Where Are the Books?

I am a lover of books. At least since I have been an adult. My niece and nephews will attest to the fact that I try and encourage this love of books in children. They all know that Aunt Lisa gives books as gifts, no electronic gadgets from me. Luckily, they all have a love of books. Truly, what child doesn't. Books tell stories, and stories are exciting, I believe there is a natural inclination in all of us to learn, and if one can read, one can learn about any topic that grabs your interest.

During my five years in El Salvador, I always felt one of our biggest ministries was just spending time with children on our porch, encouraging their creative skills by providing scrap paper and crayons or supplying a few books for their entertainment. So it was natural that here in Zambia I would also have some books, paper and crayons and a few games on hand for the kids. It quickly became clear that the kids could not read in English (though it is the official language, the first three years of school kids learn in their local language). So thanks to another volunteer that was a teacher mentor, I got my hands on a set of early reader books in Chitonga that are part of the Ministry of Education's new literacy program. Unfortunately many of the children in 4th and 5th grade can still barely read in their own language.

Chitonga is similar to Spanish in that it is phonetical. Each letter, particularly the vowels, have only one sound. So, even though I don't speak tonga, I can help the kids read it, and pick up some vocabulary along the way. Besides reading with the kids here at home, I have taken to bringing the books with me when I visit the village. The other day I visited Mwanambiya village after going to church in Lupata. A friend had invited me over for lunch, and I was sure there would be some kids around. Sure enough, she had a 5th grade granddaughter who was an avid reader. She lives alone with grandma so gets some special attention I think. The other kids recognized the books and glanced at them, but quickly got discouraged. To my amazement, it was the adult women who grabbed onto the books and started to read them. At one point I was between two women in their sixties who were reading away out loud and sharing the stories with the rest of us. The younger women read to themselves, and only one teenager was showing off her reading abilities. It struck me how the literacy rate seemed to be poorer in the younger generations.

Recently at our team planning meeting I was able to speak with Aubrey Moono, a Zambian teacher who is the chair of our advisory committee. I shared with Aubrey my unofficial observations and concerns that literacy rates seem worse in the younger generations. He confirmed that it is not just a hunch, but a fact. He says this is because for many years, the curriculum kept changing. Whichever latest donor or expert came in with a new idea, the government jumped on it. Also he said for some years the government just gave money to the schools and let them buy their own books. Each bookseller had something better to offer than the next. In the end, the teachers got fed up with all the changes, and gave up. He also says when he was in school the focus in primary grades was on the basics reading, writing and math. Now he says they are teaching science and social studies etc to first graders and that reading is left behind.

Of course the other big critical piece is the lack of books! You are lucky if the teacher has a copy of the pupils handbook (teachers manuals are few and far between). The students never have text books and have to copy all the important notes from the board. Libraries are basically non-existent, but the kids are hungry for books. The other day three bored boys came by my house asking for cookies, but instead I gave them the chance to look through my box of books. One was in grade seven and tried to act cool and perhaps not so interested, but his two fifth grade buddies weren't worried about hiding their eagerness and soon they shared their excitement with him. A couple times the older boy suggested they leave, but the younger two weren't ready. Daniel with his 4 sizes too big trousers and terribly skinny arms was quite taken by a junior I Spy book and Brian with his bright yellow shirt and trousers that hit him mid calf was fascinated by the Zambian Atlas. Daniel found the alphabet in one book and was quite eager to recite it and Brian found the world map and was quick to find Zambia and also could recognize a few national flags. Neither one of them, however could read even the first level of books with 2 or 3 simple words per page. James, the oldest, could read these easy readers, but knew he should be able to read more, so would pick up the books with more words and act as though he was reading, making up the story according to the pictures. He had just finished sitting his grade 7 exams in English. I can't imagine how he will pass.

It is really heart breaking to see these challenges in a country with no war in its 50 years of independence, and relative wealth with plenty of agricultural land and many mineral resources including copper. Of course, as in the United States, there is a parallel private school sector with much bigger coffers and more resources but the large majority of Zambians at least begin their education in government schools. Only with support in the home environment is a student able to learn enough to proceed to higher education. Fifty students in a class is quite common and in rural settings teachers may have over one hundred students in their classroom. My friend Fannie has 112 students in her second grade class.

Aubrey says the Ministry of Education is coming out with yet another new curriculum. Fortunately the literacy program is staying the same. Hopefully the training of teachers in how to use the literacy curr and the supply of the kits to the necessary schools will quickly be implemented. For now, MCC is working on both of these things at the BIC schools where we sponsor our Global Family projects. I continue to read with the kids and am currently deciding where to leave my small library when I leave so that it will have the most impact on multiple children.