Last Post?

I thought that my last post was the last one before we come back.... if you see what I mean?!! But CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) in Kampala means we have a 2 day public holiday and travel anywhere in the city is almost impossible as they keep closing roads and the place is crawling with security 'police'. As the college is on one of the main roads to the main conference centre we are probably going to stay at home!! Hence I thought you might be interested in the college Music Dance and Drama House Competitions. They took place on Saturday on the theme of 'HIV/AIDS Prevention through Behaviour Change'. Each of the four houses (named after the Uganda martyrs - St. Joseph, St. Lwanga, St. Andrew and St. Kizito) took part in choral singing, traditional dance and folk songs, drama, poetry and a speech. Each item was adjudicated and marks given and St. Kizito house won( the first time ever!). My house, St Andrew sadly, only managed third place overall but I was happy as the poem and the speech, which I had helped to write and coach the performers in, both won their sections! It was very 'Ugandan' in that the students left all rehearsals and writing until the week before and we had to give every afternoon over to practises not lectures! However our play which was written the evening before also managed a second place! It was a very colourful and energetic affair with lots of drumming and bright costumes and much teasing amongst tutors and students as to which house was the best!

Rob was invited to present the prizes with the college Principal and they were mobbed by excited students as the final marks were announced! It was another very different experience for us compared to the somewhat serious and restrained music/ballet festivals we are used to.

Exams and teaching practice

We are looking forward to our trip back to the UK for Christmas and hope to catch up with everyone and all the news!!

I have just finished marking 79 exam scripts for one of our two year one pre-service classes. I thought you might like some of the answers given to a question on the Professional Education Studies paper in the special needs section......

'Briefly explain the causes of physical disability'

Answers included the following:-

'Witchcraft whereby one may be bewitched.'

'That family planning is also another cause.'

'Mistreating, especially by the step-mother.'

'Going to small gods because they can give medicine to a woman who is pregnant to produce a boy or girl according to her choice and end up producing a disabled baby.'

'Natural calamities such as mountain erruptions when the hot magma comes out.'

'Some people get a disability because they were cursed.'

Rather sadly the following are correct answers that show the difference between being born here and the first world........

'Poor nutrition - children end up suffering from Kwashiorkor, Marasmus or Rickets.'

'Diseases like Polio or bad Malaria.'

This is a school near the college where I supervised the students on Teaching Practice. It is run by a church charity for disadvantaged children and orphans and unusually has very few puplis at the moment. I was told it was because it is built on rented land and the owners have given the school notice to vacate the land. It is called 'Rivers of Joy Primary School' and here are a couple of photos.