Brother Beausang Catholic Education Center is a private school catering for extremely needy children in the town of Embulbul, which is about 15 miles outside of downtown Nairobi in the central highlands of Kenya. The surrounding district is a mix of shanty town type slums and wide open spaces. In Kenya one is constantly struck by the contrasts and this is no exception. A dusty polluted highway runs through the town with small houses and shops crowded together on one side. Behind the fence on the other side of the road lie hundreds of acres of serene grasslands. Most residents live in primitive conditions with no electricity or running water, mostly in two roomed houses. Within a mile there are fenced off areas with large houses where a privileged few live in surroundings that reminded me of a suburb of Atlanta.
The school serves about 700 students all the way from kindergarten to the end of high school. Since the school is private it attempts to provide a service that is above that offered in the regular public schools where class sizes of up to 100 students prevent any kind of effective learning. Beausang limits class size to 40 and pays teachers a little more than the average for a public school. A healthy lunch meal is also provided each day for every student, an essential service for many who may have no other meal in the day. In order to maintain these services, as well as basic textbooks and supplies a fee of approximately $300 (200 Euro) per year is required from each student. The government provides about $12 per student per year, which is not sufficient to cover a fraction of the costs. The vast majority cannot afford to pay the fees and donations from sponsors provide the necessary support. In this manner almost all of the students are actually educated through the generosity of donors and these students would not have the opportunity without the donors’ support.
A home visit to one of the students revealed a typical scenario. The student’s parents had died and the child was staying with a grandmother. She lived about 6 km from the school and had quite a long morning walk before the 7am class beginning. In fact she rose at 3am and turned on the paraffin lamp and studied for about 2 hours before setting off in the darkness over dangerous roads. Her diligence is paying off as she has won numerous academic awards at the school. This home visit took place before lunch and it was noticeable that the student was in greater haste to return to school in good time for the school lunch.
The primary purpose of my visit here was to assist in mathematics instruction in the school in whatever capacity I could. I focused on the high school, which ranges from form 1 to form 4 – about age 14 to 18. There are about 80 students in each form – divided into two sections of 40 each. The classrooms are housed in a tin building with a gravel floor. Class periods are 40 minutes and start at 7am and conclude at 4pm.
I wanted to observe the teaching methods and get a sense of student performance and interest. Students have not been performing well in their exams and we wanted to see if there were some underlying causes. I administered a short test to form 2 students on the basics of arithmetic, algebra and geometry. The students performed quite well on this test, displaying computational fluency with fractions, decimals, equations, and angle calculations. About 25% of them did not do well and were clearly in need of supplemental tutoring and extra individual attention. Although the majority of students performed adequately in the test it was not clear whether they understood the material or were simply carrying out memorized routines. Subsequent observation of the higher grade levels confirmed this suspicion. Students could manipulate fractions and deduce angle ratios but lacked the problem solving skills to integrate both topics in a meaningful way.
I observed several teaching situations and noted that instruction was mostly through blackboard writing followed by student work at their desks that was assisted by the teacher walking from desk to desk. I offered a few interactive sessions and presented some mathematical games that always excite interest.
There are four mathematics teachers at the high school level and they were enthusiastic in their support of my efforts. They were keen to employ some group work and to attempt more innovative strategies. They were happy to have volunteers in their classroom. Indeed, with 40 students it was clear that more teachers or assistants were needed in every classroom. Teacher content knowledge was mixed and I spent a great deal of time working one on one with teachers who were receptive to new solution strategies and to enhancing their own knowledge.
I had extensive conversations with one high school math teacher. He graduated with a degree in chemistry and mathematics and did student teaching at Beausang and was happy to accept a permanent post there when he completed his studies. His knowledge of math is good but there are some aspects of the curriculum that he is unsure on. He was delighted to talk to me about math problems and is always excited to see a different approach. He is very conscientious in helping his students and spending extra time with them. For all of this his salary is about $240 (160 Euro) per month which is well above the average here. At the same time he has a dream, like most Kenyans, to travel abroad to study. If he could find the funding he would like to pursue a graduate degree in science education. I have been trying to convince him that he should do that and then return to Africa to help his people. Kenya needs people like him to inspire and provide hope and leadership - the kind of experience that can be gained from abroad and also so valuably from volunteers. He wrote the following comments on my visit.
“I can term the period that Prof. Jerry has been with us as one of the most productive in my teaching career. His original and practical methods of tackling Mathematics problems, coupled with concern to seeing problems systematically and conclusively solved, has really changed and motivated me.
Being a skilled mathematician and teacher, he has imparted some very useful skills to us enabling us to be more effective teachers. He is truly an amazing mentor and an invaluable person to be close to. We are indeed grateful for the time he spent with us.”
The major observation from my time here was to note that there is no streaming whatsoever in any subject area. All students at each grade level follow the same curriculum and there is no difference in the final exam taken by someone who may be a prospective university math major and a student considering a career, say, in building construction. This means that every student in the final year of high school studies topics such as vectors, matrices, and integral calculus. This is in contrast to what happens in most other countries that I am familiar with. At the same time, students here have the same math anxieties and exam fears as their counterparts in Europe and the United States. Another contrast is that there is a requirement to take seven subjects at the senior level in high school. This is time consuming and dilutes the student effort considerably.
I managed to meet the Minister of Education in the Kenyan government and this was productive. I voiced concern that the curriculum was crowded and there was no streaming between students according to abilities or aptitude. The Minister said that a plan was in place to change this. He was also concerned about the huge class sizes and said there were plans to hire many new teachers to alleviate the problem. He was willing to have me consult with education officials on the curriculum. He also said that the Government hopes to introduce subsidized secondary education following the successful introduction of free primary education in 2002. He was not convinced of the difficulty of the Standard 8 examination, which is the final state exam that determines entry to high school. I had positive discussions with the head of higher education in the Ministry and also with the chief examinations officer. They both suggested that I make some recommendations and send them for consideration. I was pleased that they were willing to collaborate. I think that we have some experience to share and they appreciated that this was being offered.
The current needs at Beausang were quite evident to me during the visit. An ambitious plan to construct a new school building is underway. This is necessary to replace the existing tin sheds that house the classrooms. The cost of materials far exceeds that of labor in Africa and it is estimated that total building costs will approach US$0.7m. At this time the building is about 60% complete and will proceed as quickly as the available capital is present. It may be argued that the old structures are adequate but it is important to demonstrate that a better way is possible. Part of the education mission is to show what is possible and a modern building will provide a positive example of what can be achieved through hard work and careful planning. Within the parish itself this example has already been set by a pastor who built a church and dispensary and his example is being followed by others in the town.
It is clear that there are major problems facing the education of these students. Foremost among them is the economic situation that will preclude many of them from completing form 4 unless donors continue to provide assistance. The second major hurdle of the curriculum is a political issue that may be tackled at several levels. For now teachers must work with the situation, as it exists. The best practical approach may be to break the classes into two streams and offer only a subset of topics to the students whose aptitude is not mathematical. Of course, that would require some extra teachers or assistants. There are some volunteers available from time to time and the proper use of these will be invaluable. Another option may be to focus on five subjects that are most useful to the individual student and aim to excel in those rather than working in seven subjects.
As the building proceeds the needs of the students remain constant. Sponsorship will continue to be the only way they can have the education that they need. Ongoing solicitation of donations will keep them in a good school. Supplementation of the textbooks would be extremely helpful, especially in English. This is the language of instruction and of the examination system in Kenya and it is a major impediment to most students. Extra reading material in English would be an invaluable resource. Likewise students would benefit greatly from CD’s and software products that enhance learning in many subject areas. There is a computer lab with about 20 computers that are used to teach elementary skills. Internet access is limited and at this time it is more economical to obtain existing packages that can be used on each computer.
Large class sizes greatly reduce the
effectiveness of classroom instruction and every teacher would benefit greatly
from volunteer assistance. The opportunity to volunteer here is a way in which
overseas organisations could contribute greatly. It is very beneficial to
students to meet people from different cultures and they can learn much from
them. Volunteers can assist greatly in the teaching of English and Mathematics
and can also provide some curricular assistance to the teachers, whose own
background may be limited. Outsiders also bring leadership and management skills
which are invaluable in developing societies. In return the volunteers gain an
appreciation of living conditions in the other half of the world. There are also
great rewards in the satisfaction of the impact that one can make. It is so much
more direct than in the developed world. When you show an African child how to
add two numbers or pronounce a new word it may be the only time they have ever
heard that. When you give them love it may be the only joy in their difficult
lives.
The school appreciates the contribution of volunteers and has just completed the construction of a building where volunteers may live during their time at the Beausang Center. On a personal note I can highly recommend the experience. While learning a great deal and sampling the local culture one can make a tremendous impact on the lives of young Kenyans. One can also enjoy the excellent weather (mostly dry and 75 degrees) and outdoor recreational opportunities. Opposite the school are the vast open spaces where one can escape for peaceful hikes or vigorous runs. On weekends longer trips to scenic tourist destinations are within easy access.
I concluded my visit to Beausang with the following recommendations for the academic program.