The two most important contributors to the Tanzanian economy are the agriculture and natural resource sectors.
Agricultural production and the mining of natural resources have the ability to create thousands of dependable jobs. Take the recent discovery of natural gas reserves off the shores of Tanzania – this is an untapped energy source that, if facilitated properly, can provide thousands of jobs for skilled Tanzanian’s to provide reliable electricity to households across the nation. This energy boom has the potential to spread throughout the nation in the form of infrastructure projects, education improvements and health investments.
Scientists of every degree and field will be needed as the economy expands and slowly inches into the middle class. Ultimately, the reach of the agriculture and natural resource industries can expand into every sector, creating countless jobs. The opportunity is out there, waiting to be had. All we have to do is reach out and grab it. But where do we begin in getting qualified Tanzanians into these positions? The answer is simple: education.
Physics, chemistry, maths, ICT, biology – the sciences and technology are where we need to educate students, to foster within them a love for these subjects. This is precisely the goal of St Jude’s Annual science fair.
In a day filed with experiments, creative thinking and technological innovation, the St Jude’s Secondary Smith Campus hosted its 3rd Annual Science Fair with the mission to promote a love of science and technology through hands-on skills. This is an initiative of the school in general, to be a facilitator of learning and sharing of knowledge in Tanzania.
Over 700 students, staff, visiting schools and invited guests gathered to see over 60 unique science projects based upon seven different subjects: maths, biology, physics, chemistry, ICT, geography and art. Students offered a range of interesting and innovate presentations. Some of the standout projects included a homemade generator, a cooing system, a cutting and blending machine and use of local medicine.
St Jude’s new Senior A-Level science block, funded by donations from Global Immersion in Australia, was also officially opened. This new building will be home to the incoming Form 5 class, which recently finished 1st in the Arusha Region and 7th in the nation in the 2012 Form IV national exams. Students will focus their A-Level combinations on the sciences and maths, using these new labs to learn through practical, hands-on classroom experience.
We want to cultivate a science community that encompasses neighbouring schools, institutions and businesses. Visiting schools included Edmund Rice Secondary, Precious Blood Secondary, Moshono Secondary, Shepherd Secondary, Good Hope Orphanage School and Makiba Secondary School. Distinguished guests in attendance included representatives from Tanzania Heads of Secondary Schools Association (TAHOSA), Nelson Mandela University, Global Cycle Solutions and Kilimanjaro International Institute for Telecommunications, Electronics & Computers (KIITEC).
Only together can we convince the world that Tanzania is more than just Mount Kilimanjaro and a safari adventure, however spectacular they are. Lions and climbing will only carry the country so far. Maths and sciences will propel it to the next level.
In a national essay competition held by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards in October, all secondary students throughout Tanzania were invited to submit an original essay between 1,000 - 1,500 words to "explore their own unique perspective on the role of standards in increasing efficiency, better results and in reducing waste." It wasn't exactly the easiest topic, but staying committed to the task, our students put pen to paper and drafted articulate, thoughtful responses.
After all the submissions were reviewed, ten finalists were invited to Dar es Salaam to attend the awards ceremony. Of those ten finalists, six were from The School of St Jude, all in either Form 2 or Form 3! Our fantastic volunteer teacher librarian mentor at Smith Secondary, Helen, took our students all the way to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's commercial capitol, for the students to receive their certificates. Of our six finalists, Denis in Form 2, came in 2nd!
On the heels of his tremendous achievement, we invited Denis to share with us a moment in his life that really meant something to him. Below is what he had to say (without any editing from us):
The Moment that Meant Something in my Life
My name is Denis aged 17 years old. I come from a family of five members. In my family I have my father, two brothers and one sister. My family is a single parent family because in March 2007 my mother passed away from a heart disease. My hobbies are playing soccer and reading updated news, also I have a future plan of one day being a doctor.
In 2005 I had a moment which really meant something in my life and this was the moment I joined the School of St Jude. Joining the School of St Jude meant a lot in my life because before I joined St Jude I did not have any future plan instead I thought that I can never make it in life. These thoughts came as a result of failing in my exam, getting tough punishments and having an unpleasant environment for studying. All this made me not to attend school in most of the days instead I could hide in the street until school hours are over and I could return back home with my friend who went to school. But after joining St Jude my life changed and I saw school as a better place to live. This is because in St Jude I met good teachers, transport, condusive environment and fantastic learning resources. Also after joining St Jude I started having future plans and I saw that one day I will make it, that’s why I can say that joining the School of St Jude meant a lot in my life.
Generally the School of St Jude put me in a place where I can never give up, instead I will work hard so that I can fulfil my dream of becoming a doctor. I know that I can make it. This is because if anybody else can do it, I can do it better. This means that if people like Ben Carson were able to make it I can make it too. On the other hand I would like to thank my school and my sponsor for the support which I have been receiving and I promise to work extra hard so that I can make it and bring success and changes in my community.
Denis exemplifies the characteristics of St Jude's students - strong willed, ambitious and thoughtful. If Denis says he's going to be a doctor, we believe him because he believes in himself. His inspiration is what St Jude's is about, providing an otherwise unavailable educational opportunity for those students with the determination and potential to not only dream of a better life, but to dream bigger, beyond their wildest imaginations.
St Jude's currently has more than 1,500 students who are daring to dream. Next year we'll have 150 more students join our family, and one day they too will DARE TO DREAM, just like Denis has.
This past Saturday marked another historic achievement in The School of St Jude timeline: our very first Form 4 graduation! It was a remarkable day that our oldest students will look back on years from now with great satisfaction. As St Jude's has grown over the last ten years, it has been our Form 4 students who have paved the way - through trial and error, mistakes and successes - for all succeeding classes to follow.
They have been our experimental class to improve our methods and curriculum, as well as fine tune the inner machinations of St Jude's. And they've handled it all with grace and a smile, going above and beyond what is been expected of them both in and out of the classroom.
We're incredibly proud of them as they advance on to Form 5. In this guest blog post we welcome back Jane Wall, the Academic Head of St Jude's, who reports on Saturday's F4 graduation and where exactly our new graduates go from here.
Follow Jane on Twitter, @janewall.
By Jane Wall
We have just seen our first F4 graduation ceremony – and what a momentous occasion that was. The event was full of typical colour, enthusiasm and energy but also there was a dignity and maturity which befitted such an occasion. The Hall was filled with pride from the moment the students put on their new uniforms for the first time and led the priest through the capacity crowd of parents, teachers, fellow students, and invited guests. The students received awards for excellent achievement across the curriculum and distributed awards to teachers and non-academic staff for their contribution and support.
We already know that these students are going to achieve great success – a number of them came top across a region of 323 schools in the recent mock exams – but the ceremony also showcased so much talent outside the classroom from speakers, singers, dancers and actors all so confidently taking to the stage demonstrating skills of leadership, teamwork, cooperation and communication. There is no doubt that an education at The School of St Jude has changed the lives of these students and their families in a way that probably only Gemma dreamed of when the school first started.
Another exciting aspect of the ceremony was the coming together of so many groups of people who for many varying reasons have some interest in the school – including representatives from the St Jude Limited board, the East Africa Fund, the Secondary School Board and the Parent Committees. There were representatives from the District and the Regional Education Offices – who were able to see for the first time the school, its students, staff and facilities, and there were visitors from other schools, both staff and students, plus local businesses and colleges. It was great to see them together, in one room, sharing their interests, ideas and common passion for improving the quality of education. It is our hope that these links will continue to grow, especially as we move forward in to the next stage of development and begin to look for tertiary opportunities for our graduating students and ways of increasing our influence way beyond the walls of our campuses.
The F4 students are excellent role models to the rest of the school – hardworking, ambitious and very determined. In 2013 most, if not all, will return to the school to begin their pre-University 2 year Advanced Level studies. Here in Tanzania students have to select from a number of three subject combinations, plus Basic Applied Maths, General Studies, and at The School of St Jude, Religion and ICT. They are required to pass the F4 exams and, at The School of St Jude, to achieve a Div 1 or 2 – which basically means A’s and B’s in all subjects. This year the most popular combinations are those which include Maths, Physics and Chemistry – which bodes well for the future of the country given that any developing country needs good scientists. Other students are doing Business or Social Studies combinations.
Significant plans are underway for the commencement of the A Level programme. 20 new teachers have been appointed, all of whom are degree holders and who travelled from all over the country to interview at the school. They are all really excited to be joining the academic team and will be given time at the beginning of the year to plan, prepare and receive professional development. New appointments to the leadership team have been made, including a teacher to oversee the F5 students, a Career Guidance Counsellor and a very experienced mentor to develop a Student Resource Centre for helping students to find the most appropriate career pathways and tertiary opportunities. Four more Science labs and additional classrooms are being constructed and plans for a more mature boarding environment are being completed, along with access to private study facilities in the evenings.
The Graduation Ceremony may have marked the end of the first ten years of an excellent education for our F4 students, but it also symbolized the beginning of the next exciting chapter in the story of The School of St Jude.
Every so often we are going to have guest writers contribute blog posts based upon their relevant expertise – today we have Jane Wall, the Academic Head of the School of St Jude, who provides a thorough analysis of how St Jude’s educational model is helping our students achieve astounding results in the recent Tanzanian Form 4 mock exams and faciliting the professional growth of our teachers.
Follow Jane on Twitter, @janewall.
By Jane Wall
In the recent School Certificate national mock exams less than 20 percent of students across the country achieved a decent pass, and yet the same statistic for The School of St Jude was 100 percent. Why?
Ten years ago when Gemma was establishing St Jude’s, the Tanzanian government was also launching its Primary Education Development Plan. One of the goals was to achieve Universal Primary Education in line with the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal Number 2 target. Unfortunately, as in many similar countries, the only hope of achieving this was to cram existing classrooms full of children, which significantly increased the student teacher ratio and considerably diluted the quality of education.
In another interesting parallel, when St Jude’s opened its first secondary school classroom, the Tanzanian government was likewise launching its Secondary Education Development Plan. Again, the only way their goals could be achieved was to build hundreds of schools around the country. The students filled the classrooms…. and the teacher shortage continued to grow.
School leavers, with very poor qualifications, were encouraged to attend month long teacher training courses and then were recruited to teach in schools around the country. Paradoxically, high school graduates who achieved a good School Leaving Certificate would have been encouraged into any profession other than teaching, which is not highly regarded as teachers do not have high status within their communities. It is therefore very difficult to recruit teachers with a good, strong personal academic background and a commitment to quality education. Many potential teachers will say that they only trained as a teacher because they would be guaranteed a job and would be able to feed their families.
One very questionable aspect of the Tanzanian education system is that in most primary schools the curriculum is delivered in Kiswahili (the second language of most students, given that their tribal language will be spoken in the home) and then when they reach high school (and only 50 percent of primary students pass the benchmark exam for entry), they are then faced with a full curriculum which is taught and assessed in English only. So students have to master difficult concepts in a full range of subjects in a third language, which is spoken poorly by the teacher and barely understood by the student. Then four years later, the students who make it that far are required to sit for exams which will determine the rest of their lives.
These exams are the sole target for most teachers – the only thing that is of any interest to the teacher, the student and the parent is the exam result and unfortunately the only thing that the exam tests is memory. There is no room in the test for assessing understanding, problem solving, critical thinking, application of knowledge – and so if a student hasn’t got all the facts at their finger tips they will fail. The exam system is recognized to be significantly flawed, the papers are badly prepared and the marking is very inaccurate, but this is how the student is assessed. As a consequence, the only thing of any value at the end of the process is the piece of paper that the results are written on – the student will not have the skills required to make him/her an attractive employee and in a country with high youth unemployment they will no doubt find themselves without a job.
The School of St Jude on the other hand is committed to providing quality professional development for teachers. So the young and poorly qualified “graduates” who turned up at the gate with scrappy CV’s in their hands found themselves in the hands of experienced Western teachers who became their mentors and trainers. To quote George Stephen, the Lower Primary Headmaster at St Jude’s – “We are not the teachers we were when we arrived at St Jude’s.” These teachers are now gaining the confidence to deliver their own professional development and share good practices with their colleagues. They understand the importance of collaborative planning, of self evaluation and they recognize what they need to do to continue to improve the teaching and learning for their students. They are beginning to understand that the exams are not the be all and end all and that it is equally important to produce students who have a broad range of skills and understandings and can apply knowledge from one situation to another.
At St Jude’s there is also a commitment to retain small class sizes and to be able to provide students with the teachers, the resources and the equipment that they need to ensure that teaching and learning is more practical than theoretical, individualized and centred around the student rather than the teacher. A system of accountability has been introduced and high standards are set for both teachers and students. From day one there has been a firm and consistent policy to teach in English from Standard 1 onwards and ESL lessons for teachers are provided in order to enhance the teaching and learning experience and develop a confident use of the language in both the teachers and students.
Of course, all of this requires considerable dedication and commitment from teams of people working constantly behind the scenes to ensure that the school remains supported, because without this, we would be just like any other school in the region and we would not be on the brink of producing some of the best educated and qualified graduates in the whole of Tanzania. Schools around the region are beginning to notice and wonder how it is that in our very first year of Form 4 exams our students are taking the top places and our school is ranked 3rd out of 302 schools and top of all co-educational schools in the North-Western zone. Our collective aim is that we can share what we are doing with other schools, that we share our resources and our expertise and make a difference, not only to the over 1,500 students who pass through our school gates at any one time, but to all those who will be influenced in some way by what is taking place here at St Jude’s.
