A while back michelle sent us a bunch of questions she had about our school so while i was thinking of it i thought i'd answer a few.
Q: What age is secondary school?
A: Thoeretically 14 to 18ish, but in reality it's as low as 12 and as high as mid-twenties. The older one's can make it akward sometimes for us... Being that they're the same age as us.
Q: How much does it cost for them?
A: For a full boarding school it's around $300 for the whole year. Yea i know... Pretty cheap for americans. Yet, many can't afford it here. Families here can make anywhere from $500 a year up to around $5000/yr for government teachers. If the corruption was better the government would be able to subsidize even more. Instead millions of AID dollars from britain get pocketed away every year.
Q: Is boarding school the norm?
A: For high school, yes. Almost all.
Q: Is there a girls school nearby?
A: Not with our name exactly, but there are several in the nearby area. We have other PCV's at some of them even. Traditionally if the family is poor they will send the boys first and the girls later if at all. This is improving though.
Q: Are teachers mostly male?
A: At our school it's about 7 females and 19 men. That's not unusual, but you also see almost all men in some places. A fellow volunteer we know is at an all girls school where she's the only female teacher besides the principal. Could you immagine... In a country where student-teacher affairs are common, but rarely prosecuted...
Q: Will most of your 600 boys attend university.
A: every year we have about 125 graduates and we usually have about 4 to 6 which qualify for government loans for university. There are perhaps another 5 or 10 who's parents have the money. That is 3 to 5% is typically. There just aren't enough universities or loans available so the competition is fierce. It's like saying you need to be in the 96th percentile on your ACT's to have a shot.... that can be tough for many. They also have to wait a year due to back-log.
Okay, thanks for the questions. I'll write more soon.
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