With heavy preparations and the microphones ready, the stage was set. From Kenya and Uganda, to Rwanda, Tanzania, and even Burundi, students came together here at The School of St Jude, Smith Campus. This was not just a normal gathering; it was a celebration of ideas, persuasion, and the art of speaking truth with passion.
The East African Schools Debate Championships is one of the biggest competitions hosted annually in Tanzania that features academic sports like debate, public speaking, and quiz. This tournament not only brings students together, but also sharpens the communication skills of the young East African generation.
Mr Joseph, Head of Languages at St Jude’s Secondary and public speaking club mentor, chaired the organising committee for the tournament. He says he is very proud to be a part of the team that nurtures young minds.
“It was great for students from other countries to experience the St Jude’s values and culture. Nothing beats the feeling of bringing young voices to one platform,” he says
Barriers were certainly broken this year, with over 350 students from across East Africa attending the tournament: an increase of more than 150 from last year. Over 40 students from St Jude’s had the invaluable opportunity to learn from the best young debaters and speakers across the region.
Uganda took home the top prize in the debate category, while Kenya earned the top award in public speaking. St Jude’s was well represented, with three students making it to the final six in the public speaking competition.
One of those finalists was Form 5 student Lillian, who was thrilled to be able to represent
St Jude’s.
“The tournament was challenging. There were lots of students from across East Africa and it was very competitive. When my name was mentioned as one of the finalists, I was really nervous, but I had so much fun participating,” she says.
Lillian, who especially enjoyed the debate section of the competition, explains that delivering a strong speech requires strong preparation. Like many of her fellow students, she is an active member of the public speaking and debating clubs at St Jude’s, where students meet weekly to sharpen these
essential skills.
“In our public speaking and debating clubs, we learn more about how to become better speaker. We also get to practise at competitions like this. We believe that practice beats talent. It starts with believing
in yourself, then being confident, and never giving up,” she says.
St Jude’s also proudly secured second place overall in the tournament, a testament to the hard work and dedication of both the students and the staff. Both Mr Joseph and Lillian believe that opportunities like this competition are important in helping students develop key 21st century skills.
“We have seen many students from Uganda, Kenya, Burundi travelling long distance to come in this tournament. We’re already looking forward to next year and hope we will have even more students participating in 2026,” says Mr Joseph.
As the curtains closed on this year’s East African Schools Debate Championships, the energy, passion, and determination of the students left a lasting impression. With each debate made and every speech delivered, the students demonstrated that they are not only ready to be heard but are already becoming the voices of change across East Africa.
This year’s theme, “Living Our Tanzanian Identity,” was vividly brought to life by our students through a vibrant array of activities, including fashion shows, traditional dances, drama, and delicious local cuisine. Events like this offer a wonderful opportunity to experience the vibrant diversity of our community and the richness of Tanzanian culture.
With rhythmic drumbeats and powerful footwork, the girls’ school dance team commanded the stage at this year’s UMISSETA national arts and sports competition, clinching first place in the Arusha region and ranking third overall in Tanzania’s traditional dance category.
UMISSETA (Umoja wa Michezo na Sanaa kwa Shule za Sekondari Tanzania, or Union of Sports and Arts for Secondary Schoolsin Tanzania) is a major national event that brings together secondary school students from across the country. Organised by the Ministry of Education, the competition aims to identify and nurture young talent in both sports and the performing arts.
Led by their squad captain, Faith, a Form 4 student and entertainment prefect at The School of St Jude, the 25-member team advanced through the different stages of the competition with unwavering dedication.
“This competition started in May and we started at the regional level, where we had a competition with other districts in Arusha. We had two districts competing, Mount Meru District and Arusha City. It was here that we qualified to go to the national level,” says Faith.
Rehearsals started back in March, with Mr Samson, the school’s music and arts teacher and team coach, organising twice-weekly after-school practices as they prepared two traditional dances.
“Each school has to prepare two traditional dances, one from their own region and one from another part of Tanzania. As a group we picked the two we wanted - we chose a local Datoga dance from Arusha and the second was the Msolopa dance from the Mwera tribe in the Mtwara region,” says Mr Samson.
The national competition took place in late June and saw the team face off against representatives from 25 regions across Tanzania. Their remarkable third-place finish highlighted not only their dedication and skill but also marked a historic first for Tanzania’s northern region.
“It’s the first time Arusha has brought this trophy back here. In fact, no other region in the northern part of Tanzania has ever brought this trophy home. We are proud to be the first,” continues Mr Samson.
“When they were announcing the results, they started from the bottom and went to the top; by the time we reached the top five, we hadn’t heard our name and thought they may have forgotten us. But then we got to the top three and heard our names called and we couldn’t believe it.”
Faith recalls the team bursting into cheers and excited squeals as their achievement was announced.
“Everybody was cheering and yelling. We were so happy and were very proud,” says Faith.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who was happy about our news. It shows that you really love us and you really support us. I say thank you to everyone who was really committed and happy about our results.”
The award was formally presented at a national ceremony by Honourable Dr Festo John Dugange, Tanzania’s Deputy Minister of Health under the President’s Office for Regional Administration and Local Government.
For Mr Samson, the experience meant far more than trophies and ranking.
“It’s not just about the trophy or the ranking; my favourite part was seeing these students so happy when the results were announced. I also loved seeing how much their confidence has grown. After all, it is the happiness of teachers to see their students succeed.”
Future doctors, engineers, nurses and entrepreneurs. These were just some of the aspirations echoing around Smith Campus this month as students, sponsors and invited guests came together for one of the most anticipated events on the school calendar: the 11th Form 6 Graduation.
The graduation marks a key milestone in the Tanzanian education system, which is divided into three main stages: seven years of primary school (Standard 1 to 7), four years of secondary school at the Ordinary Level (Forms 1 to 4), and two years of Advanced Level secondary education (Forms 5 and 6).
The School of St Jude hosts three graduation ceremonies annually, corresponding to these three main levels, along with a special celebration for alumni completing tertiary education.
This year, 166 students proudly crossed the stage, bringing the total number of Form 6 graduates to 1,500+ since the first class in 2015.
Attendees enjoyed vibrant cultural performances by current students, tributes to dedicated staff members and reflections on the achievements of the Class of 2025.
A special highlight of the ceremony was a joint address by Angela Bailey, who was St Jude’s first volunteer teacher when the school opened in 2002, and her father, John Bailey, a long-time supporter, current board member and the school’s legal counsel since 1997. He sponsored the scholarship of one of this year’s graduating class.
“Life can take you to places you never imagined existed. To our sponsors and donors, we cannot say how much your support has helped us achieve our ambitions. We are grateful,” says Nickson, Form 6 graduate, in his farewell speech on graduation day.
“Our teachers, thank you for all the endless effort that you made towards our performance. Our parents, you have always been our pillars of strength. Thank you for seeing the light that sparkled in us.”
The Class of 2025 had much to be proud of, excelling in various extracurricular activities, particularly debate and public speaking.
Notably, graduate Mwajabu Hoya earned national recognition after winning gold and being named Tanzania’s best public speaker at the National Debate Championships. The school’s debate team also celebrated a major win, earning the title of Best Debate Team in East Africa in 2024.
In another milestone, the Class of 2025 became the first in St Jude’s history to receive personal laptops earlier this year, a significant step in supporting their future academic and professional pursuits.
The next stage for graduates is pursuing higher education at various universities and colleges. Many choose to apply to the Beyond St Jude’s Scholarship Program (BSJSP), which supports graduates with tertiary education.
As part of this program, they will undertake community service placements for a year, volunteering as teachers in understaffed government schools, or at various placements throughout St Jude's. Then they go on to access higher education supported by St Jude’s sponsors and donors.
Through the holistic education offered at St Jude’s, the Class of 2025 has been able to reimagine a future filled with endless possibilities – for themselves, their communities and their country.
It’s no secret that the Annual Science Day has become a launchpad for the next generation of innovators, and this year’s event was no exception! Now in its 15th year, the day brought together students to present both individual and group projects that not only highlighted their expertise in science, ICT, and maths, but also provided creative solutions to some of today’s most pressing global challenges.
With nearly half the student body participating, many focused on pioneering renewable energy solutions like solar power and biogas, pushing us closer to a sustainable future.
Take a closer look at the remarkable projects from this year’s Science Day and see how these young innovators are shaping the world of tomorrow.
Every year, hundreds of new students enrol at St Jude's on full scholarships at the primary, lower- and upper-secondary levels across our three campuses. The scholarship application process is competitive and involves academic testing that considers the financial and social situation at home. Our Community Relations team oversees this entire process, with the help of the whole St Jude’s community. The team also handles student health and welfare, parent portfolio, and home visits.
"The students that attend St Jude's are from families who could not have otherwise afforded private school education," explains Philip, Community Relations Manager at St Jude's. "Providing free, quality education goes a long way in ensuring that children from such families have a future in which they thrive, effectively breaking the cycle of poverty."
While free, quality education is a proven path out of poverty for our students' families, other challenges could prevent students from achieving their goals. According to St Jude's poverty assessment data, most, if not all, of our students' families do not have health insurance and never go for regular health check-ups. It is common for household members to visit a health centre or hospital only when they fall seriously ill or when home remedies fail. This lack of preventive care increases the risk of undiagnosed health complications that may go unnoticed for extended periods.
"That's why at St Jude's, we conduct annual health checks for all students, including newly enrolled and continuing students. A team of international and local medical professionals and volunteers spend two weeks at the school performing comprehensive health assessments. These checks provide recommendations that help us better understand our students' health needs and tailor our support systems accordingly," says Philip.
One significant intervention made possible by the health checks involved a student, Fatuma, a recent graduate of St Jude's Girls' Secondary School. During her initial health check, the medical team detected a hearing problem that her family had been unaware of. The St Jude's Health and Welfare team collaborated with her family to address the issue, allowing Fatuma to continue her studies freely.
"Without the health checks, it's unlikely that we would have detected the problem and addressed it in time," reflects Fatuma's father, Abubakari, a single parent of three children. "Since my family does not have health insurance and never go for regular check-ups, these assessments were the only means for me to know what was wrong with my daughter and seek medical help."
Annually since 2010, St Jude's has been conducting health checks for its students. The program has evolved based on feedback from the school, the Health Check team, and knowledge of available health services in the region. With a shared understanding that healthy students learn more effectively, these health checks focus on identifying health and wellbeing issues that could impact students' ability to learn individually and collectively.
The Health Check team provides specific advice to parents regarding their children and general recommendations to the school based on observed health trends.
"As a school, we take proactive steps to support students who need special attention," says Gloria, Health and Welfare Officer at St Jude's. "These measures include dietary adjustments, regular sessions with the school counsellor, and other personalized interventions. My team works closely with parents to ensure students remain in peak health and that any health concerns are addressed promptly."
Beyond dedicated health and welfare programs, the school promotes positive student well-being through nutritious meals, physical education, extracurricular activities, a full-time school counsellor, and structured rest periods. A St Jude's scholarship goes beyond tuition and academic support—it ensures the success of future Tanzanian leaders through a truly holistic approach that prioritises education and well-being.
