Public Service Announcements 65-67

We visited three schools in Gulu, and one of the things that stood out in my mind were the many PSA-type signs that were posted around the school. Two things struck me about them...one, the abundance of these signs...they were everywhere. Two, the messages were of a different nature. Of course, there were the familiar, "don't do drugs" kind of signs that I have seen in U.S. schools. But there many signs about avoiding sex to prevent AIDS, and not accepting money for sex. And this is basically the equivalent of elementary school.

This one is my favorite. I think I will make a copy and hang it in my next classroom. Of course, in Uganda it is sometimes a bit more of a challenge to make sure all the students are reading and writing, as there are not enough textbooks for everyone, and more than a few students come to school without a notebook or a pencil. But in general, I think this is a concept lost on many educators....kids have to actually do real and relevant work with text in order to become literate. It is not enough to fill in a worksheet or answer questions written on the chalkboard. This will, in fact, prepare them for employment (I hold to my assertion that many jobs that require 'education' are basically filling in Worksheets for Grownups), but it does not prepare them to be thoughtful and productive citizens. This is why, on the advent of yet another foreign war, we see very few people protesting, or even questioning the leadership of our nation. This is why, despite the money that pours into developing nations from investors and NGOs, very little of it gets to those in need, and even less of it leads to long-term, sustainable improvement.

I have been doing a lot of reading on East Africa during the past couple of days (oh, to be unemployed!), and it is very interesting to reread some of these essays and books after having seen just a little bit of the reality on the ground. In Uganda, as in most of the world, most people have limited access to credit and therefore have to save up all the money they need for something before purchasing it. What would your life be like if you had to do the same thing? Probably you would not be able to afford college, your house, or your car. These things are pretty universally financed through credit.