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| At the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School in Bangui - Photo: C. Ngo Biyack |
"In the Central African Republic lessons take place from Monday to Friday, from 7.30 a.m. to 12.45 p.m. Given that the children normally have the afternoon off, we though that we could make our buildings available for the use of the children from neighbouring communities so as to allow them to go to school like all the other children their age." This is how Albert Niwia, director of the SOS Hermann Gmeiner Primary School at Bangui, describes the education programme for orphans and vulnerable children. The programme is intended to promote equality in terms of access to knowledge, in an environment in which access to education is characterised by great inequality, which depends on social background. The children are mainly selected from the beneficiaries of the family strengthening programme, i.e. HIV/AIDS orphans, children with HIV, children heading households, those living with one/both parents who is/are terminally ill, or children who are living in extreme poverty.
The lessons take place on the premises of the SOS Hermann Gmeiner Primary School at Bangui from 1 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday and from 7.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. on Saturdays. The programmes have been approved by the national Minister of Education. On average, there are 35 pupils in a class. SOS Children's Villages, which bears the costs of their school fees, takes complete care of them. The children are also given school uniform, school stationery and all the teaching materials they need for their education. They are supervised by trained teachers, who are fully aware of their responsibilities.
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| Every child has the right to education - Photo: C. Ngo Biyack |
"These teachers receive the same training and the same support as the SOS Hermann Gmeiner Primary School teachers. It does mean more work, which takes up a bit more of their time, but there is no particular problem when it comes to the organisation and management of the work. On the other hand, the children from the education programme who find it more difficult to adapt to school have four hours less of school each week than children from the primary school. We are currently putting together a timetable to allow them to be on the same level as their classmates," explains the director of the school.
The children on the education programme for orphans and vulnerable children generally have reading and writing problems, particularly since it is often their first contact with school. "In their first year, many cannot speak or read, let alone write. Those who can talk are not very articulate. They have pronunciation problems, and this requires a lot of patience. You have constantly got to repeat what you have taught to make yourself understood. Only once they have made progress does their level begin to stabilise," said teacher Salvador Kpiogbissi. Regarding the quality of the education, the director of the school said that training was carried out according to the same high standards and with the same commitment as elsewhere, the aim being to pass on knowledge to the children that will give them better prospects for the future.
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| Photo: C. Ngo Biyack |
The selection criteria is the Achilles heal of the education programme for orphans and vulnerable children: "The first year of the programme was quite difficult because we did not know what level the children were at and it was very hard to assess this. The children were selected on the basis of information provided by their parents. That was the only reference; there were no written documents. Some of them had never been to school, and were past school age. We had to do tests to assess them and to find out which class they should be put in," explained Albert Niwia, director of the school.
Once they are at school, the children have different reactions. "Some are very timid. Those children were abandoned, with no one to refer to. They find it hard to respect the rules of their new environment and to adapt," explains the teacher. "Others, on the other hand, are aggressive, violent and are very difficult to manage. With a lot of effort, they change as time goes by, but you have to have a minimum of tolerance and patience," he adds. Whatever their reaction, one thing is clear: the children are happy to be at school, as is shown by the beaming smile of Claire*, age 15, who is in year three, when her teacher asks her to make a calculation on the blackboard...
For more than a decade, schools in the Central African Republic have been troubled by social and economic crises, resulting in a deterioration of the quality of teaching and a decrease in the rate of education. The education programme for orphans and vulnerable children is a great support to communities in the Central African Republic in general, but is of particular support to those in the 7th district, Gbangouma, an area of Bangui that is particularly underprivileged. Children live in difficult and precarious circumstances. Parents are poor and cannot pay for school fees and materials, and there is a serious lack of infrastructure. This means that access to education is hindered. The 7th district has two state kindergartens and about ten primary schools, which do not have tables and benches. "The children often sit directly on the ground during lessons and classrooms can have up to 200 children in them," says one teacher. The education of young girls remains an issue. Girls are often kept at home to carry out household duties, whilst their mothers are out in the fields. Those who make it into secondary education do not complete their studies because of early marriage or pregnancy.
The family strengthening programme in the Central African Republic assists 1,644 children with the support of United Nations organisations, different associations, and local and international NGOs. The children receive a multidisciplinary support, which is intended to meet their medical, nutritional, psychosocial and educational needs. In addition to the education programme that has recently been launched, those who cannot continue to have a normal education receive a combination of support in practical professional skills and tools that allow them to set up their own small business.
* The name of this girl has been changed to protect her identity.