Terrat Secondary School has a vision to improve the quality of education in Simanjiro district, Tanzania. Despite inspiring teachers and passionate students, achieving this vision is being prevented due to a lack of resources in the school. An average class size of 70 students means that many do not have chairs to sit at or desks to write on, much less textbooks or the benefit of other teaching aids. Inadequate sanitary facilities caused 14% of girls to miss school due to their period in 2020.
Since all secondary schools in Tanzania became government-funded, it is much harder to raise money in communities to cover costs of chairs, desks, and other teaching necessities. Terrat school has been forced to take on many new students without being provided the necessary facilities and equipment, meaning students struggle to learn in a crowded, under-resourced environment. This low-quality learning environment has meant that 70% of girls at Terrat secondary failed their maths GCSE in 2020.
Ensuring that pupils and teachers in Terrat Secondary have the basic tools and equipment available will allow them to focus their time on teaching and learning, rather than trying to find ways round the current lack of resources. Providing sanitary facilities and sanitary pads for girls will ensure that they are able to attend school every day, and focus on their learning. Providing IT resources will allow the children to develop key skills for future jobs, and permit more engaging teaching.
Ability to focus on learning without distractions arising from lack of resources will improve children's grades and their enjoyment of (and participation in) education. This in turn will lead to improved employment prospects, and for girls reduce their likelihood of dropping out of school early and underage arranged marriage. A higher quality and more successful teaching environment will also increase job satisfaction for teachers, and make it less likely that they will leave the profession.
