By Anna Kevin and Emilia Sten (Originally published on May 10, 2014)
On Thursday morning, we left the house with three Danish volunteers to “One School – Primary and Nursery”. They would teach there, and we wanted to experience being an African pupil for one day.
The standard was a bit higher at the school. The pupils had desks, books and other school materials. Everyone was wearing a light blue school uniform.
We got a seat in the back row. The lecture began with the instructor painting pictures and writing sentences on the board. Everything has to be written down because not all children can get a book of their own. Instead, they copied everything down in their notebooks. It took a while for the teachers to prepare the board, but we were very patient. Most of the teaching was done, so the teachers said it aloud, and we repeated it. The best pupil was the one screaming out the answer the loudest.
After one and a half hour of learning, the ones who wanted got a cup of porridge. A half-hour break followed this, and then the active learning continued. The pupils were very eager to learn, maybe because not everyone can attend school. Volunteering can allow more children to attend school. By volunteering, you can help Tanzania to develop. Education standards remain abysmally low, and while the economy is growing, the only way to secure a job is to obtain a proper education. Art in Tanzania volunteers and interns assist in schools, supported by the UNICEF Children’s Agenda program.
