My mother, my education

In 1993 in Chad, my mother had the idea of creating a school that focused on basic literacy skills for children. This idea started in the family living room where she gathered children from extended family and friends for reading classes. The home classes grew into the opening of Ecole Comer primary school in Ndjamena the capital city. Education for children is one of the ways to set them up for a future, and she believed that her own creation would generate a better future for the children around her. With the support of friends, Ecole Comer began with 6 classrooms and little over 30 students. 30 years later, this school still stands and caters to the education of approximately 200 students per year. Ecole Comer is in a small humble compound with simple classrooms and materials delivering quality education to students. This is a reflection of my mother’s life principles; simplicity, and work well done. The focus has always been on the content and quality rather than having an extravagant building.

Throughout the years, socio-political unrest in Chad has impacted the level of education nationally. The declining number of trained teachers and the economic recession have affected the quality of learning the school could offer. During these times, my mother’s focus has been to continuously find ways to improve the learning curriculum and train the teachers in new teaching methodologies. Her innovative approach has brought new learning technology and materials to aid students in their studies. The overall aim was to ensure that students mastered the art of reading and writing at the earliest grades. As national education continues to deteriorate, the challenge remains for Ecole Comer to stay on the path of delivering quality education.

“Education is all I can leave you with”, my mother would often say. In my younger days, I did not fully understand the meaning of this phrase. Today in retrospect, I understand her belief that education was key for future generations in Chad. Thousands of students have gone through Ecole Comer, all thanks to a woman who put her mind and heart into building futures. I completed my primary education at Ecole Comer and am thankful for how the school instilled in me a passion for reading. That passion has helped me throughout my education and in my professional life. I owe it all to a woman I call my mother.

Deborah Melom Ndjerareou