Show me that money

As Martin, one of our history/geography teachers, and myself walked to our school director’s office this afternoon, we were followed by a trail of students semi-jokingly, but would accept it if we offered, begging for money.

When we stopped outside the 5eme classroom, a small circle of male students formed around us, all asking the same thing: if we would lend them money to pay for their tuition.

It is 12,000 CFA for a male student to attend class at my school. (In a federal program started about two years ago, female students do not have to pay to attend the first four grades of secondary school) Theoretically, tuition is due at the end of the first month of class, October. But, as there were still students who hadn’t finished paying tuition in the last 8 weeks of school, the director had mandated that you could not take this week’s midterm exams unless you finished paying.

Many of the students that surrounded me and Martin had already been sent home this morning from their English exam (meaning theoretically they will take a zero for the exam), but had returned in the afternoon hoping that the director would be more lenient this time around.

Sometimes a student not paying is a case of the family not being able to afford it. But many times, it is a case of the student forgetting to talk to their parents, or even, as happened this morning, a parent giving his son money to pay for tuition and then him buying clothes at the market with it.

“How much do you still owe?” Martin asked Andre, one of the 5eme students searching for money. 

“1000 Francs.”

Martin reached into his pocket, and then came out empty handed. He turned to me.

“Hey, Emily, do you have 1000 CFA Andre can borrow?”