Fireside Learning:  Conversations about Education

Ellen Pham

Time for School Series (Wide Angle documentaries)

I just finished watching episode 2 of this series, Back to School, which, along with original 2002 Time for School broadcast, can be watched in their entirety online. Part 3 is coming in September. I'm really glad I watched. Rather than trying to explain, I'm going to post a description from the website:


...We started filming in 2002, watching as kids first entered school in Afghanistan, Benin, Brazil, India, Japan, Kenya and Romania, many despite great odds. Several years later, in 2006, we returned to film an update — and now, three years later, we travel to check in on our young teenagers who are making the precarious transition to middle school. Among the highlights: in Afghanistan we reunite with 16-year-old Shugufa, who resolutely remains in school despite the Taliban’s recent acid attacks on young women her age. “If they continue attacking schools, our country won’t progress. Without an education you can’t get anywhere,” says Shufuga, whose own education was delayed when her family lived in a refugee camp in Pakistan during years when the Taliban ruled her country. We also visit the biggest slum in Nairobi, Kenya, where 15-year-old Joab’s mother has died and his father has abandoned the family. We watch as, incredibly, Joab manages to stay at the top of his class while also raising and feeding his two younger siblings. And in the blazing desert of Rajasthan, India, we encounter Neeraj, 15, only to learn that she has been unable to realize her dream of making it to 10th grade: since our last visit her night school has closed, and she now helps support her family by grazing the livestock full-time while her brothers continue their education.

These children’s stories put a human face on the shocking fact that more than a hundred million children are currently out of school; of these, two thirds are girls. One in four children in developing countries does not complete five years of basic education, and there are nearly one billion illiterate adults — one-sixth of the world’s people...

While each child in Time for School 3 has a unique story, taken together their lives tell an epic tale, shedding light on one of the most urgent and under-reported stories of our time.

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Transcripts for each of the episodes are provided, as well as additional resources for educators. Very worthwhile viewing, I hope you get the chance to check it out.

PS This is a cross post from EFL Classroom. I thought it people here would also be interested. Lots of great resources if you dig through the site : )

Tags: afghanistan, benin, brazil, culture, education, eqality, gender, india, japan, kenya

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Ellen Pham Comment by Ellen Pham on August 20, 2009 at 11:39pm
Here is the preview, in case you need to be coaxed : )

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