Tanzania: Quality Education Compromised in Mwanza

Tanzania/March 06, 2018/Source: http://www.maraviexpress.com

Learners at Ching’ombe Primary School in Mwanza have to wait a bit longer before accessing quality education at the school as authorities are yet to finalize processing money for maintenance works of two classroom blocks whose roofs were blown off on November 10, last year.

About four months now lessons have been conducted under trees, a development some quarters of the society are blaming on district council authorities for taking too long to address the situation at the institution.

When Malawi News Agency (MANA) visited the school in Futsa Education Zone in Mpandadzi Ward located in Mwanza West Constituency on Thursday to appreciate the situation on the ground, it was revealed that only the backside of one block for two classrooms was roofed.

Meanwhile, the school management has been compelled to combine two classes in one classroom while lessons for other classes are being conducted under trees, a situation which head teacher for the school, Fecknala Mkwapatira described as limiting factor to delivery of quality education at the school.

“Education standards have been compromised at our school because since the incident happened about four months ago, classes have been interrupted by several external factors such as rains, coldness and heat among others,” explained Mkwapatira.

He then urged relevant authorities to promptly address the problem at the school.

District Commissioner for Mwanza, Humphrey Gondwe in an interview said he advised District Education Manager’s (DEM’s) office to authorize management of the school to use part of School Improvement Grant (SIG) as starter pack to do maintenance work of the two blocks in question as council looks for well wishers to assist.

“I already gave way forward to former DEM immediately the incident happened to release money for that purpose,” said Gondwe who seemed to be surprised that the work wasn’t done.

He then said he would, in liaison with current DEM, speed up the process to address the matter.

The current DEM, Saulos Namani in an interview with Mana acknowledged the pathetic situation at the school but attributed the delay to some coordinating primary education advisors who haven’t submitted new account numbers for schools in their zones to the education accounts office following recent changes of account numbers at the bank.

“Five out of 11 schools that are on one chunk of cheque for their respective SIG are yet to submit their new account numbers to my office so that accounts personnel can process the SIG for them including Ching’ombe school,” he said.

However, Namani expressed fears that the money was too little for the whole work to be done.

“It is only 40 percent of total sum of about K640,000 under access and equity component of SIG which will not be enough to complete renovation works,” said Namani.

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Quality Education Compromised in Mwanza