Rules and Regulations, Contracts & Fine Schedules

I've posted the agreements that the Nohana Primary School teachers worked out to guide Our Treasure Highland Computer Project.

You can see these at OTHCP Agreements or go to our Page listings to the right and click on "2011 Rules and Regulations, Contracts, and Fine Schedules."

Developing these documents took up a large portion of our time during our stay in Ketane. This, however, was not a waste of time. We spent a number of days discussing every eventuality we could think of and how to deal with each one. At first, it was like pulling teeth to get the teachers to come up with solutions, but they finally learned that we weren't going to tell them what to do, and they came up with their own set of rules and regulations for the project. We turned those into a series of separate contracts for students, parents, teachers, the school and Laptops to Lesotho. The rules and regulations and all the contracts will be translated into Sesotho before being presented for parents and students to sign.

The contract work was excruciating, and everyone dreaded those sessions. But they all attended them, and throughout the process they agreed that it was necessary and important work. I think the process was as important as the result, and I think this is what will hold the project together in the long run. Everybody knows what is expected of them, what they are responsible for, what the benefits are, and what the consequences will be when anything goes wrong.

The rules and contracts give a lot of insight into our project. I think they are well worth reading.

- Janissa