William Kamkwamba On Winds of Power (Part IV)

Preamble:

Current teachers report that William is highly intelligent, modest, quiet and hard-working and is so eager to catch up. William has been out of school for five years after completing two terms of first form (freshman year of high school). He has been educating himself to the best of his resources, and done something extraordinary with his time, instead of becoming a dead-end kid. He's far behind on certain subjects and incredibly advanced in terms of real-world engineering, invention and entrepreneurial skills. Whatever academic choices we consider can't snuff out what makes him so special: his hands-on kinesthetic learning, his autodidact nature, his optimism and enthusiasm for making things, and his natural mechanical and engineering talent.

Wiliam, Dr. Mchazime and I agree that to achieve his maximum potential, William probably needs a customized plan of secondary education, tutoring, internet self-learning, work experience, life skills, and hands-on access to tools, parts and equipment to pursue his plans for the next windmill, solar power and irrigation. He needs to be able to visit his family home frequently. He needs mentoring and interaction with adults in addition to children, and we need to recognize that he's mature in many ways and still very young in others. If he is to go to college, he needs a bridge that helps him cross the gap between his current academic preparedness and modern university standards.

When William came to TEDGlobal, the presentation he brought listed two goals: get a secondary education, and build a bigger windmill. A few members of the TED community agreed to fund those two parts of his "business plan." William's education is my highest priority while I'm here.

Dr. Hartford Mchazime, Ph.D. is William's mentor. He is Deputy Director of the MTTA, a project of USAID that endeavors to improve teacher training and primary and secondary literacy in Malawi. He is the one who started the process of bringing William's story to the world by bringing Malawian journalists to visit William and his Windmill.

Dr. Mchazime has worked hard to get William back in school after the five year break caused by the lack of school fees. For a little more that four weeks before TEDGlobal, William has been enrolled in Madisi secondary school, a competitive government boarding school that serves the families of poor farmers. He entered the second trimester of 1st form, repeating his 9th grade. Madisi, with 735 students is a good school with a visionary head teacher, Mr. Rhonex M.T. Banda, a charismatic "cheetah" leader who has big plans for the school but works under incredibly trying circumstances. I will meet with him and William on Thursday of this week.

Before I arrive in Malawi, I've tried to research good schools. At TEDGlobal I talked with Patrick Awuah of Asheshi University and the founder of the new prep school in Joburg. Kamuzu Academy is the best Malawian private secondary school. I write a long letter to the headmaster Francis Cooke, whom I later discover is another good Irishman. Unfortunately, the emails keep bouncing. I try three different addresses for the place and no luck. Also, trying to send it as a fax doesn't work from my Kenyan safari lodge.

I reach Francis on the phone and try to tell him the story. There is a delay in the phone call as many intra-African calls go up to a satellite because of weak network interconnections. It makes the conversation stilted. He has concerns about William's age but agrees to meet with Dr. Mchazime, his deputy headmaster Andrew Wild, and me on Monday.

Meanwhile, I email Peter Todd, the headmaster of Bishop MacKenzie School, the ex-pat American/British school that the kids of all the diplomats attend. Most students speak English as their mother tongue. I call him Monday am, and he has read my email. He has concerns about William's age and language skills and says that the only program he could put place into is the International Bac. program, which we both agree William is nowhere close to ready for due to his being out of school for five years.

Still, he is supportive and recommends we talk with the secondary school affiliated with the African Bible College, a relatively conservative Presbyterian Denomination school based in Lilongwe, the capital city. Malawi is a religious country where most people are Christian (with an active Muslim minority and some indigenous beliefs). William and his parents believe in God and belong to the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) and attend church regularly.

In the morning I take a chance and drop by the ABC Christian Academy without an appointment because I can't find their phone number on their website. I am greeted with a big smile by the receptionist who instantly remembers William's story from the newspaper. She calls the head of secondary education right away and in just a few minutes i sit down with the extremely warm Lorilee Maclean, a Canadian teacher with a kind heart and tough academic standards. I present William's story and she listens intently. She also has concerns about his age and preparation.

ABC secondary was designed as a missionary school, that is to serve the children of itinerant Presbyterian missionaries. It has 73 full time high school students in its day school program (not a boarding program). Kids come from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Korea and Malawi. They are used to working around many different schedules and kids from all different education systems. It runs on an American calendar from August to May instead of the normal Malawian January to October.

ABC's program however is much more flexible. Because their high school program is only a few years old, it's not currently accredited by U.S. authorities. Therefore they are beginning a distance learning program called Northstar Academy that is fully accredited, offers AP classes and a legitimate high school diploma. I have a feeling this could be a good option, as classes are offered on the Internet, which will teach William good computer schools, and students have access to more than 35 teachers all day long. Pace and schedule are very flexible. The program is Christian-based and academically rigorous. I think of how Catholic schools in the U.S. are instrumental in educating the less advantaged.

What's more, Lorilee is open to tutoring, remedial education and afternoon work experience. She understands that continuing his engineering and hands-on learning is essential. It's near Baobab Health, where William has the opportunity for an after-school job if he's anywhere near Lilongwe. Upsides: Flexibility, committed teachers, small number of students, international student body with native English speakers, which will help William learn English, internet access for self-learning and exploration, full health clinic on campus. Downsides: not a full secondary teaching staff, slightly less resources than Kamuzu or Bishop MacKenzie. She agrees to meet with William, Dr. Mchazime and me the next morning.

We pick up Dr. Mchazime, drive out to William's to fetch him and I am met by the unbelievable sight of a working windmill. William has repaired it that very morning. (see part 3).

By sheer coincidence, Kamuzu Academy is located just 5 km from William's house on a beautiful campus built by Malawi's president for life Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, partly as a monument to himself. It has the best sports fields in Malawi, a library modeled after the U.S. Library of Congress, and a red brick, 1970's esthetic. The school educates the elite of Malawi and has a deservedly top reputation. Frances and Andrew receive William, Dr. Mchazime and me in Andrew's office, which resembles that of a typical college professor: papers are everywhere due to exam week. It is a full boarding school and adheres to the English educational system like most of the rest of Malawi. They have fantastic teachers and pretty amazing resources. The academy employes 529 people in a deliberate attempt to provide as many jobs as possible. Kids from here go to top schools in Malawi, Africa, UK and the US.

Yet, I'm not convinced it's right for William, given his gaps in education after five years out of school, the remote location, lack of engineering opportunities and the fact that he's nineteen and kind of old for boarding school. Indeed, early in the conversation, Mr. Cooke tells me they have strict age guidelines. Most 1st formers are between 11-14. When they first began, he tells me, they used to have much older students. As the idea of such a school took hold, the ages began to fall until they matched those in England. Andrew and Francis are incredibly moved by Wiliam's story and offer wise council, helpful introductions and free use of the library, a real honor for William but due to their age requirements and William's unique situation, it's not the best fit. They are trying to do on a much larger scale what Dr. Mchazime and the TED supporters are trying to do with William: educate the future leaders of the country.