Pupil Voice for Day 6

We spent a long day on Monday in Meru School. It was fascinating to see the boys at work. The classrooms are hot, stuffy and cramped with small wooden desks- and a noticable lack of facilities- no projectors, no whiteboards, no cupboards filled with jotters and books. The learning style is traditional hard work- the teacher writes on the blackboard and the pupils copy down the work or discuss it with their fellow classmates. Attitude and discipline in the school differ to Grove- some pupils are extremely focused and enthused whereas others take the opportunity to doze in the warm rooms- and as far as discipline is concerned, we learned that corporal punishment is used.
Throughout the day we met many teachers, but we do find it hard to remember their names! We also spent a lot of time in classes- some of us even showed off our Chemistry knowledge!
We ended the day with a spot of rugby. Neal did his very best to adapt his skills to play their game and he really enjoyed it.
Amalia Kithure and her husband then welcomed us to her lovely home for dinner. Amalia is to come to Scotland next year with Vice Principal Kithinji Ngeera. It was a great night, with a lot of exciting discussion about the forthcoming trip with other Meru teachers Mr Gitari and Mr Kilingo.
A note about accommodation: the Thiiri Centre is wonderful. Miss Glover and Mrs Holligan, along with the help of Mr Kilingo and Reverend Elijah Mwirigi, managed to find the great centre last time they visited. The centre has internet access, a brilliant swimming pool, great breakfasts and very comfy rooms. It is very impressive and we are all enjoying our time here.
Today was excellent- it was great to start to form perceptions of what Meru School is really like.
Love from MDNK xxx