A visit with the school children...
After breakfast Stanley arrived with the bus and we headed off to visit the Chinotimba Government School, passing through neighborhoods fashioned from old concrete block homes from the Victorian Era for railway workers.
There were open air markets, chicken vendors, a clinic, filling station and government offices lining the muddy street.
Arriving at the brightly painted school humming with children's voices, we are introduced to the headmistress by Tony and ushered into a classroom where the students perform several dances and songs in their native dress.
The headmistress gives some history. While the school is called a government school they only receive a small grant for operations due to the poor economy. Apparently "Gucci" Grace, wife of President Mugabe, does not do her lavish shopping locally. Last year there were three times when the teachers were not paid. But rather than carry on as they have done so frequently in the past, they called a strike.
The economic downturn of 2000 with an unemployment rate of 18% caused many of Zimbabwe's teachers to move to South Africa where they mostly teach in rural areas. This created a profound shortage of teachers here.
The Chinotimba school is pre-kinder to grade 7 and has 1759 students serviced by 47 teachers. This disparity means there are two shifts for the students, 7:30 to 1:30 and 11 to 4:30 stretched over trimesters of three months. The students have a 3 - 4 week break between sessions.
The curriculum includes social studies, English, math, sciences, P.E., world economics, comparative religion and computer science. They also cover cooking, in an effort to teach nutrition, a type of hygiene and home economics and agriculture in an effort to make the students self sustaining adults.
Unfortunately, the computer lab is often damaged by power surges. When a charitable gift of computers was recently given, the government confiscated the shipment until they could extract a tax. Service organizations, NGO's, churches and the community pitch in to support the school.
Primary and secondary school is compulsory. School fees are $120.00 per year and the parents buy the uniforms at $20 for top, pants and socks. The early childhood educations begins in the mother language to learn the basics and then switches to English.
At the end of seventh grade the students complete a national exam before they can begin high school. Many of these students stay until 4:30 to study. Currently 60% pass. If a student is gifted, either academically or in sport, a scholarship, or bursar can be arranged.
Those with more means often send their children to a British boarding school in the south using the British Education System of learning. Successful completion is the goal with the hope of acceptance to a British university.
Despite everything I have said, Zimbabwe still has the highest literacy rate in Africa.
We next visit the children in their classroom and are invited by their teacher to visit with the individual students as they pour over their notebooks written is a small, neat script.
They are shy, polite and charming. I asked each one what they wanted to be when they grew up. One little girl wants to be a pharmacist. Her mother shares my name. I told her about our own Keri and how she worked very hard to be a successful pharmacist. Most of boys want to be pilots. In the future, there will be no shortage of pilots...only planes!
We had brought donations of pencils, markers, notebooks and other school items which were piled on a table. Of course, Tony will donate in appreciation of our visit.
Back on bus, we head to the market area, Elephant Walk, browsing the shops and buying a few things. Guess what little girls are getting bracelets?
After a rest, we are picked up and driven to the Zambezi River where we board a boat for this evening's river cruise. We are greeted by more dancers and climb aboard to find lovely set tables under a protective canopy and the requisite open bar.
The weather is very temperate. So far there has not been an instance where I have felt overly warm. We push off and are told we will not be going nearer than three kilometers from the falls, which is fine with me and that should we fall overboard our coffin will be a crocodile!
The views of the river and shoreline are beautiful with the clouds silhouetted against the late afternoon sky. We didn't see any crocodiles, but a hippo swam languidly by. Travel buddy Chris snapped this photo.
We had a very acceptable dinner for a river cruise. Everyone enjoyed the experience and soon we were ferried back in the dark to the hotel.
So far not one bite!!
After breakfast Stanley arrived with the bus and we headed off to visit the Chinotimba Government School, passing through neighborhoods fashioned from old concrete block homes from the Victorian Era for railway workers.
There were open air markets, chicken vendors, a clinic, filling station and government offices lining the muddy street.
Arriving at the brightly painted school humming with children's voices, we are introduced to the headmistress by Tony and ushered into a classroom where the students perform several dances and songs in their native dress.
The headmistress gives some history. While the school is called a government school they only receive a small grant for operations due to the poor economy. Apparently "Gucci" Grace, wife of President Mugabe, does not do her lavish shopping locally. Last year there were three times when the teachers were not paid. But rather than carry on as they have done so frequently in the past, they called a strike.
The economic downturn of 2000 with an unemployment rate of 18% caused many of Zimbabwe's teachers to move to South Africa where they mostly teach in rural areas. This created a profound shortage of teachers here.
The Chinotimba school is pre-kinder to grade 7 and has 1759 students serviced by 47 teachers. This disparity means there are two shifts for the students, 7:30 to 1:30 and 11 to 4:30 stretched over trimesters of three months. The students have a 3 - 4 week break between sessions.
The curriculum includes social studies, English, math, sciences, P.E., world economics, comparative religion and computer science. They also cover cooking, in an effort to teach nutrition, a type of hygiene and home economics and agriculture in an effort to make the students self sustaining adults.
Unfortunately, the computer lab is often damaged by power surges. When a charitable gift of computers was recently given, the government confiscated the shipment until they could extract a tax. Service organizations, NGO's, churches and the community pitch in to support the school.
Primary and secondary school is compulsory. School fees are $120.00 per year and the parents buy the uniforms at $20 for top, pants and socks. The early childhood educations begins in the mother language to learn the basics and then switches to English.
At the end of seventh grade the students complete a national exam before they can begin high school. Many of these students stay until 4:30 to study. Currently 60% pass. If a student is gifted, either academically or in sport, a scholarship, or bursar can be arranged.
Those with more means often send their children to a British boarding school in the south using the British Education System of learning. Successful completion is the goal with the hope of acceptance to a British university.
Despite everything I have said, Zimbabwe still has the highest literacy rate in Africa.
We next visit the children in their classroom and are invited by their teacher to visit with the individual students as they pour over their notebooks written is a small, neat script.
They are shy, polite and charming. I asked each one what they wanted to be when they grew up. One little girl wants to be a pharmacist. Her mother shares my name. I told her about our own Keri and how she worked very hard to be a successful pharmacist. Most of boys want to be pilots. In the future, there will be no shortage of pilots...only planes!
We had brought donations of pencils, markers, notebooks and other school items which were piled on a table. Of course, Tony will donate in appreciation of our visit.
Back on bus, we head to the market area, Elephant Walk, browsing the shops and buying a few things. Guess what little girls are getting bracelets?
After a rest, we are picked up and driven to the Zambezi River where we board a boat for this evening's river cruise. We are greeted by more dancers and climb aboard to find lovely set tables under a protective canopy and the requisite open bar.
The weather is very temperate. So far there has not been an instance where I have felt overly warm. We push off and are told we will not be going nearer than three kilometers from the falls, which is fine with me and that should we fall overboard our coffin will be a crocodile!
The views of the river and shoreline are beautiful with the clouds silhouetted against the late afternoon sky. We didn't see any crocodiles, but a hippo swam languidly by. Travel buddy Chris snapped this photo.
We had a very acceptable dinner for a river cruise. Everyone enjoyed the experience and soon we were ferried back in the dark to the hotel.
So far not one bite!!
What a cool post. Cute kids.
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