Photocopy extortion

Unfortunately teachers, like our school, tend to be cash strapped, so they use finals as a time to extort money from students. The current racket involves making photocopies for the exam. Our school has no copier, so it would be easier to just write the exam on the chalk board and have students take it on a piece of notebook paper, but our school wants to keep up with the fancy city schools who give out photocopied tests during finals, so the director authorized teachers to collect money from students and make copies on their own. Copies cost less than 2mts each, about 5 cents US, but the nearest and only reliable place to make copies in Mozambique for us is in Tete city, over 100 kms away. We had a copy machine in town at Richard’s a little electronics hut near the market, but Richard has been accused of selling exams to students in the past, so we’re discouraged from using him, plus he can only buy the toner in South Africa, so his machine is usually out of commission. We can also make copies in Malawi, but that involves crossing the border and exchanging Meticais for Kwachas. Plus the last time we tried to make copies on that side we just found a note written in Chewa stapled to a tree where the copy stand was supposed to be located with a phone number, so we didn’t get any copies that day. Still, despite all the photocopy drama, a teacher can cover all of his or her transportation costs and make copies with charging students just 3mets each. We have never charged more and we have never lost money on the errand. Still, we have teachers charging students up to 10mets for a one-page exam. With most of us teaching about 300 to 500 students, the extra 20 cents each per copy can add up to a nice little bonus. Of course it comes at the expense of our students, some of whom have a hard time mustering up the cash. Those who haven’t paid by exam day are forced to negotiate with their teacher before being allowed to sit for the test. Some students are starting to protest, and one teacher even agreed to return some of the money after pressured by protesting 10th graders, but most of the poorest students or the new 8th graders are too meek to speak out, even when they are the ones with the most difficulty in paying the dollar or so their nine exams might add up to. We are thinking about bringing up the situation next faculty meeting because all of our reputations suffer when certain colleagues take advantage. We already recommending having students make a single photocopy contribution at the beginning of each academic year so that the school could have one representative travel to the city with everyone’s exam and make all the copies at once, but that didn’t happen. Luc still refuses to use photocopies. For most exams it is unnecessary since the five or six questions could be easily written on the board, but our school and most students really enjoy the modern feel photocopies give our finals period, so our administrators keep encouraging them, despite the inconvenience. Of course teachers pocketing some extra cash aren’t complaining about the extra work.