The electricity has just gone out… I’m now working on what is left of my batteries power… Today has been a miserable day, weather-wise and now a small wind storm has just picked up.I woke and up and I had no electricity, I assume it’s reached a full circle! Anyway…
At 8:30am I was out on site to deliver the new building program. Work seemed to be progressing well and the fill of the ex-boys toilets was already nearly complete. The rain started to fall and in a way I am grateful for it as it will serve as a final test to any thing that hasn’t yet gone wrong!
I then headed out with Harper, Sally and Sam, to Malealea, where we were to go and have a look at the area and a few projects that Sentebale might be involved. These trips out into the wilderness, today more than ever (the road was a total wreck), have proven apart from invaluable cultural experience as a eye opening on the conditions that these people actually live in.
The schools that we visited where less than fit for purpose! The first had one of it’s buildings in such a shape that I felt unsafe just being inside it. The roof (tin roof, no insulation) was caving in and the fixings where such that the screws were as sharp as razors and sticking out of the bottom! In the room next to it, there were at least 20 children all gathered round a fire. All seems fine up till now apart from the fact that there was no natural ventilation and the room was filled head high with smoke (I could barely open my eyes)!
The next school we visited suffered from the usual “Modern Syndrome”, concrete block building unfit for purpose! The walls were soaked on the inside and all because no proper finish or waterproofing had not been provided on the exterior! I will not even comment on internal temperatures, as that is a battle lost from the start!
This school are trying to find funding for 5-6 (would be the best) teachers houses (they only have 60 students) and this is one thing that I will comment on now, and with which I risk being insensitive. But it is a fact that people in these conditions always ask for too much. As Harper normally tells me: “If you don’t ask you don’t get!”. I think that he is right but fact is that it somehow gets to me that they have their priorities wrong. Sometimes it feels as though they are more concerned about their own good than the communities and the children’s needs.
But the setting is beautiful, set up as a trading post in the early 20th century Malealea is now one of the prime attractions of Lesotho. It’s just a pity that in such a stunning place people are living (and being educated) in buildings that are far bellow standard.
2 comments:
I am commenting on your blog post of Tuesday, 5 June 2007 in which you recount your visit to Malealea, Lesotho. I am the volunteer who showed your group to the two schools you visited. I have lived in Malealea for 10 months and have been working to secure funding for new classrooms at Litsokeleng Primary School (the first school visited) and teacher houses at Tsoanamantata Secondary School (the second school visited).
You and more importantly your readers should be aware that you spent less than 3 hours in the area and roughly one of those hours was spent traveling. Having spent at most an hour at each school hardly allows you to make such serious accusations as “they seem more concerned about their own good than the communities and the children’s needs.” Drawing such conclusions based on so little information speaks less about “their” character and more about your own.
First, I would like to clarify the nature of your visit. A building contractor from Canada visited Malealea in April 2007. He visited the same two schools you did and found them in the conditions you describe. Seeing that his knowledge and expertise might be of assistance, he proposed a working partnership between his own charity organization based in Canada and Sentebale in Lesotho. He would return within a year’s time to train and work with local builders to construct teacher housing at Tsoanamantata and classrooms at Litsokeleng if Sentebale would provide funding for the building materials. Harper Brown of Sentebale organization agreed to visit the proposed building sites and assess whether Sentebale would move forward with the proposed partnership.
Therefore, your shock at the physical conditions of both schools is similarly shocking to me. The very reason why Sentebale was visiting these schools was to see if it could assist in improving conditions. I am not sure what the purpose would be to have foreign aid organizations and volunteers such as yourself visit schools which are in perfect condition. In my own capacity as a volunteer, I am interested in serving where there is need and as your own blog would confirm, these are two schools that need help from people who have ostensibly traveled to this country to help.
But according to your blog, these are two schools that “have their priorities wrong” and thus leads you to conclude that the principals and teachers must have their own and not their students’ interests at heart. Perhaps you believe Tsoanamantata’s priority of building teacher’s houses is self-interested, that it is an example of principals and teachers trying to help themselves and not their own students. It is important to understand that in Lesotho teacher housing plays a key role in attracting and hiring quality teachers, especially in rural areas such as Tsoanamantata. All the teachers at Tsoanamantata are not from the area (in fact it would be difficult for any rural secondary school to hire teachers locally because people in rural areas often do not have the university or teaching degrees required). Their homes are far enough that they cannot commute on a daily basis (they cannot afford private cars and public transport is too slow and unreliable). Therefore, they must find available housing in the nearby villages and still rely on public transport to get to school. Most secondary schools in Lesotho provide teacher housing, therefore schools like Tsoanamantata find it even more difficult to attract good teachers who will prefer to teach in town with all the amenities and teacher housing provided. Building houses for teachers is not just for immediate comfort, but plays a role in improving the quality of education at the school in the long term by making it easier to attract and retain quality teachers.
Perhaps the most discouraging of all your comments was your failure to see how these two schools represent the very ideals of international development and foreign aid. While you made sure to see where the schools had poor ventilation, lighting, and insulation, you failed to notice (or find out) that both these schools do their best with the limited resources they have. Litsokeleng Primary has the best exam results of all nearby primary schools and students often outperform their peers when they reach secondary school. The fact that the teachers and children accomplish this in the conditions you saw means this is the type of school that would benefit from outside funding – they have demonstrated they can do a lot with very little. What more could they accomplish if they had proper classrooms in which to teach? Tsoanamantata is a community secondary school. It was started without any funding assistance from church organizations which helped build so many high schools in Lesotho. In the 2006 nationwide Form C exams, Tsoanamantata students outperformed a neighboring secondary school with far more resources.
Both these schools have demonstrated their commitment to education and it is for this reason that outside funding was sought. I understand you may think the schools are asking for too much, but unfortunately, they do not have the luxury of not asking. Moreover, what other message is being sent when they are visited by foreigners who arrive in a car that could easily pay for everything they need? What other reason could you have to visit them if not to help? Perhaps “these people” can’t fathom that a foreigner would come all this way just to criticize their buildings and then leave.
Dear Karolyn,
I really wish that you had left your email, because like this I can only hope that you will return to this blog and read my reply (although I think that there will be little hope for that after your comment).
I’m very sorry if I have offended anyone’s sensitivity. And I would like to refer to the first phrase where I commented on the visit to the schools “and this is one thing that I will comment on now, and with which I risk being insensitive”. I was aware that some people would interpret it the wrong way, I do think that the conditions where not sufficient and I do hope that they can be made better! The first school for one, is and example where so little could do a big difference (in both what they are achieving but in how one little contribution can do so much!).
But whatever you may think your comment has brought me more happiness than you can imagine. It is one of the first times that this blog has been used to the intent that I had imagined (to promote discussion). However before I continue, I would like to stress that Ntate Harper Brown’s, or Sentebale’s opinions are in no way associated with my blog. This blog is a 100% personal account of my experience in the country and I am the sole responsible for anything published on this blog.
This said I would like to point out that you missed my point. My main point in this post was to focus attention on the fact that there are some people (some would call them heroes) that still try and believe that they can help, even when all the odds are against them! When I say this I refer to the people that work in the two schools we visited.
It is true that our visits where short but fact is that “these people” (as you have called them not me) are doing a great job! I could only be happy if I could do anything that would better the conditions in which they work! I have true admiration for anyone that is whiling to sacrifice and help others! Please don’t get me wrong on that point.
However you must understand my point of view… It is not the first or second place that I visit where the things that people tell me they need are a little too much. I know that you will still think that I am insensible, but unfortunately I have seen NGO’s misbehaving in this field and have become a bit sceptical! In an ideal world I would be more than honoured to design accommodation for these schools as well as many others! Please understand that!
But fact is that in such a small school, in my personal point of view, there are other priorities that I would look at first! When I hear that the school is hopping to build 5-6 houses I can easily see other issues that should be addressed! But don’t take this as a critic or opinion that teachers and their needs (and consequent improvement of schooling) should not be addressed, but I have seen many other schools where teachers live together. In an ideal world everyone would have their own house and the children would be better care for, however given the conditions (the schools and mine, where I have seen funds being badly spent) I believe that the request was slightly over the top.
Please accept my apologies I did not mean to offend (frustration does take control of me sometimes, and just like you I do want the best for all), I hope that teachers’ accommodation is built as the children do need a good standard of education (and for that the accommodation is needed).
Don’t think we are on opposite sides of this struggle, as I assure you we are not! Once again thank you for giving me the opportunity of clarifying myself.
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