by Yu-Fang Lin
In just one hour of interview, it is unlikely to know everything about a person, but we could at least get a rough personal profile through how they talk and carry themselves.
The person we interviewed was Prof. Alvin Su, the founder of the Program the World Association (PTWA) . Prof. Su has studied the ecosystem of education in Taiwan for years, and with passion and objectives, he founded PTWA in 2013, aiming to provide a better learning environment for children in remote areas.
Education in Remote Areas
When it comes to the start of his devotion in promoting education in rural areas, Prof. Su said with a smile, “I just felt like I had done nothing in contribution to education.” Such a simple line is actually worth a thousand words. As a professor at a prestigious school, besides writing research papers and doing researches on a regular basis, Su is also occupied with all kinds of projects and can barely make time for his students.
Because of that, Su decided to establish PTWA. During the process, despite insufficient manpower, fund, and venues, etc, Su still pulled it off through crowdfunding, corporate donations, small donations, and even money from his own pocket.
Although there had been countless challenges and hardship, and. Su himself almost wanted to give up, he still kept in mind that, “If I gave up, there is no one to help those children make the most of their life.” Hearing this during the interview, we were all profoundly touched. In comparison, we live in the city with endless resources at our disposal. Therefore, we decided that we will give back to the society one day, should there be any chance!
2 Major KPIs Kept in Mind
Although PTWA is a non-profit organization, there still needs to be KPIs (key performance indicator) when the association holds all kinds of activities. The purpose is to keep record for the reference in future events. Instead of adopting quantitative indicators that are used most often, PTWA uses qualitative indicators without a second thought. Some examples are as follow:
1. Teachers having fun: When teachers are happy with what they do, they will put in more effort in teaching, which will benefit children even more.
2. Meals before books: Students are on different learning levels, so the same course cannot possibly meet everyone’s needs. Maybe only 2 students out of 10 can take in everything taught in class. In that sense, it is good enough as long as students have a full belly and learn in joy.
Conclusion
In addition to education in rural areas, PTWA is currently drafting its Talent Cultivation Project, offering advanced courses for high school students with basic knowledge in programming. Children participating in the camp events are like seeds planted in the ground. With water and nurturing, they are going to thrive in the future and make the best of their talents to help more people and make the world better!
