Can you name all the things “wrong” in this picture?!
This boy must not only sit on the floor, but he’s also in a space too cramped for his long legs.
The two girls are lucky enough to have a chair but not a table/desk
There are about 440 learners at the primary school where I work. There are eight classrooms. The class sizes are about the same, so some quick and simple math puts the average class size at about 55. Way larger than it should be, but far lower than some other PC volunteers report (e.g., 70, 80 and 90).
The classrooms were not built to accommodate this number, and the chairs and desks are in great shortage. Learner’s sit 3-to-a-desk intended for two, they sit on chairs often broken and with no back and with no desk or writing surface, and some eventually end up sitting on the floor.
Surprisingly, I have not seen the first child complain or fight over a desk or chair, although there was a short tussle over a piece of cardboard being used as a floor pad.
The floors are concrete and although they are swept daily, they are dusty and dirty … which is probably the least of the kids’ worries. I am already thinking ahead to the winter months (May-July) and anticipating how cold these concrete floors will be (reminder: buildings are NOT heated). As if a bad situation could not get any worse!
A couple of times this learner has managed to find a piece of cardboard to sit upon.
