Week 20 – School Days, School Days

July 1 - July 8

Molly is the volunteer staying at our house. As part of her scholar program at Notre Dame, she chose to spend this summer teaching and doing informal research on education in Tanzania. My knowledge of the education system has increased through Molly’s sharing of her daily activities and frustrations. I always thought of myself as a huge advocate and supporter of quality education but what I have learned and observed here would turn anyone into an activist.

Molly is teaching math to Form 4 (similar to seniors in high school) students at Karanga Secondary School. A student who passes the national exam after Primary school is either placed in the “ordinary” secondary school or the “higher level” secondary school dependent on their test scores. Karanga is an ordinary school. The regular teacher advised Molly on what lessons to teach according to the curriculum. She began with several days of trigonometry and then tested the students on examples they reviewed in class. The teacher approved the test as Molly wanted to make sure it was similar to the tests given by their regular teacher. The class consisted of 60 students, 25 boys and 35 girls. A boy received the top score with a 73%; a girl placed second with a score of 51%.  The top 20 scores were evenly divided between boys and girls.  Of the 60 students, 42 received F’s with a C being the highest score among the other 18.  

Note the range of their grading system:

A – 100-81

B – 80-61

C – 60-41

D – 40-21

F – 20-0

Typical Classroom

Desk

During the past two weeks I accompanied Molly to school on three occasions. I observed her teach and also sat in on Civics and History classes. The classrooms held 30-35 desks shared by 50-60 students with cement floors and bare cement walls except for a blackboard that spanned the front of each classroom. Overhead, the metal roof was exposed and there was no electricity in most of the rooms. The desks appear to be quite dated; they are wood with lift tops. I was pleased to notice that they were not carved up with graffiti. The chairs are metal and detached from the desks. I found them to be very hard, cold and uncomfortable. Students are responsible for arranging the desks as well as cleaning the school and maintaining the grounds.

Front of Classroom

Exposed Ceiling

Teacher training in Tanzania consists of 2-4 year programs. The minimum education to become a teacher is one year of coursework followed by one year of field work. There is discussion among community groups about forming a Teacher’s Board for accountability purposes but I was unable to find any info that the government has put anything in place yet. There are a few NGO’s around the country that have formed something similar to our Parent Teacher Organizations which focus on quality education and accountability.

Minimal interaction takes place between the teachers and students unless a question is asked by the teacher. When this happens, the student stands up and recites the answer in a robotic manner. It was not clear if the students understood the material or were just regurgitating information from rote memory. None of the students asked for clarification or offered further discussion. Neither the teacher nor any of the students had textbooks.

I did enjoy attending the Civics class and learned a lot about globalization and its positive and negative impacts on Tanzania. I also got the impression the teacher was liked and respected by his students. He would often say, “Good try”; or “I want to hear your voice today.”  Class was concluded with “Thank you for your participation and the contributions you have made”.

I can easily relate to Molly’s frustration after being at the school only a few days. Sometimes the teachers do not show up and the students just sit in the classroom for an hour waiting to see if the teacher of their next class will arrive. In one visit I walked by 3 classrooms with no teachers. We had wanted to observe an English class but the teacher did not show up and no one seemed concerned. There is nothing educationally motivating or exciting in any classrooms. These rooms are dismal and crowded. I would find it very difficult to think that learning could ever be fun in this type of environment.

Molly was aware that caning is used to discipline students. Teachers will hold back when there are volunteers on the grounds because they know we do not allow corporal punishment in the US. Unfortunately, the school must have felt Molly was acclimated to their surroundings and resumed caning this week. Tanzania law on corporal punishment states that only the Headmaster can administer corporal punishment and they are limited to 4 strokes. There is a provision for penalizing teachers who go against these regulations but it is not enforced at this school. Molly witnessed a teacher who had 20 students (boys and girls), kneeling on the ground, who were slapped and then hit on the hand with a stick. Another boy was hit 8 times in the staff room while teachers sat around chatting and laughing. These students were being punished for being disruptive in class. Needless to say, Molly was very disturbed by this. I am glad I was able to be a sounding board for her and hopefully provide some consolation.

Thursday night was a welcome change from the frustrations of the week. Ibrah invited Molly and me to Mkombozi Vocational Training Center. They were providing a dinner and entertainment for 16 high school students from England. We never say no to fun. A traditional African meal was served and it included a banana soup which was amazing. There were traditional dancers, acrobats, fire eating and then dancing. Everyone danced with everyone, boys with boys, girls with girls, young with older. Here is a short clip of fire eating and acrobatics. http//:youtu.be/2ILNCk3MN1Q

Molly and I compiled a survey questions for the students and interviewed 17 of them on Friday. The interviews consisted of questions about subjects the students liked; obstacles they encountered; their plans after Secondary School; and their attitudes towards education. After the students finish Form 4 of Secondary School they take a national test and, if they pass, will go on to Advanced Level (A-Level) for 2 years. I got one of two responses when I queried the students about their plans if they did not pass the national test. Either they said “I will pass the test!” or they looked at me blankly as if they had not given any thought to their future.

When questioning the students about obstacles encountered, we asked if they had missed extended periods of time due to circumstances like illness, non-payment of fees or work at home. Four students missed a week or more because of malaria or non-payment of fees. Housework and helping at home were cited by two students. A girl being raised by her grandmother failed a lot of exams because she missed school to care for her grandmother. For another, transportation was an issue because he walks 2.5 miles to school.

This generation of students is the first generation to hear the message about the importance of education. When asked about their parent’s attitude toward education, every student replied that it is the key to a better future. Many of their parents did not attend past primary school. A sampling of the students’ comments included:

“My mother tells me the only thing a parent can give their child is a good education. They can’t give more.”

“I live with my aunt. My parents died when I was 4. My aunt tells me that education is the only thing remaining that can help me have a better life.”

“I live with my grandmother. My father died suddenly in 2005 and my mother left after his death. My father was an engineer for the government and I attended private primary school. My grandmother did not have money to send me to private secondary school. She did not attend school. Before his death my father told me to focus on education for a better life; do not depend on anyone; and stand on your own.”

"I live with my aunt since Standard 3. My father died and my mother cares for 1 sister and 2 brothers. My mother told me to study hard and avoid bad things and bad peers; always have good behavior. My aunt tells me to study hard and life is very hard without education.”

First Developed in the
Early 1900's. This book has
been replaced by the
graphic calculator. This book
is used by the math teacher
at Karanga 2ndry School.

The importance of math has received little emphasis resulting in very low national scores. According to Tanzanians, the government curriculum and testing standards are much higher than the training received by the teachers. One of the students remarked that the teachers are poorly trained and, as a result, the students are not motivated. However, when asking the students about math, they do see it as important in daily life and the work world. But these are the same students who did so poorly on Molly’s math test. Having a son who got his undergrad degree in Math and spent a year teaching, I appreciate the significance of math beyond counting change, especially when it comes to critical thinking skills.

Table of Contents for
4 Figure Math Book

After each interview I tried to convey the significance of applying math skills when problem solving. I gave each student an example of a real-life situation they might face and showed how to break down the pros and cons so that ultimately what they had was a formula containing the information necessary to make an informed decision. I have no idea if I made my point but it was worth a try.

Another question posed to the students was, “What would you like to do as a job after you complete your studies? Doctor, lawyer, accountant, and engineer were common answers. A female student provided the most interesting and thought out answer which was my favorite: (paraphrased), “I want to be a businesswoman. I want to own a car business and showroom selling new cars in Tanzania and exporting to other countries. I also want to sell vehicles for agriculture to help farmers carry their crops. I feel that those who currently run car businesses do not have enough education. They sell mostly used cars and not enough new cars.”

I was pleased that the students all had an idea what career they wanted to pursue, but I have to wonder if their dreams can be realized. My heart just breaks over and over listening to their stories. I grapple with the moral dilemma of wanting to instill hope; of telling children that education is the key out of poverty; and then facing the reality of the many obstacles and severe lack of opportunities. Are the chances of achieving their goals out of reach? How many will realize their dreams and how many more will meet the same fate as their parents?

At times I feel like my heart is a 2 ton boulder ready to crash out of my chest and shatter into a million pieces. I hated the fact that I had to teach my children that life isn’t fair. I had no idea how haunting those words could be….

Magembe, Grace, Fred & Me

Dancers

Friday night, Fred (Debra’s brother) and his fiancé came over and wanted to go to Glacier Bar. Molly had never been and we were both ready for something fun. Magembe joined us. There is no cover charge so anyone can go and have a great time without spending a cent. The band was good and we danced all night. Everyone dances with everyone; there are no age or race barriers and it was a much needed break. There were more mzungus than locals but this is high season for volunteers. Just like last time there were guys “break dancing” and doing flips on the cement dance floor. They are amazing to watch. We didn’t get home until 2 in the morning. 2 beers costing less than $2.00 each, lots of dancing and all the problems of the world set aside for a few hours was very good for my mental health.

Molly, Friend & Me

Me having too much fun!!

The same way that I forget I am white; I also forget that chronologically I am “slightly” older than the average 20-something that goes to places like Glacier. I can still keep up with their energy and that’s all that matters. I will never feel too old to have fun. I remarked to Molly the next day how we can easily get bogged down in work and the routine of the day no matter where we are in the world. It is necessary to jump off that hamster wheel and let loose once in a while. What I appreciate here is that I can go somewhere like Glacier and totally enjoy myself. I think we need some U.S. “Clubs” for the over 50 crowd. How much fun would that be????

Sunday the 8^th – Today I realized that in one month I will be in Kenya. As much as I am looking forward to the rest of my travels, the thought of leaving Tanzania brings tears to my eyes. Sometimes I really wish I had more control over my emotions. I might shed enough tears that East Africa won’t have to worry about a drought for a long time.