When Learning Takes a Backseat to Cutting Grass
Imagine sending your child to school, believing they will spend the day learning and building their future, only to find out their mornings are spent cutting overgrown grass instead. What if your child got injured by a sharp cutlass or bitten by a venomous snake in the process? Sadly, this is the reality for many children in underserved schools across West Africa.
A Normalized Practice That Steals Learning Time
In several schools, it’s considered normal for children to bring tools like cutlasses to school. Instead of heading straight into classrooms, they’re instructed to clear the compound, spending up to 2–4 hours cutting grass and bushes.
This routine doesn’t just affect their physical safety, it takes away valuable time for lessons. Subjects like math, reading, and science are put on hold, and sometimes, entire school days are lost to this labour.
The Hidden Costs of This Practice
This system has far-reaching consequences:
1. Physical Risk
Children frequently handle sharp tools like cutlasses without proper training.
Overgrown grass hides dangerous insects and animals, including snakes and scorpions.
Cuts, bites, and exposure to bacteria are common.
2. Health and Hygiene Concerns
Many schools lack access to clean water. After working, children often can’t wash their hands, increasing the risk of illness.
Prolonged exposure to these conditions impacts their physical and mental well-being.
3. Educational Impact
Hours spent labouring leave children too tired to focus when they finally sit down to learn.
Missing class time regularly affects their academic performance and future opportunities.
Comparing Two Realities
In Schools Without Support:
Children handle grass cutting themselves, missing out on lessons.
Grounds are often poorly managed, and the cycle continues.
Risks to safety and health remain high.
In Schools With Support:
Professionals are employed to maintain school grounds.
Children focus solely on learning, in a safe and clean environment.
Over time, academic performance and well-being improve.
How the Digging Well Foundation Makes a Difference
At Digging Well Foundation, we believe that no child should have to choose between safety and education. That’s why we’ve stepped in to help schools across Africa by:
Employing Landscapers: We hire professionals to maintain school compounds monthly.
Providing Resources: Schools receive essential tools like chemicals, cutlasses, and other equipment to keep grounds neat and hygienic.
Advocating for Change: By addressing this issue, we’re helping schools and communities recognize the importance of giving children the time and space to focus on their education.
For example, at Jehovah Jireh African Primary School, we saw firsthand how deeply ingrained this practice is. On one visit, children were handed cutlasses after the morning assembly to cut the compound, a routine considered normal by staff and students alike. By hiring a landscaper to manage the grounds, we ensured these children could spend their mornings in the classroom instead.
The Ripple Effect of Change
When children are freed from these tasks, the benefits extend beyond the classroom:
Families: Parents feel assured knowing their children are safe at school.
Communities: Cleaner school environments improve public health and reduce the spread of disease.
Future Generations: Educated children grow up to be empowered adults who can contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty.
How You Can Help
You have the power to be part of this change:
Donate: Your contributions allow us to expand this program to more schools.
Advocate: Raise awareness about this issue and encourage others to take action.
Together, we can ensure that children spend their time in classrooms, not in fields.
By: Tolulope Adebajo
Project Director
Digging Well Foundation, Nigeria
Email: tolu.adebajo@diggingwell.org