Still learning despite Ebola
Rugi smiles as she holds up the radio she uses to listen to her lessons. The Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone has closed schools and left children idle, but World Vision has been working with the Ministry of Education to broadcast school lessons on radio and TV channels.
By Jonathan Bundu, Communications Manager, World Vision Sierra Leone
Rugiatu, 12, settles underneath the mango tree that stands outside her corrugated iron house and waits patiently for the radio lesson to start. Her mother Baby replaced the radio’s battery this morning. Yesterday the battery died during the counting lessons, which Rugi says are her favourite. “As schools remain closed the radio teaching is a blessing to our children, so we will take every advantage of it,” Baby sighs thankfully.
The radio and TV teaching programme started in October, after it became clear that the Ebola outbreak was disrupting the academic year for pupils across Sierra Leone. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports wanted to come up with a programme that would occupy the children while they’re idle at home. World Vision jumped at the idea. National Director Leslie Scott explained, “We are happy to be thinking alike. Radio lessons are something we were thinking of doing in the future, but as the Ministry has come up with it already, we are here to support them.”
Rugi is in Year 4 at primary school in Aberdeen and before the lessons began she missed school dearly. “Ebola has made me stop going to school and also my mother don’t sell anymore and my father don’t go to work anymore.” Before the epidemic began, Baby sold food at the market while her husband worked at the water-taxi in Aberdeen. As fear of contagion has set in, trade has dried up across Sierra Leone. Flights are no longer arriving, and the water-taxi business has come to a halt, rendering Rugi’s father jobless.
As the radio teaching starts, Rugi smiles and hurriedly takes out her book to listen. The voice from the radio introduces the lesson. “Good day boys and girls. How are you? Today’s lesson is on addition….” The voice continues, and Rugi listens with rapt attention; she does not want to miss any of it.
As the broadcast continues, the radio starts to lose the signal, and Rugi cannot help but lift the radio close to her ears. “I don’t want to miss anything. There will be an assignment after the lesson,” she explains.
The lessons are broadcast on 28 local radio stations throughout the country as well as on national television. The programme is divided into two shifts; primary school lessons broadcast from 10am every morning, and deal with various topics right through the week. The lessons for secondary school students broadcast at 2pm and also cover various topics. All the lessons finish with an assignment that the teacher gives the pupils over the radio.
When Rugi lifts the radio close to her ear, the radio signal improves and she smiles while she continues to listen. When the teaching comes to an end, Rugi writes down her assignment and her mother removes the battery and saves it so it can’t run out again. As Rugi goes to have a meal, she leaves me with a smile. “Despite Ebola... I am still learning thanks to World Vision.”