I was in luck – Mr. Kuyenerayani was about to have a review session for the standard 8 Mathematics exam. I got to sit in on it.
The classroom was concrete floors with cement walls and a tin roof on top. A student was sent to find chalk to write on the blackboard at the front of the room. Aside from the 7 students present, the teacher and myself, the room was bare, but the air was filled with participation as the teacher conducted the session. After about an hour, the session was over and I approached Mr. Kuyenerayani to ask him a few questions:
Q: How many students are in your class?
A: I currently teach 250 students.
Q: That’s quite a few students. Do you put in extra time outside of regular class time to help students?
A: I do. I make myself available for review and questions for a few hours after school during the week, and I’m here on Saturdays as well.
Q: Do you enjoy your job?
A: I do. However it is very challenging to reach so many students. One challenge I face is that of motivation – some students don’t come to class very often, it’s not seen as a priority. There are definitely different reasons for this though, and it’s very hard to overcome those.
Q: Since 1995, primary education has been free. How does teaching compare between before 1995 and now that primary education is free?
A: I find it much worse. Although only 25% of children were attending primary school before because of the school fees, it was much better as there were more teachers per student and because of that, students would learn more. Now, although 75% of children in the area attend school, there are a lot more students and so fewer teachers per student. As well, because there are no school fees, we can’t afford many supplies, and teaching salaries are very low.
I found all this very interesting. After primary school comes secondary. Secondary school education is not free in Malawi. I had the opportunity to speak with a form 2 (equivalent to grade 10) student, Ernerst, who lives in Likuni. He is currently attending Chinsapo Secondary School, a public school.
Q: Do you like school?
A: Yes, I like school.
Q: What classes are you taking right now?
A: English, Chichewa (language spoken locally), Physical sciences, Math, Bible Knowledge, Computing and Geography.
Q: How many students are in your class?
A: 46.
Q: What is the most challenging part of school?
A: Finding money for school. Me, I’m lucky. There was a teacher from Australia who came to teach a few years ago. He was very welcoming and his house always had children in it, always. When he left Malawi, he said that he’d pay for my school fees, and he has been sending money for that. But I know that eventually, the money will stop coming. Otherwise, to get supplies I have no money, and as my clothes and shoes wear, I need to get new ones.
Q: How much are school fees?
A: 2200 MK per term (3 terms per year). (This is about $17.60 Canadian)
Q: What is an average day like for you?
A: I wake up at about 7 in the morning and eat breakfast with my brother before he goes off to school. I go back to bed and wake up at about 11 in the morning, have a cup of tea and go to school for 12. School ends at 5, I come home to eat and then head back to school for about 7 for extra help. I come home after that and usually study until about 1 in the morning, then go to bed.
Q: That sounds like a tough routine. How can you keep at it?
A: When I was younger, it was worse. I wondered if I would live to be 18. Things have gotten much better since I was young though, and they’re still getting better. So it’s not bad.
Q: Are there extra-curricular activities at your school? Do you take part in any?
A: Yes, there are many. I am on the table tennis team, and we compete against other schools.
Q: What do you want to do when you graduate?
A: One of 3 things: I want to be a priest, a soldier or a musician.
Side note: I met Ernerst while I was walking to find a place to sit outside in Likuni and learn some Chichewa. He was on his way to a primary school nearby to spend the day studying math and science. I think it was a funny coincidence, but we have helped each other out in our studies.
Beyond secondary school, there are many institutes offering courses to better the chances of getting a job. However, jobs are hard to find as I have heard from many people, and education past secondary school is very expensive. This brought me to the questions:
-If you go to school but most likely can’t find a good job after, what is the value of education if the chances of it paying off later are slim?
-Couldn’t that money go to some better use?
-Are people still motivated to go to school and learn?
I asked this flurry of questions to a man named Clement who lives in GVH Kambalani. He was a farmer, very learned and well-spoken and had graduated from Form 4 (grade 12). He took a moment to think about it, and calmly replied:
“Malawi is a very poor country. There are not as many jobs as there are in Canada. But the emphasis of school is not as much on employment, but rather so that people can manage themselves better. People are very happy just to know things. In Malawi, a lot of people are educated but do not have jobs.”
I didn’t know what to make of all this. In fact, I kinda forgot what I was trying to learn in all this. I don’t think I’m in any position to make any conclusions from talking to these 3 people, but I don’t think there are any conclusions to be made – everything’s always changing. I guess that’s development.
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If anyone is interested in linking Kazire Full Primary School with their primary school in a sister-school relationship, I have a contact who would love to help set that up. I think this would be an awesome opportunity to increase the global perspective or global-mindedness in primary education back in Canada, so if you feel like you never really learned about any global issues in your grade school, this could be an excellent opportunity to change that. If you’re interested, drop me a line at beaulndj@mcmaster.ca
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