I arrived to a school the other day with mud dripping down my neck and splattered across my white shirt and black bag. A colleague looked at me, smiled and said, "Shannon. I do not want you to be concerned. However, you are full of mud. Also, your ears and face are turning pink. You need your lotion. And a bath."Being that we were about 45 minutes from the nearest structure-resembling-a-shop and 1 hour from the nearest location-resembling-a-town, lotions and baths were out of the question.
I wasn't the only thing that was messy. Here was our car, which I have nicknamed Dalmatian:
Dalmatian and I both had black mud on our pale exteriors:
This is the school we were visiting:
This is why we are visiting schools:
Notice anything interesting about the roster? Aside from the huge overall drop in attendance, the thing that most interests me is the change in the boy:girl ratio as students age.Why are girls dropping out in such high numbers? Lots of reasons. Pregnancy, lack of family support, loss of parents, lack of money...
How can the government, NGOs and research organizations best work with schools to change this? This is what we're trying to learn. This is why I'm happy to show up to work caked in mud.
xo
Shannon
6 comments:
I think what you are doing-if it can change a life is a great thing even with the mud. Methinks the no. 1 reason for the scenario is lack of money-not necessarily to go to school with but for very basic-survival needs of the family members,followed closely by pregnancy and marriage to, mostly, a polygamous or potentially polygamous man-himself destitute, then lack of support... .Mostly these lads find their way to urban centres where they 'trade their wares' to men in a never ending cycle of sexual degradation disease and economic destitution. In Hobbessian terms life there is trully 'Short, nasty and brutish'. A testament to this is those I studied with in Kisumu in the nineties.(Class 5 has no desk!)
I also found the desk-to-student ration to be interesting. Do the children go to school in shifts, or do they share?
I continue to enjoy your pictures...reminds me of the time Barnita got stuck in the mud in front of Linda Karlov's barn.
On the dropout ratio, I would ask:
- Is this a trend? Longitudanal data?
- Does performance in class reflect attendance?
- Are there "Fast Feedback Surveys" given to students and staff reflecting educational experiences year to year?
Many more questions I would ask. The current data raises many concerns.
Glad to know there are concerned people willing to address the problem.
Hugs,
AP
Shannon, your blog is such a treat. I have to admit I often read your words slack jawed with amazement at the next adventure. The education that you are providing is both fascinating, and often depressing, but never boring. From wild beasts, to schools, to that amazing meeting with Obama's grandmother you are on quite the journey. Thank you. I also enjoy getting the side stories from your Mom at work..."where is she now?" It is a crack up of a convesation in staid Hinsdale.
Hi Shannon. Interesting blog. Hope you are safe and happy over there. Frank P.
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