| Organisation comes to the rescues of Kibaha school | Send to a friend |
| Monday, 12 July 2010 19:00 |
 By Beldina NyakekeThe government policy that requires every ward in the country to have at least one secondary school has increased access to secondary education for pupils who pass Standard 7 examinations. With the increase in secondary schools in the country, many primary school leavers are now able to secure admission in these schools, although the quality of education has not risen to required standards. This is due to many challenges that face these schools, whose successful running requires joint efforts and initiatives by the government and other stakeholders. The challenges include the need to establish hostels, laboratories and address the perennial shortage of teachers. Others include the shortage of text and reference books which inhibits learning in most of these schools. In Kibaha District council and Kibaha Town council, for example, there are 15 secondary schools in 13 wards. Due to this increase, the average enrollment in Form One in the last four years has increased from 402 in 2005 to 1664 in 2008 for schools within the Kibaha Town council. In Kibaha District Council, enrolment has also increased from 347 in 2005 to 991 in 2009. However, both Kibaha District and Town councils require an immediate intervention if the area is to attain the required standards. Kwala and Ruvu secondary schools found within Kibaha need hostels and teachers’ housing. As a result of this shortage, teachers and students alike find concentration on lessons a big challenge. Upendo Joseph, a Form Four student at Ruvu Station Secondary School, says it is difficult to concentrate because she is constantly worried of how she will spend her night. Sensing the need for accommodation in 2007, the school management decided to transform four classrooms into girls’ hostels. Whereas the conversion of classrooms into hostels was plausible and it solved the accommodation menace, it created another, the shortage of classrooms. Currently, a single classroom is occupied by 65 students, far beyond the recommended number of 25 per class. The overcrowding in classrooms moves to the hostels at night and apart from robbing students of their sleep, the concentration levels during class hours are also dropping. Things are not any better at Kwala Secondary School where the school management has also decided to transform two classrooms into a girls’ hostel. According to the head teacher, Mr Michael Kitinya, the school decided to look for alternative ways of helping girls concentrate on their studies after the they realized that lack accommodation at the school had a negative impact on their studies. “These girls were walking long distances, as a result some were getting pregnant and other traditional and cultural practices. The only way was to start up a hostel to help such students realize their dreams,” he says. In the early days in an attempt to alleviate the situation some parents decided to rent rooms for their children at Kwala village which is closer to the school. However, this too, had its own problems, because girls fell prey to some of the men in the village and as a result last year four of them got pregnant. And just like in Ruvu the conversion came with the shortage of classrooms. “It was like we were digging one hole to fill another but there was no way out we had to save these young girls from the sugar daddies,” he says. However even as the gloom rears its ugly heads at the community effort, there is a ray of hope. Plan International Tanzania has constructed a hostel at Ruvu Secondary School with a capacity to absorb 100 girls out of the 285 at the school. According to the organisation’s development facilitator, Kibaha program unit, Mr Emanuel Mmbaga, prior to the commencement of the project they carried out a community sensitisation exercise to raise awareness on the right to education in seven villages at Ruvu Ward. “Although the project is fully funded by Plan, the community actively participated in monthly project monitoring and contributions,” he says. He explains that the project has seen the development of a dormitory, a dining area, a kitchen and a laundry room. The dormitory is well furnished with bedding materials as well as a dining area with kitchen utensils. He says that efforts to get water from boreholes and supply it to the dormitories, as well as supporting one block of girls’ latrines, is in the pipeline. “Due to the acute shortage of water, the plan is to further develop a water source that will ensure there is enough water supplies in all buildings,” he says However, he admits that there is still need to construct more dormitories for the district to provide opportunities to all girls in Kibaha district. Yusuf Mzumeni, Ruvu Ward executive Officer, says that Plan International has done a commendable job but the school is still facing many challenges. He says that the school has 605 students but has only one hostel for girls, which means that the school needs more than five hostels to be able to accommodate all the students at the school. He notes that residents of Ruvu Ward are yet to be well-motivated on educational issues, a situation that causes them to be reluctant in contributing funds towards development projects aimed at raising the standards of education in their ward. According to him, poverty is another challenge. He says that most of the people in the ward are poor and sometimes cannot afford to contribute financially towards the development of education in the district. Asia Simba, a student at the school, says the organisation’s efforts to bring sustainable development in the education sector, within the district is highly commendable. “Although there is still a big need for hostel facilities in the school the establishment of one by Plan International will alleviate the shortage and it will free classrooms,” she says. However, even as such efforts to encourage education are being put in place, the negative attitude of most residents towards contributing to education projects is one that Kibaha will first have to overcome. According to residents many people have little or no formal education and that’s why they don’t see the importance of improving the education sector in their ward. Many of them think that the responsibility of improving the educational sector lies with the government and international organizations. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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