african gym class

there is a government run primary school in town right next to the grocery store. every morning when i'm driving by, i'll see little boys hacking away at the seemingly endless weeds and grass that grow on the compound with a machete. and i'll see little girls ho-ing it away, planting maize seeds and other vegetables. when i walk by at lunch time, i'll see a different set of kids working it in the field, sweltering in the sun. and when i drive by after work, yet another group of kids, hacking and ho-ing as fast as their little arms will let them. it's almost as if there is a certain quota of grass/land the kids must chop/till, and if they don't fill it, they can't go home. this is taking child labour to the extreme. this must be the african version of gym class.