First Chapter:
we arrive to São Tomé
The high
polytechnic institute
What would you do if, on a regular morning, your phone
rings and across the line you hear a pleasant voice, of a young girl, asking
you if you are ready to go to Africa, to "an unknown island" and its
name is Sao Tome? The initial answer from those who are injected, unaware of
it, "germs of adventure," is positive. Only then do you start asking
questions like What for? What is the purpose of travel etc. etc.
It quickly became clear to me that I was destined to
deliver a course, in Portuguese, to school headmasters and supervisors, to
become skilled supervisors. A glance at the internet revealed to me some
pictures of a magical island in its beauty, totally primordial place that the
foot of civilization did not stop there.
Foreign Ministry security briefing, vaccine injection
system, training materials and we are ready to travel. Four weeks after the
first phone call, I found myself at Ben Gurion Airport with Felisa, my partner
for this travel and training. It is 4 am and we are both very excited. The
ambiguity is great and we feel that we are indeed traveling into the unknown.
At midnight at Lisbon Airport, our stopover on our
long flight to the West African island, we discover that at the queue to the
Sao Tome counter, dozens of locals are loaded with goods they bought in Lisbon.
Their belongings are packed not only in ordinary suitcases but also in market
baskets, plastic bags and in whatever container one can store. We are all
pleased to agree that we will take a package or two with us to ease the weight
in their hands and which they cannot board on the plane at no additional
charge. Very politely who had to refuse (the Foreign Ministry instructed us not
to take anything from anyone ...).
Landing on the island, in the early morning, the airport looks like a soccer field in some remote village in our country. With the locals standing on the grass and some hanging on the trees, we slowly began to perceive where we came. The airport resembled a warehouse. Big hustle and bustle around, officials standing behind an unprocessed wooden counter ... We're sure not to be greeted so early. It is Saturday (5:30 am).
Landing on the island, in the early morning, the airport looks like a soccer field in some remote village in our country. With the locals standing on the grass and some hanging on the trees, we slowly began to perceive where we came. The airport resembled a warehouse. Big hustle and bustle around, officials standing behind an unprocessed wooden counter ... We're sure not to be greeted so early. It is Saturday (5:30 am).
To our surprise, two handsome men waved towards us,
dressed in three-piece suits (at 40 degrees heat): one is the director of the
local education ministry, the other is Emerilio, the island's overall
supervisor. He is the one who is supposed to accompany the entire course as
responsible for the Ministry of Education and the local government.
Of course, they spared us all the procedures that
seemed so impossible: stamping the passport, checking the vaccine booklet and
finding our luggage among the hundreds of suitcases, baskets, and coolers all
taken off the plane.
Emerillo, accompanied by a local driver, leads us to our hotel. In retrospect, it turned out to be one of the only European places on the island that has hot water in taps and even electricity, even when there is a power outage on the island (an event that happens very often, as lightning storms hit the tropical island almost daily).
Emerillo, accompanied by a local driver, leads us to our hotel. In retrospect, it turned out to be one of the only European places on the island that has hot water in taps and even electricity, even when there is a power outage on the island (an event that happens very often, as lightning storms hit the tropical island almost daily).
Emerillo came back to us around three hours later,
already wearing flip-flops and dressed according to the weather-appropriate
clothing. Very leisurely, even more patient, he answered the dozens of
questions we asked him to be ready for the course, 48 hours after our landing
on the island.
Here are
some interesting details we learned from him at this time about the island and
the education system where:
General
information about the island
Sao Tome
and Principe - two islands that became an independent republic - were
discovered by the Portuguese in 1486.
Number of
inhabitants: 175.000
Language:
Portuguese
Independence:
In 1975, with the end of the colonial war in which Portugal lost all colonies
it had in its empire.
Average
life expectancy: men - 67, women - 73.
Religion:
Catholic
Local
produce: Cocoa only.
No
starvation - the population feeds on tropical fish and fruits.
90% of
the island has no electricity and running water and people live in the jungle,
in makeshift tree houses.
Transportation:
No traffic lights; No roads - walkways everywhere.
Public
transport: No buses. There are many taxis (the drivers sit in the taxi all day,
unemployed).
A
kiosk in the forest
The island's education system:
5 overall supervisors - in both islands
76 elementary schools and 11 high schools
Elementary: Average number of students - 1,500-4,000
High School: Average number of students - 4,000-5,400
The average number of students per class is 40-90
Mandatory Education Law - up to 6th grade.
The outdated curriculum is in the process of reform.
Basic learning conditions - extremely difficult
There is no technological development in schools - no
internet, no labs.
There is no plan for excellence and no plan for
students with special needs
There are no
pedagogical materials for teachers.
University: There is a high polytechnic
institute that trains the teachers for academic degrees.
There are no courses for teachers or
principals training.
Scope of Teacher Jobs - Elementary 15
hours, High School 22 hours. Teachers work in three shifts.
A teacher earns an average of $ 30 a month
- "die, not live," according to them.
Most teachers are students.
Teacher status - in the past high, now
comes teaching those who cannot do anything else.
Our group composition:
10 men
17 women
7 supervisors include:
1 Overall superintendent of all schools
1 Supervisor for early childhood
5 Supervisors of the entire education
system in both islands
20 school head schools, facilitators and
instructors.
Felisa and me at the airport
