Back to School

In Canada, you can tell that the new school year is around the corner when you begin seeing sales in stores for school supplies. In Niger, you can tell that the new school year is around the corner when you begin seeing billboards advertising bank loans to help cover the school fees and school supplies (notebook, pencils/pens, slate, chalk, and any textbooks that will be used that year) needed to send your children to school.

The public school system in Niger is really struggling. It’s frustrating that the government doesn’t put more emphasis on education. A mere 10% of the population is literate! The school year is from October to the end of June, with a 3-4 month vacation over the rainy season! Children in rural areas often help in their family fields during the vacation. Some city kids visit family in the countryside over their break, but many city kids end up bored and on the streets during their school vacation. There is a LARGE, GLARING NEED for children’s programs and sports camps during this time.

A German lady we know who is living in Niger for a few months has been volunteering at one of the orphanages we have connections with. Recently she visited the public school where the orphans attend. They were eager to show her their classrooms. She was appalled at the teaching/learning conditions. Small, dark classrooms with holey chalkboards. Very few teaching resources for the teacher to work with! Desks for 2 seating instead 3 to 5 students. One teacher for 60 or more students!

That day, the teacher arrived very late…maybe 20-30 minutes late! Meanwhile, the students were getting restless and starting to misbehave. This is a common occurrence in many schools. In fact, often times teachers may not even show up for classes and the students end up walking home. Lately, there have been some teacher strikes regarding increasing their salary. Teachers are paid less than most security guards, who often have little education and are some of the lowest paid people along with house maids.

Many students just can’t make it through the public education system and end up dropping out. With so many students per class, the teacher cannot individually help each and every student who may have problems with the material. Those students who master the work will succeed. Those who fall behind have little hope of receiving the help and support they need, especially since many of their parents may not have much education either. Furthermore, students easily become discouraged from rather strict teachers who tend to be harsh and belittle the students who don’t know the answers. Kids learn at an early age not to ask questions if they don’t understand (or if they happen to be inquisitive and want to know more) because questioning the teacher would be considered showing disrespect towards authority. Learning by rote and drill practice work is encouraged. One final exam covering the material learned throughout the year determines whether a child moves on to the next grade or has to redo that level again. It’s very stressful on students.

If a family has the money, they will make an effort to send their child to a private school or pay for a tutor. It’s very common in Niger to find families with 5 or 8 or even more children. With so many children to feed, most families can’t afford to send each child to school. Sometimes girls and boys have to drop out of school in order to help at home or in the fields. With a high failure rate from grade to grade and a low student retention rate, many girls and boys don’t complete their schooling and graduate with a high school diploma. Such are the challenges for students, teachers and parents in Niger.

Education in Niger may look very bleak and the system extremely discouraging, but there are signs of hope. Some NGOs and Christian missions are offering affordable education and quality teaching within the reach of the average Nigerien. Horizons Ministries, the Southern Baptist Mission and the Association Cornerstone are all doing great work in this area. Horizons runs a Christian school for Nigerien kids and Tim is looking into arranging for Samaritan’s Purse Canada to finance paying for the lunches for the kids at that school.

I have become somewhat involved with the Association Cornerstone (led by passionate Nigeriens) through my colleague, Hajara, with whom I teach French at Sahel Academy. She and her brother are two of the principal organizers of the association.

The main objective of Cornerstone is to offer affordable Christian education led by qualified teachers. They would like to establish elementary schools in throughout Niamey as well as around the country. It has taken over 2 years for Cornerstone to acquire the green light from the government to open just one kindergarten (with plans to offer all the elementary levels). The bureaucracy and paperwork required has been a formidable task. In the meantime, Cornerstone has been offering evening adult education classes which prepare adults for the “baccalaureat” exam required for high school certification.

In August, Cornerstone received the exciting news that they had received approval to open a school in Niamey. Cornerstone had already begun renting a piece of property with a home and large yard to house the kindergarten (2 classes of 30 students max.). The plan was to begin classes in early October, but unfortunately they have come across yet more government red tape. God willing, the school will open in the next week or two.

The high school students at Sahel Academy spent a Saturday morning recently helping to construct a playground for Cornerstone’s new kindergarten. This act of love and service earned them community service points required for graduation.



The orphanage has a publically funded kindergarten attached to it with a qualified, enthusiastic Christian teacher. She has a BIG heart for the children.



The day I visited, she was planning activities to teach the concept of quantity: “a lot”, “a little”. She had 3 stations set up with various activities involving counting, colouring and manipulating objects.


NOTE: this classroom has more resources than your average kindergarten thanks to the support of the local church and other missions.












This year there are about 15 students in the orphanage kindergarten (half are orphans and the other half are children from the community). The school can hold between 25-30 students maximum.








Kids during recess at the orphanage kindergarten and playground.











This year, I’m teaching 4 classes of intermediate level French to students from grade 1 to 12. My schedule is lighter than it was last year, but I still manage to keep myself busy planning lessons and doing other “teacher-related” tasks. I miss not having a homeroom class where I can get to know the students more intimately over the year, but I certainly don’t miss having to teach 5 subjects. I’ve just started helping out two mothers organize the afterschool elementary girls club called “God’s Girls”. This year, we’re planning on incorporating activities from the Girl Scout/Girl Guide program since a couple of us have some background with Scouting/Guiding. I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences in Girl Guiding and my love of nature, knowledge of camping, and enthusiasm for campfire songs!