Leaving the School System

Philip spent five weeks in South Africa over Dec 2015 / Jan 2016, where he turned 40. Back on the island he confronted a deteriorating school situation: new staff were failing, belittling and turning other children against the Moken, who began dropping out. He stepped away from the government school and moved toward home-schooling and an informal learning centre, teaching reading, writing and maths himself. A friend ("Mark Hawaii") installed a water pump that transformed daily life. The learning centre becomes a recurring institution in later letters, leading to informal-education registration and government exams.