1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,040
You're watching UNICEF Television.

2
00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:05,560
Going to school.

3
00:00:05,560 --> 00:00:10,840
In the tsunami-affected areas of southern India, that routine is being helped by a quality

4
00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:16,220
education package, supported by UNICEF to upgrade facilities.

5
00:00:16,220 --> 00:00:21,120
This primary school in Kannurupati is one of hundreds to benefit.

6
00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:28,400
New materials and continuous teacher training, all designed to create a stimulating environment.

7
00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:32,080
And something even more fundamental, furniture.

8
00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:38,720
Here the children have a chance to sit around tables and to be engaged in group activities,

9
00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:44,160
learning at their own rates, learning from their peers and being guided in the learning

10
00:00:44,160 --> 00:00:47,120
process by their teachers.

11
00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,800
Six-year-old Raj's favourite subject is Tamil.

12
00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,280
I always look forward to coming to school, he tells us.

13
00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,000
I like playing with my friends.

14
00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:01,440
Visit other schools still waiting to be upgraded and the difference is clear.

15
00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:05,160
Children sitting on the ground in rows and learning by rote.

16
00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:10,520
The whole idea in this tsunami programme is to build back better and we're trying to make

17
00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:15,560
sure that we take things to a higher standard than they were previously.

18
00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:21,280
Formal education plays a vital role in spreading awareness about HIV and AIDS, especially among

19
00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,200
young people made more vulnerable by the tsunami.

20
00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:29,640
But for those who've dropped out of school, the problem is reaching them.

21
00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:34,240
A project operating from centres like this one provides an answer.

22
00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:40,480
We have a big impact on the young people, not only the ones coming here, but some of

23
00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:46,040
them become peer group educators who then interact with other teenagers in the community.

24
00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:52,240
For those in school and those out of it, continuing help to overcome the hardships still endured

25
00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,320
after the tsunami.

26
00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,840
This is Rob McBride reporting for UNICEF Television.

27
00:01:57,840 --> 00:01:59,200
Unite for Children.