The school ended for the mid-term break last Tuesday. Typically, mid-term breaks are "optional" where students can either go home, or stay at school. But the school typically provides programming, staff, and meals for the students that remain.
However, due to the upcoming elections, the school are CLOSED, every students need to go home, and almost all staff are gone to their homes too (in Kenya, many teachers live in leased homes, on Government's living allowances, while their real homes are somewhere else, most of times far away).
But after all the departing chaos settled down yesterday, there were 8 students left behind. There are no programming nor meals for them, but the school said they would have a cook come in, but the students made their own supper. I took them out for a brief photography activities.
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| The little boy isn't actually little, as he is 18 years old, in Form 2 (sophomore) |
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| Cooking their own supper: meat, beans and ugali. |
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| With the constant power outage, I decided to provide my lantern lamp and Macbook, they enjoy having their dinner and Jumanji movie. |
On the next day, on Thursday:
8:00a: Saw 8 students making chapati for their breakfast. Ate one.
8:15a: Talked with students, trying to understand why they are not able to go home. Three students have made arrangements and will be gone. One student waiting for his parents to come. One student who did not know the way left with another teacher who is also going home, the teacher will make sure he gets on the correct matatu for home.
8:30a: Remaining 3 students (two of them are young Form 1 (freshmen) students) -- turns out that there is no problem going home, just that they did not have enough money. The school simply made them stay at empty school, even with no programming along with skeletal staff.
9:00a: I spoke with few remaining staff why this is happening, and why the school isnt helping these three. I also explained that providing them with food for one week probably cost the same as sending them home, besides, its safer for them due to the upcoming elections. But these reasonings fell to deaf ears (pun intended).
9:15a: After some thought and talking with these students, the total amount they needed (I added some for their meals as some of them will travel FAR) came to 4,600/= (about $55). I decided to sponsor them, so that they can go home and be with their families.
10:00a: Two students still waiting to go home but one staff told them to wait "small" (more on this later), but she was simply having tea and chatting with other staff. Me fuming! They want to go home, and in Kenya it gets dark at 6:30p.
11:00a: These two students finally got a letter from that staff, but it was addressed to someone else the staff thinks their parents know -- so these students waited so long for something the staff did not want to put a stamp on the letter. But they left. All gone except for 3 students that I sponsor.
11:15a: I asked a staff to release these three students as they have everything they need to go now, but she says we have to call their parents first to make sure they can receive them. So, call them, I said. She says no phone. I say use school phone, jeez. She says school phone has no credit. I so so, pay for it, school keep paying for gas for electric generator, they have little money to pay for 3 phone calls. So they sent someone down to the village to buy a phone credit scratch card to add to the school phone.
11:45a: They could not add credit to school phone, so they act like the whole plan simply collapse. I say, I see you all having your phones, just use yours. They say nope. I getting pissed off, handing over my own phone. She called all three parents, total 6 minutes air time. One boy will have to leave tomorrow morning, but the other two can leave now. 6 minutes = 12 shillings (20 cents).
12:00p: So all that taken care of, I say, can these two students go now, time is a-wasting? No, the principal (who left for the break today) must approve. I say, sure, go ahead call her. She says whose phone. Sigh, my phone again. Then she backed out, she was afraid to call the principal. I asked why? Its just the culture around here everyone seem to be afraid to ask her for anything (not sure if its just her, or just anybody not wanting to ask their headmasters). So I texted to the principal myself.
12:05: I gave the students their travel and meal money.
12:15p: Two students left with one staff who wants to go "that way too", but I am to text her if the principal says no (they left without actually getting approval, because they assumed this should not be a problem).
12:20: For the remaining boy, I told him I will find activities for him as he is here all alone by himself. I needed to pack and prepare for my own trip tomorrow, but I will entertain him, and maybe have him enjoy another movie tonight.
So by tomorrow morning, all students will be gone, and school will be truly closed. I am happy to see all students be at home with their families where they should be in.
Sigh, what an experience -- not seeing rational viewpoints -- where staff here actually prefer to leave kids at the school, when their problems, at least for me, were trivial that any school in America would take care of immediately.
