Tanzania: Rains leave 400 without classrooms

  1. Posted on Monday 18 April 2011 - 22:36
    Mugini Jacob Mwera
    Image of Mugini Jacob Mwera
    Mugini Jacob, VoicesofAfrica mobile reporter in the Mara region, Tanzania
    Heavy rains have swept several classrooms at Buhemba primary school in the Northern Tarime District of Tanzania leaving some 400 children without classrooms early this week.
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    The school teachers say they might be forced to suspend classes for unknown period due to lack of funds to repair the damaged rooms.

    ‘Our school has old building that have never undergone repair since 1970s and we thank God that nobody was hurt by this incident’, Mr Gabriel Ikorongo , one of the school senior teachers told the Voices of Africa soon after the incident.

    They accused the Tanzanian government for neglecting the public school, which accommodates about 1000 children.

    ‘This school is under the Permanent Secretary (PS) of Education Ministry but the PS has never made any visit here and we are not sure if he is aware of these problems’, another teacher laments.

    Some of the school children interviewed called for education stakeholders to team up and assist in repairing the damaged rooms so to enable them continue with their studies.

    Despite having 30 teachers the school is also going without a single teacher house. Overcrowding is also one of the problem facing the school due to shortage of classrooms, according to it's deputy head teacher Mr Dams Busongo.

    The government of Tanzania has been sepinding billions of shillings to improve primary education via Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP) but reports had it that a huge part of the money has been misused.

    Corruption is still cited to be the major challenge hampering development initiatives in the East African country where majority of people live below poverty line.

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