Ask HN: Help me come up with a list of books for education in Tanzania
One of my neighbors in Dar Es Salaam is a 17-year-old student that has just started university. Let's call him John. While he was excited at starting his courses about a month ago, he is having to quit because his family does not have the money to pay tuition (TSH 1.26million/year, equivalent to less than $600/year). As many other students in the country are in the same situation, I have been playing around with ideas to promote and support education in a targeted and scalable way.
After noticing that Kobo and Amazon both have e-reader apps, and that most youngsters in this country have a smartphone (John owns one), I started thinking about what would happen if donors paid $10 for every book a university applicant reads. I proposed the idea to John, and he accepted the challenge. The rules we agreed on are:
1) I get to decide the list of books; 2) He only gets $10 if he passes a very simple test about each book; 3) The money can only be spent on tuition; 4) The money will only be spent if it can pay the full tuition (meaning, if he only reads 50% of the target, the funds will not be released).
Before receiving comments about the harsh conditions, I would like to mention that I am asked for money on a daily basis. I thought of this challenge as a way to ensure the money is well spent.
Now, I need to come up with a list of books (60 should be enough).
To be taken into account:
1) Due to the lack of resources, the level of education of a 17-year-old in this country is equivalent to the level of education of a 12 or 13-year-old in the Western; 2) He will have to read these books without outside support.
Thank you in advance.