Tag: education
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The Outcast (Page 51)
Sometimes when a circumstance wants to strangle you, it invites you in slowly, tightening its grip on your neck gently, gradually. Soon, you find yourself gyrating in pain and regrets. Level 100, we were seduced into believing university life was cozy. And that, like a bus, we could waste away precious time and still find…
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A battle of double standards
It’s a sad trend. You set up a school, and to convince parents to enroll their children, you must prove the percentage of students who pass the final exams conducted nationally. School has become big time business. And so, schools will go to all lengths to get parents to enroll their children. Students know that…
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Gloomy night
I heard her. Splashing water into toilet seats. Kicking and knocking washroom doors to be sure no one was in there. Rolling mop buckets. I could smell the scent of detergents, and her grumbling. “So a human being really did this!” she blurted. I’ve always complained about the poor maintenance of the washrooms. Here was…
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Boma
Boma doodled on the blank sheet of paper in front of him. He glanced left, then right, head still bowed as if engrossed in some paperwork. But it was all a façade. Deep down he knew, he was only fooling himself. He was illiterate. But he had suddenly been put in the spotlight and he…
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The Outcast (Page 28)
It wasn’t long before our luxurious life in the city started dwindling. It started with our driver. They said he had attitude. Or perhaps our parents couldn’t afford keeping him any longer. What does it matter? The dog wasn’t liked. Did it matter what bad name he was given or what river he going to…
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The Outcast (Page 27)
On Monday, we started school. Our new driver drove us to school, but dad went with us to ensure that the teachers recognized us and allowed us into our various classrooms. Mom prepared some rice and beef stew. By now, we had new lunch boxes and she served us. We were to take the rice…
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University students
On our university campus, I can easily tell which level a student belongs to by his or her looks. First year students always look lost. They’re always asking for directions to various departments and hostels, even when they’re already standing at those places. Some can be seen staring at magnificent buildings on campus. Those ones…
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The Outcast (Page 24)
My first day at school. I repeated the words slowly to myself, wondering exactly what it meant while staring at the foolscap sheet on my desk. Could it be the first day I started schooling as a child, or my first day in their school? It could not be the latter. I was trying to…
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The Outcast (Page 16)
We had a new headmaster, a retired district education officer. It seemed the most important lesson he’d learnt during his active years of service was that pupils ought to know hymns. “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild!…” he intoned. He sang it like it meant so much to him. I and my friend Karim would look…
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The Outcast (Page 15)
One day, I was in class seated beside the window, reading a book, when suddenly someone appeared behind the window. “Patrick! Patrick !” a voice whispered, slipping a little paper into my hand as I turned. It was a boy. Before I could open the paper to read its contents, he vanished. A love letter.…
Diary of a Wanderer 