A teacher's nightmare is quite possibly what I'm becoming. Having been a teacher in the UK you would think that would be the last thing I would do, however I think it's that experience which is turning me into a nightmare.
This morning I had a meeting with the head and deputy of our local school. The majority of the kids we support in KOP go to this school and a few weeks ago it was the 'Open day'. It was my first experience of such an occasion, it's like a parent's evening with a weird Zambian twist (which can't really be fully explained, although parents had to pay before seeing the teachers). I think I was like one of those 'nightmare parents' who asks far too many questions and ones that you, as the teacher, don't really know the answer to. I don't think Zambian parents really ask too much other than how their child is doing or ask what grades they got. Cutting a looooong story short 'my' kids had not done well. In fact their results would be more aptly described as awful. Well, to be fair, a few of the kids did actually do well. The ones who haven't are being followed up.
Along with the results papers, the teachers handed out some of the exam papers. Bad move on their part. They didn't know who they were giving them to! Without boring you with all the details the exams were shocking; bad questions, wrong answers marked right, right answers marked wrong, etc etc. Even I would have failed to get 100% on the Grade 5 English paper because it was so insanely ridiculous! Don't let me get started on the maths. But suffice to say that I'm not surprised that the kids are failing. It has also been brought to my attention that it's a common occurrence that some of the teachers are drunk, and more shockingly that Grade 8 and 9 girls' grades are affected by their reciprocation to the advances of their male teachers (which is scarily common here in Zambia). All in all a mess! Sadly in this area the 1400 pupils have no other choice as to which school they attend.
So this morning, as I said, I had a meeting to address these issues. Man alive. They were grateful for my input, however I may have bitten on more than I can chew! The issues are massive.....lack of English (which enables the kids to access the curriculum), lack of staff (27 teachers for 1400 kids), huge classes with cramped space, hungry children, lack of resources, lack of facilities (toilets etc), vandalism, poor attendance, the list goes on. And somehow they think I am going to help them address all these issues. Wowzer.
Wouldn't it just be easier to start a new school?
RSS Feed