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Kondoa schools lack teachers, basic facilities
2006-05-17 09:39:45
By Joyce Mkinga
Newly opened schools in Kondoa District in Dodoma region lack basic facilities, The Guardian has learnt.
The schools, most of which opened this year followed a government directive that all students who passed Standard VII examinations proceed to secondary schools.
The schools lacks books and teachers.
Local Governments Capital Development Grant Systems Supervising Committee found during its tour of the district that the students lack of books, teachers and laboratories.
Some students sit on traditional stools during class hours because of lack desks and chairs. Each student is forced to buy his own stool.
Dilai Secondary School headmaster, Yusufu Muhenga told the committee his school lacks books, chairs, desks and teachers.
He said parents are required to contribute 18,000/- each for their children’s desks and chairs.
’We opened the school on April 15, but we do not have basic facilities to enable us and students to work properly,’ he said.
He said the school, located in Kingale ward, has only two teachers for the 160 students expected this year.
The Bicha Secondary School headmistress, Halima Nyera, said her school has no books and teachers for the 80 students who reported to the school this term.
The school has two teachers and three Form VI leavers to supplement the teaching staff.
Ulla Secondary School headmistress, Emily Mkufya, said her school faces a similar problem. The school was established last year, but has no books for almost all subjects.
A representative of the Netherlands embassy, Hursen Raaddschilder, expressed surprise that some schools had good buildings, but students had no books and teachers.
In his opinion, it was better to have two classrooms that are equipped with books and teachers than the current situation.
’Education does not mean students sitting in well-furnished classrooms, but the knowledge that is imparted to learners,’ he said.
Kondoa District Education Officer, Mussa Singo, said that buildings were the difficult part of the project, but the rest would be easy to solve.
He said he had requested the government to post 358 teachers to the district.
Kondoa District Council was allocated 720m/- by Local Governments Support Project to build 10 secondary schools.
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