Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo

Books Are Still Needed

I was shocked when I visited one of the main sources for text books in a Congo provincial capital.  I guess I was expecting my neighborhood bookstore.

Books is key to the education process.  Most of us would agree.  BUT imagine a school with less than one book per child.  That's the norm in the Congo.  It is even worst in rural Congo.

The book problem seems to be an easy fix.  Just get books into the schools.  However, the problem is not that simple.

Remember the law of supply and demand.  Enough reasonably priced books are not available.  Multiple and varied languages make the supply and demand even more loop-sided.  Distribution and storage are also problematic.

Finally, paper books are becoming passe.  Alternate forms of books in digital format are the next wave.  In the end, books are still need to perfect the education system.

Vive Le Francais!

 
French is a second language of Congolese children and adults.  Actually, it is probably the third language for most Congolese.  Congo has a multi-layered language culture.  It is really evident (heard) in the rural poor areas. 

A rural villager will speak a tribal language.  This is the language of their mother and or ancestral tribe.  About all of the villagers would speak this language.  There are over 250 tribal languages in Congo. 

Above the tribal language is a regional or trade language.  This is language spoken across multiple villages and through vast regions.  There are four trade languages [Lingala, Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba] in Congo. 

Finally, the official language of Congo is French.  It is language of business.  Also, it is the language of the educated.  Typically, french is started by the secondary school level (junior high or middle school).

The measure is literacy is a person aged 15 and over who can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, Kikongo or Tshiluba.  Overall, 2 out of 3 people in Congo is literate.  However, the literacy rate is much lower in rural areas and for females.

Congo Helping Hands supports the rural poor Congolese and females with educational opportunities.  Join them on Facebook: Congo Helping Hands and Ending Extreme Poverty in the Congo.

Learning Without Textbooks

There are almost no textbooks in rural Congolese schools.  Why?

In a failed economy, there is no catalogs or traveling sales persons going from school district to school district to sell needed textbooks.  School administrators have to travel to a bookstore in a central city.

Most rural schools are over-the-head in poverty.  Teachers are lucky to be paid.  Students struggle to pay their fees.  Money for books are a luxury.  Available money is used to repair or build schools including desks.

It is very difficult for students to learn without textbooks.