Back to school

A couple of days ago I managed with some help from a local contact I have to get into school.  I wanted for the benefit of my wife’s class see how the children are educated in South Sudan.  The school I went to was a middle class school that taught 230 children from primary grade 1-8.

I never was a big fan of school, but here I go back!  I walked through a metal gate into the school yard.  The classrooms form a U shape around the courtyard which is their playground.  I sit down with the principal who is dressed like a pimp.  He is sporting a silk pink suit, with a white shirt and white shoes, a hat and a cain.  

Each student pays 600 SDP ($200 USD) per semester, they get a month to 5 weeks off between semesters and there are 3 semesters per year.   School is South Sudan is not government funded or regulated.  It is a privilege to go to school and many children do not get the chance.  At the moment there is no standard curriculum but the Ministry of Education Southern Sudan is working on it and will be implemented shortly.  

The walls of the school are made out of mud and branches.  This is a process that is used on many local buildings.  The branches act as rebar would in cement and a mixture of mud is used as cement.  There are no glass windows and no door but just an open hole in the wall.

Pimp Daddy Principal toured me into some of the older grades first.  P6-P8 (grade 6-8).  There are not as many students in these grades due to the country being at war during this time.  They are learning about science and living things.  The teacher is drawing on a wall that is painted as a black board and the students are madly writing notes.

I go into P5 class and the roar almost frightens me!  “GOOD MORNING MY GUEST.  WELCOME TO MR. SMITHS P5 CLASS.  YOUR ARE WELCOME MY GUEST!” they chant in unison.  These children are disciplined similar to military children.  Children at schools wear uniforms.  This helps diminish the classes and one can not easily tell who is rich and poor.  The teacher is just teaching the children how to count money using real life props from his pocket.  They count by 5‘s, 10’s, 25’s, and 50’s.  There are probably 45 kids in this class with one teacher.  The desks are wood tables with cheap plastic lawn furniture for chairs.

To be continued tomorrow!