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Event at the Free Word Lecture Theatre featured Kamila Shamsie, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and our own Michael Archer.

Free Word presented today the launch of Writers Bloc, a new project which sends writers to report on education issues around the world. Kamila Shamsie, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, chair Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, and Hugh McLean joined our own Michael Archer in a discussion on the project.

During the hour, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discussed how the experience “opened [her] eyes” and praised government colleges of the past in Nigeria that taught children from different classes and regions. Hugh McLean talked about the decline in respect for teachers, while Kamila Shamsie spoke about the need for curriculum change in Pakistan.

Find all the Writers Bloc essays below, and click here for Zadie Smith’s introduction:

In the Writers Bloc series:

Aleksandar Hemon on Bosnia

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Nigeria

Rachel Holmes on Palestine

Kamila Shamsie on Pakistan

Zukiswa Wanner on South Africa

Tahmima Anam on Bangladesh

Nick Laird on Nepal

Nathalie Handal on Haiti

Hardeep Singh Kohli on India

Petina Gappah on Zimbabwe

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Zadie Smith: Mind the Gap: Zadie Smith on global school reporting without the wonk. More
Aleksander Hemon: National Subjects: Ethnic identity training in Bosnia and Herzegovina begins in the classroom. More
     
Kamila Shamsie: The Battle for Pakistan’s Schools: Can a small group of reformers modernize Pakistan’s schools? More
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Why Are You Here?: Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie on branding, charity, and class in Nigeria’s schools. More


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