Miseducation
Marina is a student in the 9th grade and one of my good friends in the village. I see her and greet her at least once a day. It was unusual then when I didn’t see her for two weeks in May. When I finally did run into her, she was all alone at her desk with her head buried in her notebooks. She was busy studying for the state-issued exam to enter high school--9th grade is the last year of middle school here. I was proud of her and impressed with her dedication and passion for continuing her education onto high school, which is something not many Togolese women have the opportunity to do. A month after the exam, I found Marina at home with swollen red eyes staring down at the ground. Marina failed her high school entrance exam. She would either have to repeat 9th grade or drop out of school for good. My heart broke. It is frustrating to observe how easily students can be rejected from an education they so desperately want and to realize how bright and intelligent kids are failing ...