave.

Bunthok had arranged for a reporter to come to the meal and simple ceremony to write about the achievements of the deaf students and increase the awareness of the newspaper's readers about people with disabilities. Here the reporter talks with the parents about their experience with a deaf son or daughter.

Go to Projects page on DDP website
Go to Charlie Dittmeier's home page

	We invited the ten graduates and their parents to eat with us before we presented them their certificates. Our project officer chose this restaurant, under a big roof with a car wash(!), which seemed somewhat strange to me but which all those invited found perfectly appropriate.
	Along with the graduates and their parents, we invited the new Year 2 students at DDP. We want them to have a sense of what we hope they will achieve also and to know that we genuinely respect and applaud those who finish their education with us.
	Deth Bunthok (far right), our education project officer, spoke to the students and parents about the value of education and about what the students have accomplished.
	Keat Sokly (far right), our new program manager, was introduced to the students and their parents.
	One of the parents was invited to speak to the group about his hopes and dreams for his deaf son's future.
	Charlie Dittmeier then handed out the certificate as the name of each of the graduates was called.
	Some of the students then posed for various group photos with their friends as the meal ended and people prepared to leave.
	Bunthok had arranged for a reporter to come to the meal and simple ceremony to write about the achievements of the deaf students and increase the awareness of the newspaper's readers about people with disabilities. Here the reporter talks with the parents about their experience with a deaf son or daughter.