What shall i do? Tell me.
@nickmuteti (250)
Nairobi, Kenya
August 8, 2011 2:24pm CST
I am a teacher in a certain school located in a poor locality. Most of my students come from extremely poor families and are always away from school for school fees which is only $25 for 3 months. I don't like seeing them away but i can not pay for them because they are too many for me to afford their fees. When i mark their papers am alarmed by their terrible failure which i attribute to the absenteesm. Am alarmed by the failure and here comes another problem. Hunger has just stricken the area because rains failed last season. The money people get is spent on food and so most students still remain at home. Today i watched a great number being sent away for fees and i could not help them raise the money. Tell me mylotters. What will i do with my students so that they stop failin?
11 responses
@obe212003 (2299)
• Philippines
9 Aug 11
Have you heard of Efren Penolosa? He pioneered in educating out of school youths, have them encouraged to read and study as having some sort of informal education. He got a small cart and filled it with books, writing materials, blackboards, chalks, etc. He wandered through areas where most out of school youths are.
@nickmuteti (250)
• Nairobi, Kenya
9 Aug 11
So where did he live i have not heard of him. Indeed the term is new to me or what do you mean? kindly tell me
@vkatrix (78)
• India
8 Aug 11
Hi nickmuteti!
It's a wonderful job you are doing :')
It is indeed touching to know that there still people out there like you, and heartbreaking to know the hardships your students and their families are going through.
I wonder... Is there no Non-profit Organisation in your area or district or even state? Such agencies can extend help to some extent I believe.
Because, in this case, it seems, they'll not study or rather, can not study as long as such adverse conditions exist at their home front.
Unless their family is stable financially, how can we expect them to turn to studies?! Even if they wanted to study, they can probably not concentrate! :(
Then, maybe, you could encourage them to concentrate on their studies and help them with their lessons?
Please try and look for some such organisation for their benefit.
I congratulate you again on the splendid work you are doing. Please keep it up. And keep making your best effort. God Bless You! :)
@nickmuteti (250)
• Nairobi, Kenya
9 Aug 11
Non governmental organizations are there but i tell you this that there are worse places than here. So they rush to save those let ours continue with life. Thanks for being considerate its only my prayer that God will bring about a miracle to me or to others that we can feed them with the right knowledge they require. I some times spent more time encouraging them just to work hard and not to despair but it seems hard for them to concentrate so what shall i do i still ask?
@vkatrix (78)
• India
10 Aug 11
Hey nickmuteti...
I am able to understand to a large extent what you are going through and how you must be feeling.
As I said before, it'll be hard for your students to concentrate as long as their families are suffering.
Maybe, if you can make them realise that being educated WILL help them later on, enable them to get jobs and earn money, and ensure that the condition at their homes stabilise, they may find reason to be interested in studying.
If encouragement alone is not working, try the method of incentive. Somehow, make them understand that studying could make their life better and improve their living conditions.
I hope something works out and they all turn themselves into educated, responsible and mature citizens of the country they belong to. :)
God Bless again!
Have a good day!
And good luck too!!
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
9 Aug 11
I salute you my friend for being a caring and loving teacher. But you can only do so much for your students. Much as you want to help them, you cannot because they are too many.
Perhaps you can ask some organizations to be able to help you on this situation. Or maybe the parish in your place. Try to contact them.
@nickmuteti (250)
• Nairobi, Kenya
9 Aug 11
Organizations class the school among the schools located in good areas and so they rush to places which are really dry and where civilization has not taken full effect. You can be surprised to hear that there are places where people don't wear clothes. Tell me what are the chances of that person having seen a computer? leave alone using it?
I teach computer studies and mathematics so you see the emphasize is on civilization and then education.
@anubratimitra (27)
• India
9 Aug 11
If you truly feel their pain you can help them out.You can give them private tuition so that their knowledge gap due to the absenteeism can be covered up.Thus you can help them. If you are comfortable in teaching them without taking money from them then I think this can be a good way out to help them.
@nickmuteti (250)
• Nairobi, Kenya
9 Aug 11
We even don't get money from them. they just pay for lunch which they eat themselves and so continued failure in the payment has led to great arrears which led to this case of them being sent away.
Time too limit since we come from far places by foot or even by bicycles and its risky to walk at night so what other ways can we help them.
@nickmuteti (250)
• Nairobi, Kenya
9 Aug 11
They count our school and area as among the best since we are located in a better place than others and so they consider others than they do to us. I mean there are worse places than our place.
@Larena125 (45)
• Philippines
9 Aug 11
I am sure you have done your best and it is not your fault if they are failing. It sad to know this thing. The children are affected with the poverty and we can't blame them. Life must be hard for them too that is why they can't concentrate os studying.
@greenline (14838)
• Canada
8 Aug 11
I do very well understand the feelings and frustrations you are going through. The children certainly are very pathetic too. I am not sure what to say, but I have heard about free education systems in some contries. If that can be in place, that could help. Any way, this is just a thought. I wish every thing will work out fine.
@nickmuteti (250)
• Nairobi, Kenya
9 Aug 11
The education is offered for free imagine. The $25 are just contribution for lunch for a three months period. So i don't know. If it were them to pay fees then most of them will never enter the doors of a classroom.
@rappeter13 (8608)
• Romania
10 Aug 11
I think you cannot do anything for them, this is what governments and other officials should solve. As much as we don't want these situations and as much as we feel for them, we cannot make too much for them, even nothing. If you were a billionaire, maybe you could help them, but being a teacher, all you can do, is to do your job as best as you can and help them whenever they attend your classes.
@Dominique25 (9464)
• United States
9 Aug 11
That would be very hard to cope with. Your students need to be in school in order to learn as much as they can. But then like you said not being able to afford the fees causes a lot of them to be absent from school. I would encourage you to teach them as much as you can while they are their. Perhaps you can even send home with them school work and study material that they can do at home. At tleast that way they can have the opportuity to study more while they are at home.
@nickmuteti (250)
• Nairobi, Kenya
9 Aug 11
Now i do care and i appreciate for this. I will still continue looking for a way out until i get a solution. Indeed as wrote the content of this discussion i was marking their papers and this is what moved me.
@jazzyrae (1745)
• United States
8 Aug 11
That is terrible. I don't know what you can do. I live in America and yes people say bad things about us here but one thing we do have is free education for children. Im sorry your country dosnt. Hmmm what if you tutored for free in your spare time. Tell some of your co workers the idea and like once a month go tutor to the poor. That's all I can think of
@nickmuteti (250)
• Nairobi, Kenya
9 Aug 11
Education is offered freely indeed. The money they contribute is just meant for their lunch so i am wondering what we can do to the,m since again time can not allow us. We have it in limits and maybe now we stop sleeping during the night and teach them which is also risky.
