In keeping with my cheesy theme, "the gift of knowledge" (which I made up just know) I spent a long day scouring the street and markets and back alleys for schoolbooks. Yes, their textbooks for school.
You see, starting in eighth grade, books aren't provided. You have to buy them yourselves. And with teachers assigning homework directly out of the book, you're pretty much screwed if you don't have a copy or know somebody who has one.
Kids in primary school (supposedly) get free books every year. Their books are more along the lines of workbooks and are provided (supposedly) free by the World Bank and UNICEF. However, what happens is books are printed every year and given out in the south of the country in and around the capitol. Then, if books are left over, they make it up here sometimes around April. I've seen kids here in three different grades and they have never received more than one subject (math, social studies, portuguese, etc.) a year.
This year, the kids in primary school have yet to receive books. And buying or selling these books is a crime. Out where we are, people pretty much don't care and police look the other way as long as you cut them in on your sales. Kids have come home to show me their homework and announcements from the teacher. Announcements include, "There are no books this year, go buy one," and, "I received your textbooks but there are only 10 so tell your parents to come to my house after work to bid on them." Undoubtedly unscrupulous, but par for the course here in Mozambique.
Since we collect and save the primary school workbooks, there's not too much of a need to go into the underbelly of Nampula to buy them. I only needed to go into the underbelly to buy the high school books.
We've never had a full set of high school books. In fact we still don't have a complete set. I decided based on availability (of the books) and cost (money people sent me around Nov/Dec/Christmas) that I would be looking for books only for 8th and 9th grade. This was also strategic, because the number of kids in those two grades are 15 and the number in the rest of high school is five scattered around grades 10-12. And this way, the older grades can also use the books as resources if they need to.
Armed with my list of school subjects (Portuguese, History, Geography, English, Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Agriculture) I went with Felex. He was usually about 25 yards ahead of me, looking in street corners, alleys, markets, anywhere there is a makeshift market and people are selling the school books. He'd usually get a ball park price and then I'd show up and the negotiations would start. One place in particulary, I bought about 8 (no one place every has a complete range of grades or subjects) or subjects and after 50 minutes of talking I finally got him down to a price I liked.
When I finished and went to call the kids, most of them did the kind of, "Oh, gee. Thanks." And rolled their eyes. But the books are kept in my house and its usually full of people coming in to do their homework or study for a test. They are getting used really heavily and are a great help to the kids.
Victor and Martinho thumbing throug the books for the first time.
Mauricio checking out the 8th grade book, wishing he had it last year.
Even with the books here, the girls still don't use them that often and, much to my dismay, still just wait for the boys to finish their homework before copying it.
Manuel after school is usually first to come by and pick up book and start on his homework.
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