Role Models

A while back, my sister-in-law was visiting from UK, and she bought with her a copy of the in-house magazine of the school her son had been working at. On the face of it, it was a magazine, much like any other: filled with news of the sports carnival, and what students did on this or that particular outing.

The interesting thing being that said school was in Uganda.

Yes, Victoria, they do have schools in Uganda.

The first difference was the staff photos, apart from the teachers, there were the administrative staff: the janitor, the gardener...

... the security guards? (wildlife: four legged and otherwise)

Reading on to the student contributions: each form contributed little pieces on a particular theme. One was school highs and lows. One low point:

'when the school was in debt and the ruffians came and beat the principal'

Another, more uplifting piece was on student aspirations: wanting to be UN Secretary-General rated pretty highly!

However, this was before Kofi Annan's son was implicated in the oil-for-food scandal. Although he has been survived this schemozzle, bloodied bu unbeaten, there are now suggestions that Annan is suffering from severe depression, and is being urged to step down. I don't know the full ins and outs of all this. Maybe he should go but, to me, it all sounds a bit like the work of the fuddy duddies. And, according to Another Voice, there is still work for him to do.

Besides, like Molly Ivins says, it's all a bit hypocritical, considering what Bush has been assigning Executive Orders to...