No Pay, No Gain

No Pay, No Gain

Today I came to school as I would have any other day. The classrooms were full, teachers were teaching and everything seemed to be going as usual. But around 11:00am, it changed. The Second Master went around to each classroom and announced a list of names off. These students then got up, gathered their things and left. After this was finished, only a few students remained in each classroom. I was not sure at first what this was about. After questioning other teachers, I found out it was because the students that left did not pay school fees.

This is a big problem not only at FANAKA, but at many schools nationwide. Children want to learn and want to succeed but many cannot afford too. The country is on a donor system. They rely on foreign aid to sent children to school. If a student does not have a donor, they most likely cannot afford a good school. Therefore, they have to go to a very badly run government school or to no school at all. Visually seeing how many students were sent home and watching their sad faces having to leave school made me realize how big this issue actually is. What happens to these students who do not get an education just because they cannot afford it?
-Katie