As most people in the UK will know, today has been a significant day in the life of any A-level taking 18-year old, as they got their exam results and found out if they had been successful in getting into their University of choice. The long wait is finally over!
As a mother of two such 18-year olds, the wait has been doubly felt, and it was a great relief when the girls got their results, and we knew that they had both got the required grades to meet their respective University offers. Embarking on the next stage of their education / career path / dreams is now a reality.
As the day of celebrations has progressed for them and their friends, and I've had brief conversations with mothers of some of their friends who also had good results, the feelings of happiness, pride in their achievements, and excitement for their futures have, not surprisingly, been the enduring themes. But at one point I did also find myself reflecting on some of the many mothers around the world who would love to be able to feel that same sense of pride in their children's academic achievements, but due to a lack of access to education, for one reason or another, this is unlikely to ever happen.
One such lady is Harriet. Harriet lives in Kampala, Uganda, and is a member of the Acholi people group. The Acholi are from the north of Uganda, but when there was a civil war in that region, they fled to the capital city and have never moved back. The Acholi people now live in an informal settlement with Kampala, in very basic and poor conditions. Some of the older ones dream of being able to go back, but it's been a long time now, and the younger ones don't feel the same attachment to their tribal-lands or to the concept of living a pastoralist lifestyle.
Harriet has two young children, old enough to go to school, but not attending due to lack of money for books, uniform and exam fees. Harriet is a single mum, and spends her days working at the nearby quarry, breaking up rocks with a hammer, and selling the small stones for a pittance. The money keeps them fed, and pays the rent, but little more than that - what hope for Harriet to ever be able to send her children to school long enough for them to achieve A levels, and for Harriet to feel the mother's pride as they announce their results?
Another lady that comes to mind is a lady I met in Rwanda. I didn't get her name, but I'll call her Janice. Janice is from the Batwa tribe, or pygmy people, in Rwanda - an unrecognised and marginalised group. They had their own land in Kigali and lived a peaceful communal life there, until the Kigali authorities decided they wanted the land. After some negotiation, the authorities 'relocated' the pygmy people to a new site, promising to build them proper homes with running water and sanitation. 7 years on and the pygmy people are still waiting.
Janice makes charcoal cooking stoves and pots to sell at market, but based on the figures she gave us, she has to make and sell about 150 per month just to pay the rent and get water. More if she wants to buy food for the family of 7 who live in her house, including her sick relative, who needs medicines when they can afford them. 4 of the household are children of school age, and thankfully they do get some education at the local catch-up centre, but this isn't enough for them to make it all the way through to A level standard, so Janice is another lady unlikely to ever know that feeling of mother's pride.
Yes, I know its not all about academic achievement, and these ladies will still feel a mother's pride as they watch their children grow and take on, and overcome, all sorts of other obstacles. Indeed there are many parents in the western world who, for one reason or another, don't have the 'A level results' day experience. But it is so sad that there are so many parents in the world who would give anything for their children to just have the opportunity to access education in the first place, and yet through situations and circumstances not of their making, and over which they have no control, this is denied them.
One of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals set in 2000 was that all children, both boys and girls, should be able to complete a full course of primary education. By 2010, it was estimated that enrolment in primary schools in the developing countries was up to 90%, having been 82% in 1998. So progress is being made, but still there are approximately 57 million children not able to access school, and of those that enrol, I wonder how many manage to complete the primary education, and how many have to stop early for one reason or another?
It's so lovely to read updates from some of the CRED partners who are involved with education provision, and see that we are supporting efforts to achieve universal education. But how much better it would be if the MDG was achieved, and all parents could know that delight in hearing their child come home and say that they had graduated from school.
As a mother of two such 18-year olds, the wait has been doubly felt, and it was a great relief when the girls got their results, and we knew that they had both got the required grades to meet their respective University offers. Embarking on the next stage of their education / career path / dreams is now a reality.
As the day of celebrations has progressed for them and their friends, and I've had brief conversations with mothers of some of their friends who also had good results, the feelings of happiness, pride in their achievements, and excitement for their futures have, not surprisingly, been the enduring themes. But at one point I did also find myself reflecting on some of the many mothers around the world who would love to be able to feel that same sense of pride in their children's academic achievements, but due to a lack of access to education, for one reason or another, this is unlikely to ever happen.
One such lady is Harriet. Harriet lives in Kampala, Uganda, and is a member of the Acholi people group. The Acholi are from the north of Uganda, but when there was a civil war in that region, they fled to the capital city and have never moved back. The Acholi people now live in an informal settlement with Kampala, in very basic and poor conditions. Some of the older ones dream of being able to go back, but it's been a long time now, and the younger ones don't feel the same attachment to their tribal-lands or to the concept of living a pastoralist lifestyle.
Harriet has two young children, old enough to go to school, but not attending due to lack of money for books, uniform and exam fees. Harriet is a single mum, and spends her days working at the nearby quarry, breaking up rocks with a hammer, and selling the small stones for a pittance. The money keeps them fed, and pays the rent, but little more than that - what hope for Harriet to ever be able to send her children to school long enough for them to achieve A levels, and for Harriet to feel the mother's pride as they announce their results?
 |
| Harriet demonstrating the rock breaking |
Janice makes charcoal cooking stoves and pots to sell at market, but based on the figures she gave us, she has to make and sell about 150 per month just to pay the rent and get water. More if she wants to buy food for the family of 7 who live in her house, including her sick relative, who needs medicines when they can afford them. 4 of the household are children of school age, and thankfully they do get some education at the local catch-up centre, but this isn't enough for them to make it all the way through to A level standard, so Janice is another lady unlikely to ever know that feeling of mother's pride.
 |
| Janice and some of her family |
One of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals set in 2000 was that all children, both boys and girls, should be able to complete a full course of primary education. By 2010, it was estimated that enrolment in primary schools in the developing countries was up to 90%, having been 82% in 1998. So progress is being made, but still there are approximately 57 million children not able to access school, and of those that enrol, I wonder how many manage to complete the primary education, and how many have to stop early for one reason or another?
It's so lovely to read updates from some of the CRED partners who are involved with education provision, and see that we are supporting efforts to achieve universal education. But how much better it would be if the MDG was achieved, and all parents could know that delight in hearing their child come home and say that they had graduated from school.
You can also have pride knowing that both your girls are likely to improve the lives of others and enable more people with less advantage to have that academic success.
ReplyDeleteI'm so delighted for you all :-)
Jenny x