School is Back in Session

SCHOOL IS BACK !  -  it really was touch and go for the proposed starting date of September 17^th since we had had no water for 18 days ! – people were simply collecting rain water and if you were a hotel or restaurant then you could buy water from a truck that drove around. Since this problem was only in Nazret due to a broken pipe, this meant that the entrepreneurs would travel to Mojo ( the nearest town about half an hour away ) fill up bottles with clean water ( for drinking ) and sell this on the streets.

                However, on the evening of the 16^th September, water at last came out of the tap meaning that half day school could start ( not full day since the water coming out was visibly muddy thus not suitable for drinking ) – since then however, the water has gone off once again meaning that we are tender hooks for the coming week when we are supposed to be having full days at school.

             As usual, pupils are slow at attending school – instead of a huge influx of people, there is instead a small daily trickle, with there not being a full school for at least two weeks. This is quite frustrating since we are consistently having to photocopy more and more books etc and means that we can’t really get going with the lesson plans.

              Mind you, that in itself is problematic since the government have decided to change all the textbooks ( which we must adhere to in some shape or form ) but haven’t yet finished writing them ! – they have managed to only write the first 40 pages or so of the maths book and haven’t completed anything else meaning that both our long and short term planning is on hold since we can’t plan if we don’t know where we are going !

             As usual, pupils in the nursery class ( the 3 year olds ) were interesting to watch as they encountered toys for the first time in their lives ! – it is fascinating but sad to watch their little faces when they sit on the carpet next to these brightly coloured toys, not knowing what to do with them and not even imagining that they would be allowed to touch them  and watching the  realisation suddenly blossoming that in fact they are allowed to touch and play with the toys as they are shown what to do !  

        These pupils are now literally running from their parents as soon as they see the gate in anticipation of the wealth of toys inside the school and as this first week comes to a close we anticipate the stories on Monday of the nursery children crying at the weekend when they have to face the awful news that school is closed at weekends !