Back to School.

These past couple weeks have marked the beginning of the new school year in Tanzania. New uniforms if you've outgrown something, a new pencil, a new exercise book, perhaps a new school. But this year 53% of the students who are able to start secondary school won't because of a shortage of schools. That's about 267,224 kids out of luck. Approximately 9,000 of these students are here in Arusha town (about 50% of our eligible population). These numbers only reflect those that are eligible to attend based on their final exam scores from primary school. It doesn't reflect those that did not pass the exam, or those that might get a spot but can't afford to pay for it.

The way it works is that students take an exam at the end of primary school. Those results are available for secondary schools who uses a system to select the ones with the best scores. Those students take the spots at the government schools which are the least expensive. The rest can wait for further selections (sometimes selections go until June, but then the child has missed half of the year, or they can attend private schools if they can raise tuition. Or, they are out of luck. According to the article, the government reports that about 70% of the children passed their Standard VII exam this year.

Even when you pass your exams, things don't run smoothly. Our housekeeper's daughter took her Form 2 exams last year and did well (she is 15). She was accepted into a new school closer to their home so she won't have to board. Last week school was supposed to start. But many of the students from that school took their Form 2 and 4 exams but did not pay the exam fees. So now the school won't open until they sort out which kids passed their exams, which didn't, and who's paid. The exams are administered by and exam fees paid to the government, not the schools--wouldn't it seem logical to collect the fee before the child takes the required test? Now the students all wait for the notice that they can attend. Or, they can attend right now, but there are no teachers (which is what the school encourages).

What a mess, eh? Private schools say they are willing to step up and take more kids if the government will provide funding (I smell vouchers here! ) but the sad truth is that there simply aren't enough school buildings or qualified teachers at the secondary level. At PHA we were able to hire a science and a math teacher and count ourselves very lucky as they are so rare here. The government (similar to what is done in the US at times) is giving crash-courses to high school grads to get them into the classroom as quickly as possible (except there aren't enough classrooms. Literally--no rooms) and you can imagine, then, the quality of education that can be provided.

The article further said that it was important to improve working conditions so teachers would enjoy working and more people would want to be teachers. They want to focus on training facilities, well-qualified teachers, quality well-equipped classrooms, latrines, books, and other facilities. Notice that "latrines" are mentioned. That's because many schools either don't have them or not enough for the number of students. Science teachers here teach biology, chemistry, and physics without any lab equipment and without ever having done a lab themselves. They teach without books and sometimes without chalk. They teach without photocopiers, overheads, or even paper. They teach without getting paid for months at a time. They are looked down upon for choosing such an unglamorous career and are often held up as part of the problem for "not doing their jobs." They job shop, leaving jobs mid-year if they can for something better. They run other money-making enterprises on the side and often don't show up for work if they have a chance to make money elsewhere that day.

Those are the working conditions of teachers in Tanzania.

So basically if we open a door into 4 walls and could pay teachers every month, we'd be light years ahead of the game. Thankfully, we aim to to do much more than that. The teachers at PHA will have opportunities for professional developement and access to resources. They will have a sense of pride in what they do. They will work harder than they can imagine, doing things they never thought they would do, and see great results. They will be able to participate in the decision-making processes of the school and have autonomy over their jobs and their school day. In short, they will experience (some of them for the first time) how rewarding teaching can be, something that many of us already know.

We are building a beautiful school, one that is worthy of the attention it is receiving. 19 buildings on 100 acres with a drop-dead view in all directions is something special. But for Mark and I, it's what happens inside the classroom between the teachers and the students (and the other adults) that will effect the changes we hope to see. It is those relationships that are central to achieving our goals. It is the teachers and their students that will ultimately drive our success in what we're going.

God bless teachers!