School shmool

Education in many American communities is a normal part of children's lives. The law says that children must be receiving education until 16, if i am not mistaken. In many families parents are actively involved In the schooling. In m village this is the exception not the norm.

Children are not required to go to school.Often times there is not enough money ,for school fees and if there is children are sent home because they dont have shoes to wear or the proper uniform, or soap to clean their uniforms. If the children are able to sit in the classroom many times they dont have notebooks and pens. Families will often pull their children out of school to help on the farm or perform other daily tasks. Food security, daily survival, and alcohol are more important than schooling.

The children also only go to school for half a day. Maybe from 7:30 to 12:00 through grade 7 and during grade 8 and 9 they may stay an extra hour. Half the students have classes in the morning and the other half in the afternoon because there is only 5 class rooms for grade 1 through 9. The children are also required to do manual labor. In the mornings you will often find children sweeping the classrooms and the surroundings of the school. Certain days children are required to bring hoes to help clear the drive way and paths to the toilet or you will find them slashing grass for the soccer and netball pitches as well as the surroundings. There are no janitors and the teachers aren't responsible for the cleanliness the students are.

The children take similar subjects to those in America. They learn English, math, science, writing, social studies, kaonde, civics and all children are required to take religion as a class. Students are tested at the end of each term in each of these subjects. The school calender is a little different here. There is 3 months of classes and then a one month break then 3 months of classes again.

So that is an overview of school life at Nyansonso Basic School.