Tuesday started with a fairly straight-forward visit with the Minister of Education. Yes, the Minister of Education for the country of Botswana. Hmmm... there we sit, having tea and cookies (of course) with Mr. Minister, chatting about the state of education in his country. A typical Tuesday for any MBA, yes? Maybe not...
Our conversation with the Minister confirmed much of what we have heard/suspected during our visits to the private schools and the Univ. of Botswana; the government (public) schools face many of the same challenges that LAUSD faces. The usual topics of faculty/student ratio, facilities, resources, and budget were discussed. Of course, they were discussed with optimism and suggestion of future investment, which was good. But we heard about life on the ground a bit later during our visit toTshiamo Primary School, the most successful government primary school in Gaborone. More on that later.
Mid-morning, we split up. Half the team went to Gaborone Secondary School (gov't) and the other half visited Tshiamo (above). I can't speak for those who visited GSS; however, the welcome we recieved at Tshiamo exceeded any expectations a visitor could have. The entire school welcomed us in the parking lot. We heard a hand-written speech from the 10-year-old "head boy" and watched a dance performance by their student dance troupe. We were silenced and stunned by the welcome... these are the kids who most need help, and have the most in common with those that our schools will serve (fingers crossed) in Francistown. We met with 22 teachers (for 850 students), 10 students, and 12 parents. All offered us incredibly candid and emotional feedback about the system and school. The visit was arranged for us by Beauty Autlwetse, the headmaster and one of our hosts, who told us that she does what she does because she is "so in love with" her job. This job, in her world, involves offering evening workshops for parents on parenting skills and communication, on her own time and with no support from her superiors. By the way, not a single computer in the school, except for Beauty's personal laptop that leaves with her at the end of the day. We left her school drained, yet more motivated than ever.
Our day ended with an evening at U.S. Ambassador Katherine Canavan's home. We were invited for a reception along with the local Taskforce members we work with daily on our schools project. It is a funny thing... standing with your colleagues, in Botswana, noticing that your cocktail napkin boasts the offical seal of the U.S.A. Definitely the way we spend most Wednesday evenings. Well, those Wednesdays after American Idol is over...
Oops, they did it again... we are hooked.
See photos of today in postings below. We leave for our overnight trip to Francistown tomorrow (Wednesday). We will see the tentative sites, visit 2 local schools, and make a trip to an orphanage. Wish us luck with that one.
Before I sign off, thank you from all of us for your emails and support!
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