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National school exams in Tanzania are tough and often used to gauge a students’ performance. Each year, Grade 7’s, 9’s and 11’s from St Jude’s and public schools from across the country, have to pass the exam to be able to move on to the next level of secondary school.

For the students in government schools who fail, they are forced to leave their education and then find ways to support themselves and their families. They become part of the millions of children worldwide who don’t attend school.

Many Tanzanian children in government schools are learning in classes of up to 150 other students with few textbooks and few teachers. Despite their limited access to a well-rounded education, the students still have to sit the national exam. 

St Jude’s believes that children living in poverty need to be on an equal playing field to other students in international and private schools that get a good, high quality education. It is why our supporters from all over the world have backed St Jude’s by investing in our students’ free, high-quality education so they have a higher chance of escaping a life of poverty.

Students are able to focus on getting good grades and the right exam results to move to the next level of their education and we are confident that they will go on to study at good universities so they can become future community leaders.

As well as ensuring that they have the tools to pass their exams, we’re committed to providing them with the resources and other lessons so that they can become critical and creative thinkers.

Impressively, our Form 2 students ranked 4th out of 355 schools in the North West zone of Tanzania in the recent national exam; while our Form 4’s came in 3rd in the region and 20th in the country. The Form 4’s improved on last year’s results with more students achieving Division 1 and 2, which is equivalent to an A or a B. 

A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to prepare the students for the big tests. Firstly, there are committed Tanzanian teachers mentoring and supporting students in their lessons.

“Our academic department works tirelessly to ensure our students get a quality education in terms of the skills and at the same time produce best results,” said St Jude’s Secondary Headmaster Rasul Abdul.

The students do a series of mock exams to see how they’re faring in their subjects and if there’s room for improvement. They are not the sole measure of determining a students’ performance but are a good indication.

Our students also put in extra study hours so they can do their best on the day. Once the national results are released, the headmasters and academic staff will do an analysis and find ways to help them improve in their subjects.

Our students strive to do well in their exams because they highly value their education at St Jude’s. Godwin in Form 3 was one of the top tier performers in his class in the last exam.

“It was my first time to be at the top and it felt so nice because it’s where I planned to be,” said Godwin. “I like to do well in my studies because I want a good life in the future and to be able to help others coming after me in lower grades.”

You can make your mark on our students’ lives by donating to our current appeal. Choose from a range of items such as a computer to share for our students or textbooks needed for three classes for a year. By investing in educational resources at our school, you can see our students flourish academically and perform their best in exams.

Find out more about the Make Your Mark Appeal and becoming a sponsor on our website.