So, when they say they have science equipment in the secondary school here, they mean they have some pots of chemicals, about 8 test tubes, some variable resistors and some stopwatches. Still, they don't really know what to do with any of it so they're using the lab as a store room at the moment. Also, they keep boasting that they have 8 computers, but what they mean is that they have 8 monitors. Of those, some have no processors attached, some have no mouse or keyboard and some just don't work. So overall only about 3 or 4 can be used. Then they have about 50 kids per grade and 4 grades... and power only in the afternoons once the solar panels have charged up... so the result is that even though they have these 'facilities', they never get used. I'm hoping that part of my project for the summer can involve sorting this out in some way, maybe starting up a science club and a computer club. Particularly I want to teach some of the older students to use the computers and encourage them to then pass on the skills to the younger ones. A problem that's been mentioned here is that kids aren't keen to mentor each other and help each other with homework because they want to be the cleverest or whatever. It would be good to persuade them that teaching and tutoring others can actually help your own progress.
Oh, bother, I didn't notice that the power cut out again so the laptop's about to run out of battery. All these things we take for granted in the UK!
Today I walked to Kyetume with David and we bought rolexes and bananas and sodas for breakfast. I saw a fruit I'd never tasted before so asked the lady at the stall if I could buy some thinking I was buying a piece... but ended up buying the whole thing, about the size of a football! It's jackfruit. Not bad, but smells funny (kind of like its namesake Jack Jackson).
All out of power now. Love xxxx
:) :) :)
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