Primary School Children
A report from a member of Primach - March 2008
Melody Siamazomba, her young sister Ethel, and Prisca Nalungwe live in Mwapona and attend the Pre School here in Choma. These three are sponsored by Primach. All three are in the Grade One class I teach.
Melody demands attention right away, she is the tallest girl in the school and always bends her back slightly so that her chest and her tummy stick out, her neck seems stretched upwards, and her big lips pout. She walks, she doesn’t run, or if she does run, you don’t believe that it is running, because she is so un-clumsy about it. There is no looking down or swinging arms. Her name was probably the first name I learnt in that class.
I didn’t notice Prisca until recently. She hasn’t been coming to school much at all. Mweembe, a teacher here, tells me that she used to be a really good girl, and come every day.
When I did notice her, it was because she was so good. Her work is immaculate, and she learns very fast. For example, the children were asked to copy three letter words from the board, and soon they should be able to read them on their own. As each child brought their books for me to mark, I asked them if they knew what the words said. None of them could answer me right away but needed help. Prisca, however, was the only one who could read the first few words.
Melody is nearly always the first to finish in class, and Prisca is normally close behind her. They understand a lot, Melody is louder than Prisca, and more willing to answer in class, but the two are roughly on the same level when it comes to intellect. Ethel is much quieter than her sister. Now that she has moved up to this class, she is working hard but still lags behind, as she is younger than most of the pupils and very new to this class.
When I first came to the school the first thing I noticed about these three was that they weren’t wearing uniform like their classmates. For the first two weeks I was working at the school, Melody wore the same dress every day.
Before term finished, these three children had uniform bought for them by Primach. They now look much less out of place than they did before, and I’m sure they are less self-conscious.
Taking care of themselves
When the kids line up outside the class before entering in the mornings, their hair is checked and combed if need be. Last week, Mweembe checked their hair while they were in the classroom lined against the wall. It’s at this time that they sing and go over the alphabet chart, the fruits chart and more. Melody had not combed her hair, and Mweembe found a head louse. She laughed and brought it over to show me. The kids were really quiet, as they are when something interesting is going on like someone gets punished or cries. Melody laughed as well, but I think she was feeling nervous.
“Let me get the scissors I will cut your hair off!” Mweembe told her.
“No don’t! I will wash it!”
I asked Mweembe after the kids had sat down whether Melody had been embarrassed. She said that maybe she had a little, but it would make her wash her hair.
Today, Melody hadn’t washed her face. She came to ask me if she could go to the toilet and I saw she had those big lines of dribble that kids have in the mornings on either side of her face.
Her mother must have gone back to the village, several miles from here. We visited the family last week and I met her mother. She had come back from the village, but would have to go again soon to get more medicine. I wondered how long she would be gone for this time.
For a little girl who has to fend for herself, like it seems this one does, I am surprised at how she behaves. Something I have found difficult with these kids is the behaviour. Their manners tend to be bad, because they are so young and possibly because of the backgrounds they come from. These girls are good, though. Melody really wants to learn, and gets upset when people make noise when the teacher is talking. She wants to be corrected, and to present perfect work. The same goes for Prisca, who tends to listen quietly in class.
Break time
At break time, the kids all eat a snack that they have brought to school that morning. Some have little packets of biscuits, others have rice in a Tupperware box, and others have packets of crisps and a drink. Also, the maid at the school Mrs Sililio makes fritters and ice blocks to sell to the children. After saying a prayer of thanks, the kids are sent to line up outside to wash their hands before they eat. Every time the kids run out I find myself left sitting at my desk in an empty room apart from Prisca and Melody. They sit in their seats and usually hum quietly. As the others drift back in to collect their food and eat at their desks, the two girls still won’t say anything. The children here are taught to share. As soon as I arrived here I noticed that kids would see who didn’t have food and would get up to give some of what they had. As far as I have seen, this is always done without saying a word.
Primach decided to give Mrs. Sililo 10,000 kwacha (£1.50) to pay for Melody, Ethel and Prisca to each have a couple of fritters every day this term. In this way, the children have something to keep them going throughout the day, and what’s more, they won’t feel out of place.
Attendance
One day I went over to Prisca during break to ask her why she hadn’t come to school the previous day. When she couldn’t explain, Tania, another pupil, translated. She said that her mother refused. Apparently, there were dirty clothes that needed to be washed and that was why she didn’t make it to school.
There was another occasion when Melody wasn’t in school. When I asked her where she had been she told me she was washing clothes.
All the children in the Siamazomba family are being sponsored to go to school by someone outside of the family. The parents can’t afford to pay school fees as neither work and the mother is ill, and there are 8 children to feed. What’s more, the last time I visited I saw that part of the house where they sleep had fallen down. Part of the wall had collapsed bringing down some of the roof. They had been forced to move into a tiny house nearby to sleep. What I have begun to wonder is whether there is more to the battle of getting kids to school than money issues.
As for Prisca, they are also many children in the family, and are very poor. On top of money issues, I wonder whether in the case of this family, the fact that the parents are not educated means that they don’t encourage the children in school as much as one would expect. Then who encourages them?
Encouraging kids to go to school
Mrs Mfula tells me that part of the programme is to teach the kids the value of education, especially in the face of pressures from parents who would rather their child stayed home to help them in the house. When a child asks for sponsorship, she will observe him or her for a month, to make sure that that child is serious and committed.
It is also the schools themselves who must promote the importance of education. The kids in the Pre School have recently learned a new poem to chant in the mornings.
“Education, education,
We all need education,
Parents!
Take us to school!
Thank you.”
Melody Siamazomba, her young sister Ethel, and Prisca Nalungwe live in Mwapona and attend the Pre School here in Choma. These three are sponsored by Primach. All three are in the Grade One class I teach.
Melody demands attention right away, she is the tallest girl in the school and always bends her back slightly so that her chest and her tummy stick out, her neck seems stretched upwards, and her big lips pout. She walks, she doesn’t run, or if she does run, you don’t believe that it is running, because she is so un-clumsy about it. There is no looking down or swinging arms. Her name was probably the first name I learnt in that class.
I didn’t notice Prisca until recently. She hasn’t been coming to school much at all. Mweembe, a teacher here, tells me that she used to be a really good girl, and come every day.
When I did notice her, it was because she was so good. Her work is immaculate, and she learns very fast. For example, the children were asked to copy three letter words from the board, and soon they should be able to read them on their own. As each child brought their books for me to mark, I asked them if they knew what the words said. None of them could answer me right away but needed help. Prisca, however, was the only one who could read the first few words.
Melody is nearly always the first to finish in class, and Prisca is normally close behind her. They understand a lot, Melody is louder than Prisca, and more willing to answer in class, but the two are roughly on the same level when it comes to intellect. Ethel is much quieter than her sister. Now that she has moved up to this class, she is working hard but still lags behind, as she is younger than most of the pupils and very new to this class.
When I first came to the school the first thing I noticed about these three was that they weren’t wearing uniform like their classmates. For the first two weeks I was working at the school, Melody wore the same dress every day.
Before term finished, these three children had uniform bought for them by Primach. They now look much less out of place than they did before, and I’m sure they are less self-conscious.
Taking care of themselves
When the kids line up outside the class before entering in the mornings, their hair is checked and combed if need be. Last week, Mweembe checked their hair while they were in the classroom lined against the wall. It’s at this time that they sing and go over the alphabet chart, the fruits chart and more. Melody had not combed her hair, and Mweembe found a head louse. She laughed and brought it over to show me. The kids were really quiet, as they are when something interesting is going on like someone gets punished or cries. Melody laughed as well, but I think she was feeling nervous.
“Let me get the scissors I will cut your hair off!” Mweembe told her.
“No don’t! I will wash it!”
I asked Mweembe after the kids had sat down whether Melody had been embarrassed. She said that maybe she had a little, but it would make her wash her hair.
Today, Melody hadn’t washed her face. She came to ask me if she could go to the toilet and I saw she had those big lines of dribble that kids have in the mornings on either side of her face.
Her mother must have gone back to the village, several miles from here. We visited the family last week and I met her mother. She had come back from the village, but would have to go again soon to get more medicine. I wondered how long she would be gone for this time.
For a little girl who has to fend for herself, like it seems this one does, I am surprised at how she behaves. Something I have found difficult with these kids is the behaviour. Their manners tend to be bad, because they are so young and possibly because of the backgrounds they come from. These girls are good, though. Melody really wants to learn, and gets upset when people make noise when the teacher is talking. She wants to be corrected, and to present perfect work. The same goes for Prisca, who tends to listen quietly in class.
Break time
At break time, the kids all eat a snack that they have brought to school that morning. Some have little packets of biscuits, others have rice in a Tupperware box, and others have packets of crisps and a drink. Also, the maid at the school Mrs Sililio makes fritters and ice blocks to sell to the children. After saying a prayer of thanks, the kids are sent to line up outside to wash their hands before they eat. Every time the kids run out I find myself left sitting at my desk in an empty room apart from Prisca and Melody. They sit in their seats and usually hum quietly. As the others drift back in to collect their food and eat at their desks, the two girls still won’t say anything. The children here are taught to share. As soon as I arrived here I noticed that kids would see who didn’t have food and would get up to give some of what they had. As far as I have seen, this is always done without saying a word.
Primach decided to give Mrs. Sililo 10,000 kwacha (£1.50) to pay for Melody, Ethel and Prisca to each have a couple of fritters every day this term. In this way, the children have something to keep them going throughout the day, and what’s more, they won’t feel out of place.
Attendance
One day I went over to Prisca during break to ask her why she hadn’t come to school the previous day. When she couldn’t explain, Tania, another pupil, translated. She said that her mother refused. Apparently, there were dirty clothes that needed to be washed and that was why she didn’t make it to school.
There was another occasion when Melody wasn’t in school. When I asked her where she had been she told me she was washing clothes.
All the children in the Siamazomba family are being sponsored to go to school by someone outside of the family. The parents can’t afford to pay school fees as neither work and the mother is ill, and there are 8 children to feed. What’s more, the last time I visited I saw that part of the house where they sleep had fallen down. Part of the wall had collapsed bringing down some of the roof. They had been forced to move into a tiny house nearby to sleep. What I have begun to wonder is whether there is more to the battle of getting kids to school than money issues.
As for Prisca, they are also many children in the family, and are very poor. On top of money issues, I wonder whether in the case of this family, the fact that the parents are not educated means that they don’t encourage the children in school as much as one would expect. Then who encourages them?
Encouraging kids to go to school
Mrs Mfula tells me that part of the programme is to teach the kids the value of education, especially in the face of pressures from parents who would rather their child stayed home to help them in the house. When a child asks for sponsorship, she will observe him or her for a month, to make sure that that child is serious and committed.
It is also the schools themselves who must promote the importance of education. The kids in the Pre School have recently learned a new poem to chant in the mornings.
“Education, education,
We all need education,
Parents!
Take us to school!
Thank you.”
