A School story
So the elections are over. Next week we can get back to normal as each day of election has been another public holiday 4 in all, no doubt very populay with the school children, unpopular with anyone running a business and of no practical significance to people working on their land.
A friend who used to be out here in the 1960s teaching in a local school is now back there and regales us with some of the more peculiar ideas. This school used to be one of the best in the country but like all schools has had a really hard time over the last thirty five years or so. The exam results were very poor this year so they decided something needed to be done. Currently the children are up at five in the morning, 'study' to 6.30 unless they have gone to sleep at their desk, then they have breakfast, more study until classes begin at 8.30 until lunch with a short break, and then more classes in the afternoon. Since all periods are double the teachers find they cannot manage the full slot so always turn up late. Classes finish and then study can go onto 11.00pm when lights go off, unless they are left on all night.
Back to the exam results; what was the suggestion to do better in the future?? Reorganise the time-table.....No. Ensure teachers teach their full hours.....No. Feed the children better.....No. Do away with holidays ........RIGHT..clearly they are
not studying enough!!. This is why the University rates school management highly significant on the curriculum. We have a long way to go.
I do so wish Western agencies would help the country sort out its fundamental problems rather than social issues which are fashionable in the West. It is not that these are unimportant but there are so many other issues out here which must be sorted out first if the country is to progress. In particular high quality and effective education for all including girls and women. Our experience in the West is that high quality education including for women, is the absolute key to development, school education requires good teachers who need to be highly valued and who need to be graduates in large part. The effect will be slow but this is where Aid is needed. It is not possible to have sustainable engineering businesses without well trained engineeering graduates who are prepared to live and work in the Country and in the country districts etc. etc. Those of us on the ground perpetually complain that the powers who control funding have never lived and worked out here and make policy in offices where the breath of reallity and experience never penetrates. And then they wonder why development history is so full of failures.
A friend who used to be out here in the 1960s teaching in a local school is now back there and regales us with some of the more peculiar ideas. This school used to be one of the best in the country but like all schools has had a really hard time over the last thirty five years or so. The exam results were very poor this year so they decided something needed to be done. Currently the children are up at five in the morning, 'study' to 6.30 unless they have gone to sleep at their desk, then they have breakfast, more study until classes begin at 8.30 until lunch with a short break, and then more classes in the afternoon. Since all periods are double the teachers find they cannot manage the full slot so always turn up late. Classes finish and then study can go onto 11.00pm when lights go off, unless they are left on all night.
Back to the exam results; what was the suggestion to do better in the future?? Reorganise the time-table.....No. Ensure teachers teach their full hours.....No. Feed the children better.....No. Do away with holidays ........RIGHT..clearly they are
not studying enough!!. This is why the University rates school management highly significant on the curriculum. We have a long way to go.
I do so wish Western agencies would help the country sort out its fundamental problems rather than social issues which are fashionable in the West. It is not that these are unimportant but there are so many other issues out here which must be sorted out first if the country is to progress. In particular high quality and effective education for all including girls and women. Our experience in the West is that high quality education including for women, is the absolute key to development, school education requires good teachers who need to be highly valued and who need to be graduates in large part. The effect will be slow but this is where Aid is needed. It is not possible to have sustainable engineering businesses without well trained engineeering graduates who are prepared to live and work in the Country and in the country districts etc. etc. Those of us on the ground perpetually complain that the powers who control funding have never lived and worked out here and make policy in offices where the breath of reallity and experience never penetrates. And then they wonder why development history is so full of failures.
posted by Patrick & Kathie at 6:31 AM
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