How suggestion boxes have transformed the Buhigwe Primary School

Dar es Salaam. School suggestion boxes have played an important role in amplifying student concerns in Buhigwe Primary School and are helping to facilitate remarkable improvements in school facilities and resources.

This has facilitated planning and finance processes, which have transformed Buhigwe Primary School's educational environment in the Kigoma Region.

The whole endeavour is part of the USAID's Public Sector Systems Strengthening Plus (PS3+) Activity, which is a five-year project funded by the US government and implemented through USAID with support from the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) in collaboration with the President's Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG).

The local District Council, and the District Education Office (DEO) are also part of the implementation exercise under the auspices of PORALG.

Deputy Headteacher, Goodluck Digimba, said pupils can now freely express their needs and claims, leading to the construction of more classrooms, improved water access, and enhanced hygiene.

“We acknowledge the guidance of USAID PS3+ and LGA officers on where to place the suggestion box, which for a long time was dormant because of its position, at the headmaster's office,” he said.

Successfully implemented suggestion boxes have instituted processes to manage feedback. During regular school committee meetings—which typically include parents, teachers, local government authorities, and other education stakeholders—committee members in Buhigwe now take time to review school suggestion box submissions.

The committee referred the suggestions to the DEO, which approved and asked that Buhigwe Primary School integrate the suggestions into the school’s formal plans and budgets in the PlanRep system, a government planning and budgeting system for local government and service delivery facilities developed and rolled out with the support of USAID PS3+.

Issues that can easily be dealt with at the school level are discussed and addressed, and bigger concerns, especially those requiring government financial support, are elevated to the DEO to consider.

In 2022, the school committee at Buhigwe Primary School identified key concerns raised through the school’s suggestion box, including the need for additional toilets, improved classrooms, and a changing room for ladies.

He said with support from the community in the form of construction materials and volunteer labour to help dig foundations, fetch water, and mix cement, Buhigwe Primary School now has 26 new toilets, two new 5000-liter tanks for clean water, and two new tanks for the sewage system (one septic and one cesspit). Additionally, the school was able to make substantial repairs to seven existing classrooms.

Jeremia Kinji, a parent of one of the students, expressed the community’s satisfaction with the changes at school.

"We are delighted to witness these positive changes. The school took the initiative to involve the surrounding community, and their suggestions have been embraced by the local government," he noted.

Beyond the physical improvements to the school, Chausiku Simoni, a teacher at Buhigwe Primary School, highlighted the important role the school’s suggestion box has played in giving students a voice.

"Previously, students had no platform to express their opinions, but now they have the opportunity to share their ideas.” she said.

The suggestion box at Buhigwe Primary School shows that when student, parent, teacher, and administrator suggestions are considered and when there are formal and trusted ways to channel suggestions through planning and financial systems, remarkable improvements can be made.

Buhigwe Primary School student Vanessa James said that moving the suggestion box closer to the classes changed everything. “Now, we use it confidently, and it is encouraging to see our suggestions taken into consideration. As a result, we have better facilities, more toilets, clean water, and new classrooms,” she said.