The Sunday News
SEVEN years of innocence have passed while being obedient friends but I have never shared anything with you about the world I would like to grow up in. I would like to grow up in a world where children are the wealth of parents. A world that determines the importance of being a child. The world I am talking about is a world that acknowledges the privilege of children. A world full of child happiness and care.
Where there would be provision of better learning skills for children that include qualified teachers and adequate furniture for use in the learning environment. Where education is of paramount importance to pupils for the improvement of their day to day life, to shape their future and to make them good leaders of tomorrow.
My friend, I know this might seem too much but I would like to grow up in an environment where individuals are united in educating the disabled. When I look into this world we are living in, it pains my soul to see so many disabled children uneducated. My friend, the desire I have is for us to have facilities for the disabled in all schools to have easy access to education and to stop discrimination against the disabled.
The world we are living in is governed by the term “no money no living”, meaning that if you are poor then you have a hard life but I have a will to live in a world where there is nothing called a street kid. A world where there are sponsors for children who come from under-privileged families whereby there will be free education to enable the children to have a better future. Some are dropping out of school because they cannot afford to pay school fees.
Schools are lacking, some pupils are walking twenty kilometres going to school. Instead, I would like to grow up in a world where each village has a school and pupils have ample time for studies rather than walking long distances in order for them to access education.
Blessing my buddy, my wish is to grow up in a world where rural schools are given free textbooks because some schools do not have money to by textbooks for the school and also provide electronic and mobile libraries in rural and urban schools for the children to use, a more technological savvy world with E-Learning, where there is development in computer lessons. A world where we have students using computers in class to solve mathematical problems, studying English or any other subject and also for researching for information on the internet to use in and outside the learning environment. Where teachers use overhead projectors with white board and white markers to prevent diseases like TB and flu affecting children due to dust from chalk used on chalkboards.
It must be a world where rural areas have developed infrastructure and electricity to enable children who learn in rural areas to have access to E-Learning. It will be fair for every child to do computer lessons in order to be well skilled for jobs such as accountants or shop manager.
I would like to live in a world with globalisation, where people are united and speak in each other’s language for better communication. This includes languages such as Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, and many more.
The kind of world I would like to grow up in democratic world, where one chooses the way of life which he or she wishes to live. Where everyone is respected and a world where everyone’s opinion matters.
A world where children’s rights are concerned especially the right to education and the right to say no to early marriages.
Control of diseases is a must in the world I wish to live in, incurable diseases like Ebola, HIV and Aids having a cure.
I would like to grow up in a world where there is an active organisation providing food for the people in places which are prone to drought and where there is provision of fertilisers, seeds and many more to help those who are in infertile lands.
A world where there are no wars such as civil and tribal wars which affect children in terms of health and education. These wars make teachers shun those places, leaving children without anyone to teach them.
My will is to live in a free world.
We are the future of the world and I hope you share the same views of a better world with me.
Your loving friend,
Phiri Michell
Michell Phiri is a Form Three pupil at Binga High School. She won the 44th International Letter Writing Competition in Matabeleland North with this letter. Sunday Leisure invites more short stories from pupils for publication.
