"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor."         Proverbs 22:9

         Four of the Lambs that are presently in primary school will be taking a test that will qualify (or disqualify) them from entrance into the equivalent of junior high. As you can see from the following picture, one of those students is quite tall. We wrote in a past newsletter about Andry and his school/medical problems. He already took this qualifying test two times in the past. This time around will be his last chance to pass and move on to junior high. We checked into getting Andry some special technical training, but have come up with a dead end. None of the technical schools will accept Andry if he does not pass the upcoming test.

          The other four Lambs that are pictured further on in this newsletter are taking their junior high leaving test. If they receive a good enough grade they will then move on to their first year of high school. It is during this test that many students are eliminated from the school system. We saw the same thing happen in Kenya. Most of the children study until the end of primary school. At the end of primary school the numbers of continuing students drops drastically. Only about 65 percent of the students will be able to enter junior high and continue their education. At the end of junior high students take another test that drops the number of continuing students from about 65 percent to about 35 percent that get into high school. Then when the children finish high school there is another test. The high school leaving test once again greatly reduces the number of students that will continue on to university. Many times there are as few as three percent of the students that get a chance to study at the university level. There are just not enough places for students in the university system.

          These large end of year tests are make or break tests for the Malagasy people. It does not matter how well you have performed throughout the year for your primary, junior high or high school years. What is important is how well you do on the final tests for primary, junior high, and high school. That is why so many students never make it to university, or even through the public school system of primary school and junior high as they are on their way to university.
          It is not hard to see how difficult life can be for the Malagasy people. Without a good education, or more correctly stated for here in Madagascar, without any education it is very difficult for the people to get ahead and make a life for themselves. There are some good private schools, but they are few and far between. This is one of the reasons that we planned a long time ago to have a private school at Betikara. Many of the area people were saddened last September when we had a finished building but did not have the governmental approval to open a school. Even this coming September may come and pass without Betikara having an official school. We are still in the process of finishing the necessary paperwork.
         Soon we will be hosting the people from the ministry of education that may “rubber stamp” our request for a school. This is a formal meeting that will require me to go pick them up at their office and transport them to the Betikara land. Once at Betikara they will look at our facilities and make their decision as to whether or not we can teach children. Considering the type and style of building that we have, compared to most of the government school buildings, there should be no problem being accepted. Unless of course the people that come to check us out are looking for a bribe. This could happen in Madagascar even though there is a special government office for corruption. So, in a nut shell, please pray for the eight Betikara Lambs that will be taking tests in June. Also, pray for our upcoming visit from the ministry of education that should allow us to start taking in students in September 2007.
 

  Indiana Church of Christ 
  225 East Pike Rd. 
  Indiana, PA  15701 

“He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” 
                           Proverbs 19:17