Special problems—special classes
Akibo kneels on the sloping roof. Putting down his bundle of thatch, he
makes sure it is in exactly the right place. Then he ties it down so
that it will not slip off.
The hot sun burns the back of his neck. The damp, rough straw scratches
his bare legs. But Akibo hardly notices. He is too busy proving that he
is the best student in his class.
On a roof top? Yes. Akibo is doing his school lessons. He and his
classmates are learning how to build a house. The boys learn how to make
the thatched roofs. The girls learn how to prepare the mixture of clay
and water that they will plaster over branches to make the walls.
Akibo lives in a village in Malawi, a small country in southern Africa.
All the houses in Akibo’s village have mud walls and thatched roofs.
Akibo and his people have always lived in such houses.
Akibo and the other children go to school to learn how to read, write,
and do arithmetic. They learn many of the things that are taught in most
schools. But they also learn things that are especially important for
their way of life. One of the special things children in Malawi learn is
how to build and repair their houses.
We all learn certain skills from our parents. We also learn other skills
from our teachers in school. We may go to a class in hut making. Or, we
may go to a class in driver education. The skills we learn are different
because our ways of life are different.
We learn the skills we need to know—the skills that are important for
our way of life.
Boys and girls in a hut-making class learn how to build and repair the
mud and grass huts they live in. The boys work on the roof and the girls
mix the mud for the walls.
