All Children Should Read

What is your first thought when you are given a fine? I can bet you that if you ever have received one, at that very moment you did, you were not too delighted knowing you were about to incur a loss. Instinctively, people do not take very much pleasure in paying fines I would say. But lets face it; there is a good reason behind having fines in most cases. Take Singapore for example; in 1992 the government banned the sale of chewing gum and set a law that fines people who litter gum. What was the result you might ask? Singapore just happens to be one of the cleanest cities in the world! Something similar is happening in Malawi at a reading camp known as Chigwenembe, located in Traditional Authority (TA) Chikowi, Zomba rural. I am not quite sure how people in Singapore view the gum law; however, there is an interesting twist on how community members have accepted a certain law in Chigwenembe.

For some time, the camp faced a daunting challenge of improving the reading and writing abilities of its first and second grade students. The students felt that being able to read was almost impossible. They started to become absent from the camp as a result of this belief about learning. Their absenteeism was not helping them improve academically in any way.

Save the Children aims to address such issues within the education programs it implements. Village heads from various camps across Malawi’s districts with education programs are trained in gaining knowledge and skills in order to bolster supervision at reading camps. A leader from the Chigwenembe camp, who also goes by the same name, has taken initiative in addressing this issue. He monitors the camp and communicates with parents on the students’ progress. The absenteeism problem at the camp was something he noticed and that he was not too pleased about.

Enough was enough for Chingwenembe. “Time has come for all children to learn how to read and write,” he told a facilitator. One day, he decided to be bold and creative in tackling the camp’s reading challenges. He passed a law in the community that would fine parents every time their child did not attend camp. “Parents who fail to send their children to camp will pay a fine of a goat,” he declared. The community lived in fear of the fine called chindapusa in vernacular and every one became responsible in making sure their children attended the camps.

There was a sudden change of events. Students began to attend regularly and actively participate in the reading camps. Children who were previously failing were soon able to read and write fluently! This positive change made the community extremely happy. “Our children are all reading because of this village headman,” said one of the parents proudly. Interestingly enough, the community members seemed to like the idea of this fine.

I guess fines do come in all shapes, sizes and even peculiarities around the world – but who would have thought that something like a potential fee for the dreaded loss of a goat would get children to improve their reading skills? That is what you call being innovative if you ask me. Who knows, maybe one or two people from the community of Chingwenembe do not enjoy the thought of possibly paying that cost. But one thing is for certain; they definitely do appreciate the result!

Written by Edith Maxwell, Basic Education Facilitator