Thanks for your all of your offers. I really, really appreciate it and can't fully express why. It basically has to caring about your students. I know there are many ways to engineer social mobility [especially in Africa: lead a coup], but by and by the best way to do so is through education. But it's too often an empty promise to say do good in school and things will be ok. My friend sent this email today:
A few months ago, I talked to one of my grade 12s (from last year) and she told me that she had been accepted to UNam but had no money to register or pay so just didn't. There was a woman who was supposed to help her; I don't know if it was financially or more with logistics but then seemed to leave her hanging. I asked her about loans, etc. and she had no idea how to go about any of it (that's awesome that your learner went ahead and found out that info) At that point, it was too late for her register and so now, she sits. Well, she is studying maths to take the grade 12 exam again and hopes to get a job (uhh...) and then plans to start next year (uhh...)
I'm really glad Petrus had the initiative to get contact me, but at the same time and like I said before, I don't just have that dosh lying around, so I'm really moved that you guys [and others] have stepped up to help. Otherwise, he'd probably have to return to the bush wondering why he even bothered with all that hard work.
Also, just to further illustrate his potential,
this was published in last Friday's Namibian. Money quotes:
Every year about 65 000 new children start school.
Of these 12 000 drop out before the end of primary school.
By the beginning of grade 10, another 7 000 have been lost.
So 30% of all learners don't even complete even basic education.
Then, as we know, another 17 000 don't enter grade 11.
We are now down to 28 000 from the 65 000.
Not many drop out of senior secondary school.
At the end of grade 12 the proportion of these getting good grades is between 10 and 20%; maybe 4000 or so out of the original 65 000, well under 10%.
Again, most of those students getting good grades are from the capital city or other town centers, not the bush. And grades are determined externally by the Ministry of Education, so his grades are good relative to everyone. It's not like Detroit where I'd give a kid a B just because he didn't bring his knife to school.
Goober McTuber wrote:As long as Petrus agrees to sign up here and post a photo of his fat old lady so we can make fun of him.
All the more reason to finance this kid's education. Dood's not pretty, so his only hope for a fatty is to have a job.
He's the one pulling the hat off the other's head... oh fuck it, I'll post a head shot:
As far as donating, I talked to 88 about setting up a PayPal thingy, so hopefully that's operable within a couple days. I think that means you, PSU, gonna work some skillz..
