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Article: No swots, please, we're Masai; Kenya.(Education among the Masai)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- March 23, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Why the Masai send their slower children to school
"WE PICK out the brightest children, those with the most potential, and then send them off with the goats," explains Johnson Kinyago, a Masai herder. "It takes brains to identify each animal, find water, and ward off cattle rustlers. School is for those who are less quick." Mr Kinyago has two sons. The brighter boy tends his flocks; the other has to go to school. By Masai standards, Mr Kinyago's is a studious family: only 35% of the children of Kenyan pastoralists attend classes. Herders rely on their children's labour, so many feel that time spent leafing through books is wasted. Barely one Masai in ten can ...