People First?

This morning I was checking my students' exercises when I saw one of the books is damp. I was about to tick my student off for not taking care of his books when I caught a whiff of kerosene. I immediately guessed what had happpened but I asked him anyway.

He told me that his mom had spilled over the oil lamp while he was doing his homework. Luckily the book did not catch fire. I was horrified.

Most kids, even adults nowadays had never even seen or used an oil lamp and here is my 10-year-old student, using it every day to study.

Would any of the young parents now allow thier children to use matches? Or even use an oil lamp with a very flammable liquid inside?

Here we are, forwarding email about the dangers of handphone while filling up gas for our cars and this kid is using it in front of him every day in order to study.

Where is he? Why is he not using an electric lamp?

I can easily answer the first question. He is in Kanowit. The second question is much harder to answer. We don't have electricity here. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. The nearest electrical pole is about 10 km away.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/22/nation/4953964&sec=nation