Schools and language

1. Schools and language Slide 1 Kairabe! Today we would like to tell you all about our school and education in The Gambia. Kairabe! Today we would like to tell you all about some of the beautiful plants we have in The Gambia.

2. Slide 2 We go to school between 7 to 12 years old. We go to Gunjur Lower Basic School which is in the Western district of The Gambia from 7 to 12 years old (grades 1 to 6). We go to school from 9 am to 3pm, but some children only go for half a day because we do not have enough teachers or classrooms.

3. Slide 3 Getting to school. How do you get to school? We walk to school. It is always hot and our school is about 3 km away.

4. Slide 4 Our school uniform. We do not wear socks, just sandals or flip flops. Some of us come to school in bare feet. My school uniform is a green and white dress, which all the girls wear The boys wear shorts and shirts.

5. Slide 5 In the morning. They cost 1 dalasi each and this money goes to the school fund to help pay for chalk. When we arrive at school we can buy small bags of nuts or bags of baobab iceceam if we are hungry or thirsty.

6. Slide 6 Our teachers. We have teachers and teaching assistants in our classrooms. Our head teacher, Mr Jallow has a small office and there is a staffroom for all the teachers.

7. Slide 7 Our classrooms. We sit on benches. We have a few posters on the walls which our teachers make. Our classrooms have small windows but there is no glass in them. There are about 40 children in each class.

8. Slide 8 Our lessons. We have text books for English, Maths and SES. In grades 5 and 6 we also study science. We take tests every year. We study the Koran every day. Our lessons are all in English, which is the first thing we learn when we go to school. We are taught English, Maths and Social & Environmental Studies.

9. Slide 9 Our lessons – Social and environmental studies. From Book 2, for 8 year olds From Book 5, for 11 year olds These are pages from our SES text books. In SES we learn about how to look after ourselves, our country and how to live healthily and happily. We are proud of our country and learn all about it and about the meaning of our flag. We sing our national anthem with pride.

10. Our lessons – Social and environmental studies. Slide 10 From Book 1, for 7 year olds We use our senses to check whether our food is good to eat or not. Why don’t you try doing this?

11. Slide 11 Our lessons. From Book 3, for 9 year olds These are pages from our English text books. In English we learn how to read and write. I like comprehension activities and writing stories.

12. Slide 12 Our lessons. From Book 5, for 11 year olds I like solving problems and have just started to learn about equations! We take tests in English, Maths and SES at the end of every year. In Maths we learn about adding, subtracting, multiplication, division and how to solve number problems.

13. Slide 13 Our lessons. We have a special Islamic teacher for this. This book is called the Koran. It is the holy book for Muslims – like the bible is for Christians. We study the Koran every day.

14. Slide 14 Our books and pencils. We buy our own pencils and books to write in. We do not have crayons or other resources. Our teachers write on blackboards with chalk.

15. Slide 15 Water breaks. If we get thirsty during lessons we can get a drink of water. We keep a bucket of water in the classroom and have a drink using a shared can. I am a water monitor and it is my job to fill the bucket with water from the school pump.

16. Slide 16 Our playtimes. Donkeys, goats and chickens often wander through our playground. We have a big playground which is sandy.

17. Slide 17 Playground games. I like to play clapping games, French skipping, fill the bottle and sometimes football with my friends. What games do girls like to play in your school?

18. Slide 18 Playground games. And I also like the cashew game where you have to throw small stones at a cashew nut to see who gets closest. What games do boys like to play in your school? Lamin’s favourite game is football.

19. Slide 19 Playground games. We also like to dance if someone plays a tune like my friend Yama who is beating an old oil container with two sticks. Sometimes we will get 3 sticks and play a jumping game, a bit like hurdles.

20. Slide 20 Sports days. I won the running race! Do you have sports days? What is your favourite event? We have sports days and we all love these days!

21. Assemblies. Slide 21 Our head teacher talks to us and we sing our national anthem. What are your assemblies like? We have assemblies outside because we do not have a hall.

22. Slide 22 Lunch times. We sit together on the floor in the dining room and share the food. We eat with our hands. We are lucky and have a school kitchen where lunch is cooked – usually meat with rice.

23. Slide 23 Our school garden. The fence keeps the cattle and rabbits out. We are growing bananas, cabbages, lettuce and onions. We have a fenced school garden and are growing fruit and vegetables.

24. Slide 24 Our school garden. We fill old oil cans and bottles from the pump and use these to water the plants. We have to water our garden every day and we all help with this job.

25. Slide 25 Nursery school. A teacher’s baby safely in a box! Winnie’s nursery school and Gunjur nursery school. Not all children can go to nursery school because we have to pay for this and we cannot always afford it. Our cousin Ati goes to nursery school and she loves it.

26. Slide 26 Upper Basic School. Our family pays for this and he will go there until he is 16 years old. He wants to be a doctor. Our older brother Abou Goes to Upper Basic School.

27. Slide 27 We like going to school and learning. . What are your favourite subjects? What is your school like? Do you like going to school?