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on John and Dinah with VSO in Namibia (Namibia), 08/Nov/2008 12:21, 34 days ago
Goodbye and good luck to the grade 10s and 12sLast week was the finish of school for our learners in grade 12. This is an historic thing for Himarwa as these are our first ever grade 12 learners. We are very anxious about what is likely to face them now and of course have no experience to base expectations on. For most I imagine it will be the end of their education. This seems a shame when you realise that the exams they've just sat are the equivalent of our GCSE exams and that most won't get the 5 Cs considered minimal success at home. As they only sit 6 subjects and the top grade at core entry (all the maths students, most English and Physical Science) is a C this is not surprising. Unemployment is a huge problem in Kavango with about 40% listed as unemployed. I think this figure ignores those who live on the land so the real figure is unknown. When asked, learners say they want to be a teacher, nurse (very popular) or farmer. My top maths student says he'd like to be a doctor. He certainly could have done the extended paper in Maths and I'm confident could get an A but the leap from there is daunting. It is impossible to guage what is possible for him and unlikely that he will get the opportunity to test himself and reach his potential. We have told him and a couple of the other grade 12s that have impressed us, not only with their talent but with their incredible hard work, that we would like to stay in touch and will continue to provide a bit of financial and moral support. They need all the help they can get. Anyone out there who would be interested in helping to sponsor a strongly commended student, from a very poor background, through higher education please don't hesitate to let us know. We will just be so happy if some of them manage to go on to polytechnic or UNAM (University of Namibia in Windhoek).We have been planning a competition where one learner and a teacher will come and visit us in England in 2010 when we are back.As we wanted to give the grade 12s the opportunity we announced it before they left. We assumed they would all want to buy a ticket (cost N$20 about£1.50 at present exchange rate, but in their eyes about £20). So far no takers so we are puzzled. Lots of people lower down the school are interested and maybe they are saving and will join in later. We have said that at least 100 tickets must be sold or we won't go ahead. Of course that stillmeans a heavy subsidy from us but it would be wonderful to have a visit. Perhaps it's the gambling element that is dodgy to them although we ran it past Mr. Mendai (the principal) and our neighbour Ms Shivute who were both extremely keen and expressed no reservations. I have a had a really good year with the grade 12s teaching them so felt a little rejected. We shall see.The competition is not without strings. The learners have to do well at school (getting so many points in their exams) and have no serious discipline problems (these are rare here, although there have been fights, and a learner did threaten a teacher with a knife). The usual problems are lesson dodging (both teachers and learners) and people getting out of the hostel (to drink or for sex). We also want to ensure that the winning teacher is someone we respect and is above suspicion (we have to consider that the winning learner may be a young girl and several male teachers have been involved with learners). It will have to be someone we would welcome in our home, which excludes a couple more. Plus we have said that we will pay half the airfare (so they will have to find the other half bar the revenue from staff tickets) and some would like to bring someone at their own expense so there are big financial bars to be overcome. It seemed like a brilliant idea but I wonder whether it will come off.Some of the grade 10s will return next year although less than half the field will clear the hurdle of the grade 10 exams. I don't know if those who fail will be allowed to repeat (this year a whole bunch of repeaters arrived in about April, having missed the whole first term.) I simply can't understand how things will progress in terms of learners being pushed (ie. being moved up a grade which they have failed). The most they can repeat a grade is twice in theory although I learnt this week that they can just attend as observers (not sit exams) and that doesn't count! The problem with pushing is that you get learners doing grades they really aren't up to. As the rules about repeating are against too much repetition pushing is unavoidable unless the school is prepared to loose lots of learners.One advantage about the large exodus of people from the hostel is that we have had water most days since ALL DAY! This has been a major issue this term with water suddenly stopping for up to several hours a day. While this has been inconvenient for us it has been a real nuisance for the learners. Unlike us they don't have spare buckets and containers of drinking water. Nor can they take a shower whenever the opportunity presents itself. As ever, we are impressed by how little they complain.Rundu is growing enormously and has changed even since we arrived. The new road will have an impact on that and also on Mpungu which will need petrol station(s) and shops for travellers. The great excitement is that now Rundu has a 2 storey shopping mall. This means not only a set of stairs (difficult to negotiate if you have never tried until middle age) but AN ESCALATOR!!! It seems to be broken more often than not. This might be because when it is working all the children are riding it like a fairground attraction. I wished I had my camera the last time I was there as it was broken but some people were on it posing to have their photo taken. It is a really big deal.John has been very busy with applications to the Kendal Bursary for next year. This was set up by our predecessor, Julie, and pays the school developement fund and the hostel fees for it's beneficiaries. This amounts to about£35 per learner, per year. Choosing is a difficult process. The committee met and agreed that we would find the top 40 learners in grade 8 from the exam results so far this year. Those who were in that list for April and August would be invited to apply (although others could apply if they choose). There are only 8 available for the year (32 in the school) so the committee thought that it makes sense to choose academically successful learners but it isn't a scholarship so from those we look at their family circumstances and the form they fill in also asks them to write a letter supportingthe application. It is really difficult to read the forms and realise the difficult lives most of them have. Many households seem to depend on a grandparent's pension, roughly £25 per MONTH. Each household is about 10 people. We find ourselves rejecting any applicants if they have either parentin paid employment, however humble. This eliminates about 4 out of the 33 forms received.The pictures I've selected this time show the wonderful yellow weaver birds who live in our tree above our car and are a colony of about 10 birds. I also have a picture of the runners sponsored by lucky star with their free cans of pilchards and a picture of myself with some grade 1 learners from the Primary school here who came round for passport photos and were incredibly sweet but spoke no English (except 'hello, how are you' which of course is one word) - so had to have their teacher with them to translate.THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS BLOG ARE THE AUTHOR'S OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF VSO.