Curriculum a la Tanzania

1. "My father likes to drink whiskey."
2. "The man got drunk at the wedding party."
3. "The boy drank poison in a cup."
4. "The fat man has an ass."

True or False: The sentences above are suitable for teaching young children how to read________.

Most Westerners would probably answer "False" for the age inappropriate content and language.  However, these are sample sentences actually taken from a beginner's English book here in Tanzania.  Imagine, reading with a 7 year old and helping him to correctly pronounce "ass" - like "'a' as apple" - when you discover this sentence following the innocuous example "the cat sat on the mat."

Overall, the material that is taught to kids here is very matter-of-fact.  The content simply isn't edited to create a sanitized kid version - probably because the kids are basically seen as little adults.  The information also conveys general safety and health precautions that can help keep them from getting sick or hurt rather than more abstract educational concepts.

For example, science class has focused heavily on body cleanliness.  The kids had several classes on how to bathe, including the various items used for proper hygiene.  It was all very true to Tanzania - the illustrations featured naked people squatting in front of a bucket and pouring water on themselves from a pitcher.  The course covered toothbrushes and toothpaste, but I doubt very many of the children actually know what these are since their teeth are brown and rotten.

Science class has also covered the importance of not drinking dirty water and the diseases that can be carried by mosquitoes and house flies.  This section was tastefully illustrated with paired images of a naked man urinating and defecating near water sources - which the students were admonished never to do.

The most serious topic that they have covered is the transmission of HIV.  Since HIV has decimated the Tanzanian population and left many of the children at the school with only one parent (if they're among the lucky ones), this class makes a lot sense.  It was still striking nonetheless to hear these kids reciting the ways you can catch and transmit the disease in their little singsong voices.

As to their personal safety, their science book warns them not to get too close to wild animals such as crocodiles.  To drive this point home, the illustration depicted a crocodile taking a huge, bloody bite out of a man.  I guess I wouldn't go near one after seeing that picture...but I thought, "geez, this book is for kids. Did it have to be so gory?"

The curriculum in Tanzania really drives home the differences between the kids' lives here and at home; here, kids are expected to be little adults, to help the family earn money, and not have a protected childhood per se; here, staying alive and healthy is still a basic concern, ahead of having fun and learning for learning's sake; here, it's still very much about surviving versus thriving.