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English is the official language and is vital for any schoolchild to read and speak if they are to progress not only educationally, but also in the outside world.

The 42 three to six-year-old at Norbury primary school, in the village of sukuta, arrive daily hand in hand at 8.30am and are taught maths, languages, games, singing and story telling all in English.

The enthusiasm for lesson is evident and their high pitched chanting voices can be heard as you approach the school, surrounded by orange trees and mangroves, via a winding dusty track.

The school building is a concrete hut with a corrugated iron roof and inside it is smilingly hot Every time a child gets up to walk around, their bare feet stir up the dust on the floor.

on the wall there are three or four pictures of plasters. The teacher would like to see more pictures on the wall, but they have no adhesive tape. The children, in their bright purple uniforms, sit eagerly on home made benches and chairs, facing a blackboard. Ready to Learn" is inscribed on the outside wall of their classroom.

Ebrima has been at the school for three years and loves it. "they are all such good pupils he says you have to be very lenient and patient so they understand what is going on. we recite rhymes and dance together in class. Learning must be fun so they want to come back each morning.

All 42 children, some of whom only started a month ago, can recite the days of the week, the months of the year and count to 100 in English. they also learn the Gambian national anthem and nursery rhymes such as Rule a cock Horse to Banbury cross and twinlde twinlde Little star.

whenever Ebrima poses a question, such as where is your ear?", hands shoot up. they are desperate to show how much they know and what they have learned.

Exercises include bringing a book from the table or ringing a bell, and each time it is correctly executed the whole class clap their hands, applauding their fellow pupils.

Headmistress Harriet Coker started the school four year ago and runs it virtually single handedly. Her own tiny home doubles as the school office, canteen and medical centre. Her vegetable patch help feed the hungry youngsters. finances are stretched and there are not enough books or pens to go around she would love to whitewash the school building to make it look smart, but without even basic items, such as desks, she admits it is not a priority.

She said: "I want to expand, but it is all paid for from the little money the parents pay. We ask for a every month to pay the teacher, but if they can't pay we do not make them. -

"If I had the money I could make it beautiful School is good for them because it trains them and teaches them to be polite!'

Harrier, a teacher for 37 years, works tirelessly for the school Not _only ^does she oversee all the lessons, but she personally keeps tabs on all the children academically-..

She also cuts and sews together ^all the children’s uniforms, chosen because she "loves the colour"

She too is concerned about Aminata's future _knowing how difficult is to. move up the social": ladder without_. an education in a developing country

She understands the difficulties faced, especially by women in a Third World country and knows how hard it can be to gain a career and a brighter future.

Summing it up, she simply says: "She faces a difficult future in a tough country.