I woke up early this morning. I am staying with a friend in Dar, and we shared her king sized bed because although she has three bedrooms, her apartment was just fumigated due to a bed bug incident. She is unsure of which mattress they lived in and since only one was replaced, we opted to share the bed. So I snuck out of the mosquito net doing my best not to disturb her and gingerly made my way to the living room sofa. I grabbed my kindle and intended to continue a novel, yet I turned towards the window and began watching the morning unfold. She lives across from a school. The boys were dressed in long navy blue shorts and white collared shirts. The girls were dressed in pleated navy blue skirts that hung just above the ankle and the same white collared shirts. A few of the girls also wore a white traditional Muslim head covering. It was 07:30 and there were already lines of children singing morning greetings or prayers to the accompaniment of a group of boys playing drums. What an exciting way to start a school day. A handful of students trickled through the gates, one girl, who looked around 9 years old hopped off the back of a motorcycle and hurried past the gate. She and the others were ushered by a boy to gather on the far left. The drums and the singing ceased, and the lines of children scattered into their classrooms. An obese, apple-shaped woman wobbled to the center, her arms unable to lie near her side because of her girth. She had 2 sticks in each hand. She could have been directing traffic if in fact the kids were cars and bikes. Then her fat arm raised and she struck a boy three times. He walked away and another took his spot, again she struck three times. There must have been about 30 students. She quickly tired or had other business to attend to, and another woman in a long flowered skirt replaced her. A child approached and leaned over, his hands touching his toes and his bottom facing out. One, Two, Three. Some children jumped with each blow and ran away holding their bottoms after the third strike. Some children didn’t flinch at all and calmly picked up their backpack and walked away. I remember when I was younger and found myself on the receiving end of a spanking. “Don’t cry, don’t react, don’t let her know that she has power over you” –  I wonder if these kids were thinking the same, or if their skin had already adjusted to licks and it was no longer painful. You must bend forward so the hands touch the toes. If your sweater covers your bottom, then she would lift it up with the stick before dolling out punishment. The older boys and girls went first. As the group lessened, the kids backed farther away, each one trying to get in position behind the other. Then some strikes turned into four and some even six. After 15 minutes, I found tears rolling down my face. If I were a child, I would live in constant fear of my teacher. I would hate going to school. I wouldn’t write “I love you” notes or give stereotypical apple presents. I wouldn’t look up to them as a mentor or seek their advice. I would live for the day that I could stop going to school.

The Education system is failing. And its not just due to fear of corporal punishment. We visited one school in a village that had no desks or chairs. Kids sat on the floor in a dirty, dimly lit classroom. Some Western non-profit thought it was a grand idea to build a school for the poor village children. In the end its just a building with caged windows resembling a prison. Primary School, standard 1 through 7, is mandated by the government. After completion of standard 7, all students sit for a national exam. If you do well, then you may pass onto Secondary School. At age 12, you may find yourself working instead of continuing your education. I would have to look back on my motes from orientation to tell you what percentage of students actually continue on to secondary school. Education was such a motivation for me. My mother is a primary school teacher. I grew up craving knowledge and believing that if I worked hard at my studies then I could do anything. With studies that foster critical thinking, you can overcome the sins of poverty, oppression, and discrimination. As a people, more work must be done to cultivate learning, imagination, and creativity in order to drive development and successful industry in those countries that suffer most.

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