The voice of the children reaches adults

With the One World-Adolescents Organization, I have completed a survey entitled "Voice of the Citizens of the New Century." Children from every corner of Mongolia were asked to give their opinions on what the government should be paying attention to.
To conduct the survey, Mongolia's aimags (provinces) were grouped into 5 zones, and 2 aimags were selected from each zone. In each zone, a total of 7000 children aged 12-18 answered a questionnaire regarding "How should the government be addressing children's issues?" The answers were sent to the working group developing the national children's programme to be implemented by the Mongolian government between 2002 and 2010.
The government program will reflect children's opinions for the first time, and children are finally participating in policy formulation. The program has a good chance at success, because the highest priority problems will be those identified by the people experiencing them. Furthermore, it has advanced our country's civil society, because the government and NGOs have collaborated closely.

Voices on the world stage

In May 2002 in New York United Nations Special Session on Children have take place. Representatives from Mongolia, headed by the Prime Minister N. Enkhbayar, has participate in this session and introduce with summary of this Survey report and the children of our country have been heard by the world.

These are the highest priority issues identified by Mongolian children were:
- To create a better ways for children to spend their free time
- To increase parent's duties and responsibilities by changing family law
- To allow and encourage public organizations which operate on behalf of children to take part in policy formulation
- To pay more attention to the teacher's professional and communication skills
- To improve street children's lives by reintegrating them into home and school life
- To protect children's health in preventative ways
- To provide children with a high quality diet
- To increase study time for in health, reproductive health, family planning and law and to include them in school curriculum
- To open optional classes for younger age groups and to identify professional tendencies sooner
- To open branches of universities and institutes in the countryside and prepare educated staff willing to live and work in rural areas.

Give me something to do in my free time

There were many children who gave this answer to the question "what would you wish for if you caught a golden fish who could grant your wish?"
Both in the capital and countryside, students often face the problem of what to do after school. To study more after school is difficult, as the next group of classes has lessons in their classrooms and the library doesn't have enough funding. There are no lectures or meetings to provide children with quality information about society and not every school has computers or Internet access, and it costs 300 tugrogs per child to exercise in the gym. Most family situations do not provide the quiet environment required to study peacefully. High school students wish to share what they hear and know and have fun together.

At first, these youths tend to congregate in building entrances. Next they go to discos or bars. There they are told, "You can't take up space if you don't buy vodka or beer." So they drink. Teenagers need a good environment to spend their free time like they need air and water.

A large fine should punish people who sell alcohol or tobacco to children

Children under the age of 18 have gotten involved in crime due to lack of free time activities, a low standard of living, and the fact that alcohol and tobacco are sold freely.
In addition, students have little quality law instruction. As children noted in their questionnaires, classes are normally theoretical and limited to the constitution. The consequences of violating the law are not taught, and the lesson has no practical importance.
Another important way reduce juvenile crime is not to sell alcohol or tobacco to children. Let's punish those who do with a fine equal to their annual income.

Let's make the teachers swear an oath

People's awareness, education, and morality determine the shape of their lives. Children depend on teachers who shape their awareness, education, and morality. They prepare children for life. However, children said that teachers have no standard of communication, discriminate among students, and could never become a close friend. One student said that teachers "should move on from communist views." Because teachers do not enjoy a good reputation, there is a lack of cooperation in the classroom.
Teachers are also considered one of the major factors in children dropping out of school. Many children from Umnugovi Aimag suggested that "Teachers should swear an oath."

Do not treat family planning classes as a second-class subject

Almost all children will become parents. Reproductive health and family planning classes, which are now taught poorly, must be taught by well-qualified doctors or social workers. Also the number of lessons per week should be increased. At present, male and female students have this lesson together so they can't be open.

It is important to make students realize through this class that they can plan their family life and that they have responsibilities in a loving relationship. Children suggested starting lessons in the 7th grade as part of the main syllabus.

Children do not have enough access to appropriate media.
Let's have our own TV channel

Teenagers hate the daily newspapers that bombard them with the official news and the sensations but print few useful things for the young. There are few publications for children, usually for the very young.
TV has become the sole source of the information for children in the countryside as families have started to use generators. However, only a few TV programs are made for children. Children have requested that the government and TV stations dedicate one day a week to children or establish a channel for children.

Let's establish night schools

Children who had dropped out of school shared their problems openly. Herders' children or other poor children want to get back to studying but are embarrassed that they have fallen behind their peers. Therefore, opening a large number of evening classes or occasional tutorials for secondary education is required.
Due to recent weather disasters in Mongolia, many herders are more inclined to educate their children, a new achievement for the education system.

Adults like to keep information from us

Officials at state organizations were criticized for having the habit of keeping useful information private, such as detailed guides to universities and institutes.

Reintegrate street children into society

There are many shelters in Mongolia. Children stay there during the daytime and get food and clothes. Then, children go back to the street at night. Organizations should work on sending them back home by supporting families and developing their interest in studying.

Let's build links between orphan children and rich families

Mongolia has 3556 complete orphans and 32,834 half-orphaned children. They often suffer from a lack of clothes, school supplies, and other things. One child from Darkhan Uul Aimag proposed connecting orphan children to rich families to make up for those shortages and improve their future prospects. It was also suggested that foreigners might do this better.

We want a public bathhouse

Many children wrote that they only wished for a bathhouse and electricity.

Improve wheelchair access

Most disabled children are unable to study in schools. Children are demanding to make public places wheelchair accessible to allow these children to participate in social life. Books for blind children are now outdated. Disabled children also complain that TV programs ignore their needs.

Teachers must be able to teach many different subjects

Often science classes cannot be taught because of the lack of teachers in the country schools. First of all, multi-skilled teachers ought to be trained and sent to the countryside to teach two different subjects. Many children asked for branches of the universities, colleges and children's centers to be opened in rural areas.

There are few opportunities to choose teachers

Most of the children said in the questionnaire that the law that teachers can be chosen but this does not usually happen. They complained that school administrations ignore this issue when confronted with it.
The children want to stop the practice of making payment for study materials and repairing classrooms. Sometimes students spend half of the family's income on such expenses.

Entrust some state responsibilities to public organizations

There are times that the state might be overloaded. It is also the case that there are some NGOs organizing various kinds of activities to develop children's study interests, make their environment more interesting and to help them to plan their future.
For example, the Model UN and Model Parliaments organized by Women for Social Progress and the One World-Adolescents organizations involved hundreds of children. Most of them went on to enter universities and institutes.

Our Government hears the voice of the children

The Government of our country hears the voice of children. It receives their opinions and carries them out. The Mini Government project sponsored by One world-Adolescents is a good example. Children became ministers and participated in a government meeting together with actual ministers and made decisions with them. At that same meeting, it was decided that 2000 was to be the year of supporting children's development. Also in the meeting, a motion to fill social worker vacancies in secondary schools was introduced. Now 80% of secondary schools have social workers.

The number of child heads of family increases

We have many single mothers in Mongolia, but now "child heads of family" have appeared, especially in Umnugovi Aimag. Parents are not at home for extended periods due to trading trips across the border. Older children take on the roles of parents and try to make a living. They do not have time to study in schools. This could become a dangerous cycle, as those deserted children have families of their own, occasionally before they reach maturity. So, young people should learn more about being a responsible parent. Parents who do not let their children go to school must be called to account, and family planning education improved.