Day's Diary

January 18, 2007 ~ Class Is In Session

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Classes began yesterday at Zomba Theological College. The system here is quite different from that of a college in the States. To begin with, most of the students are more mature, at least in their twenties, most married with at least one child and many with more than one. The limit to have live here on campus is four children, which means that some families have to make arrangements for some of their children to live with other family members. In the past, first year students came alone and the second and third year students brought their families. This year, because of difficult finances, the second year students were told to leave their families at home. Only the third year students were permitted to bring families. Even at that, there are children running and enjoying the campus and increasing enrollment in the local primary school. The majority of the housing is arranged for families. There is only one building for housing those whose families are not here. It is called the Monastery. There is a small dining hall that serves those students as well. With the new ruling for this year of no second year families, some of the second year students are housed together in the family housing, preparing their own meals. So the campus atmosphere is not that of a college campus at home, or even a seminary for that matter. This is a family community.

The system here is that each year of students has a class room and the faculty moves from room to room, not the students or students and faculty. The schedule is that chapel meets at 7 a.m., with silent meditation for the first 20 minutes and then worship begins. The services last about half an hour. They rotate between Chichewa and English and every other week or so, Chitumbuka, another local language. That means that at least twice a week, I can fully understand what is being said. I am picking up more Chichewa phrases every day. When worship ends, announcements are made and then the students file out, beginning with the worship leaders and then the first row to the back, with the faculty leaving last, since we sit in the back. Then classes begin. The students go to their respective classrooms and the lecturer comes to them. Classes meet for 50 minutes, with a 10 minute break between each class and an additional 10 minutes between the second and the third class for a tea break.

The order of the classes changes every day. So for instance, I teach Theology 2 at 8 a.m. on Mondays, at 11:10 a.m. on Tuesdays, not at all on Wednesday and at 11:10 a.m. on Thursdays. I teach New Testament 1 at 9 a.m. on Mondays, at 10:10 a.m. on Tuesdays and at 11:10 a.m. on Wednesdays. Friday is my day off, to do preparations and the like. I am also teaching beginning computer, which meets in two sessions, since there is a large enrollment and they meet the third and fourth periods on Monday. This is the only exception to the classroom rule. We meet in the computer lab. So Mondays I teach all four periods in a row. Tea break is welcome.

Each student has his or her own desk and is free to leave notes and so forth there from class to class. The rooms are very basic: Students’ desks, a teacher’s table and chair, and a chalk board. What more could one want? Text books are shared, most on reserve in the library, so there is a great dependence on the lecture given. Copious notes are taken by all students. Students listen attentively. Mine need to listen even more attentively, since my accent is different from the ones they are used to hearing and presents a bit of a challenge for them. Hopefully they will get used to me quickly so listening becomes easier for them. The first year students number about 20, but the second year is a combination of last year’s first year class and the 20 students from the Parallel Program that I was originally to teach, so there are about 53 students in that class. Third year has about 25 and then there is a fourth year, for those who have qualified to enter the Bachelor of Divinity (BD) program. The first three years are for a diploma, the fourth for a degree. The decision about the Bachelor’s program is made at the end of the second year and studies begin in the third, so there are really two tracks for the third year. It is a great distinction to be placed in the BD program and is earned by excellent grades alone. There are about 15 in that class.

While the students are meeting in classes, so are the wives who have come with them. They have classes taught by the women’s division of the school, providing instruction in English, typing, Bible Study, and homemaking skills, like sewing. This is to prepare the women to be good pastors’ wives. There is a preschool for the children who are too young for primary school. Ephraim, my house help, also works with the preschool. The whole family is educated here. (Except for the husbands of the women students. There is no husbands’ program – yet.) This is why there is concern that the second year students were not allowed to bring their families this year. This is a change in the culture of Zomba. Many are having a difficult time with the change. They understand the financial concerns, but they are concerned for the wives’ preparation, too. And to be honest, they miss their families, especially as they see families all around them. This is not your typical American structure, but learning is happening in wonderful ways, by individuals who are eager to learn and thankful for the opportunity.