Feed A Hungry Mind

Whole School Development Programme  - March report 2012

The new school year started on Monday 9^th January, and at the end of this month the primary schools close for the Easter break.

On 23^rd January Katy Allen, the Director, and Dilly Mtui, the project’s coordinator, had a meeting with the Deputy Minister for Education in Dar es Salaam about the progress of the course books to be introduced for teaching English in the primary schools. This was disappointing as the Deputy Minister had not been properly briefed. Next week Katy and Dilly are meeting Dr Mwinyimvua in the State House for what is hoped to be a more productive meeting.

At the very beginning of February more head-teacher training sessions were run. Previously the head teachers had had a very good three-day training workshop with Evans Lushakuzi looking at management, delegation of duties, team-building etc. This time Inspectors from the Zonal Office (that is the Northern Zone of Tanzania), District Office and the Teacher Service Commission ran a three-day workshop which guided the head teachers and their deputies on the meaning and implementation of government directives, budgeting requirements, teacher rights and disciplinary procedures, academic responsibilities etc. The workshop was held for three days with head teachers in Mabogini ward, and then in the following week for head teachers in Marangu East ward.

In February a new volunteer, David Jones, arrived. David had volunteered on the project when he was 19 years old, and has now returned on a career-break. David is now assisting George Kasenga, the programme’s manager, and will be working in Mabogini ward supporting the teachers with their teaching of maths in the early years.

Jane Firth returned at the end of February for another series of seminars in Mabogini ward. On this visit Jane has been running refresher courses. She started with head teachers who have been newly appointed, and four visiting teachers from Karatu who had heard about her work and had requested to be able to attend. Jane spent two days giving an overview of the teaching of basic mathematics to pre-primary pupils, Standard I pupils and Standard II pupils. The head teachers need to know the methodologies and stages so that they can assist and supervise their teachers. Jane spent another two days with pre-primary and Standard I teachers together, reminding them of the important stages of learning for their pupils, and how they can assess their pupils through the classroom activities. Next week Jane will spend two days with Standard I teachers and Standard II teachers together, again showing the progression of the pupils’ learning, and techniques to help understanding and to help teachers assess the pupils’ ability. After that Jane will have a day with a session in the morning with one set of teachers, and the same session with other teachers in the afternoon. This will be to help with resource management, as the teachers now have many hand-made cards/dominies/games etc for classroom activities. The storage and use of these, with over 50 children in many of the classes, is another skill the teachers need to master. One of the teachers, Mary Mtei at Mserekia primary school, will give a demonstration lesson for all the other teachers to observe and see how she uses her pupils to manage those resources and how she has developed her pupils to work in groups.

 Dr Anne Samson returned to Kilimanjaro at the beginning of March. She attended the first days of Jane’s seminars. Anne and Katy then had a very encouraging meeting with the Zonal Chief Inspector and his head of Primary Inspector and head of Teacher Education Inspector. The meeting was arranged so that the methods of assessment of pupils’ work could be agreed upon. From previous discussions it has transpired that tutors at the Teacher Training College were promoting assessment of pupils’ work by observation of group activities, and participation in discussions etc. The District Inspectors on the other hand still insisted on pupils’ work being assessed by written work in exercise books. The Zonal Chief Inspector explained that sometimes central government circulars on matters such as this are sent directly to the Teacher Training Colleges and by-pass his office and so his inspectors might not always be aware of things. He requested that a meeting be arranged in July, when Anne Samson is next in Tanzania, so that the he can attend and all parties can agree on methods of assessment of pupils that are suitable for the ‘participatory’ methods of teaching and the new ‘competence-based’ outcomes that are now expected.

Anne, Katy and Dilly travelled to Morogoro to the Teacher Training College (TTC) there as that is the central college that trains TTC tutors. They met a couple who are working there under VSO and who have knowledge of new trainer-education material which is being introduced.

The Ministry of Education has just announced revised term dates for the rest of this year because of the national census taking place in August. Primary school teachers will be used to conduct the census and so the schools will be closed. The usual long mid-term holiday in June is now much reduced and a new school break has been imposed for the whole of August. This affects the work of some of our volunteers who have already booked flights – but part of our work here always involves overcoming hurdles such as these…….

Again we thank all of you who have donated and who share our view that a long-term commitment in schools, working with teachers and education officials is the only way to bring about any change in the government primary education sector.

Many, many thanks and good wishes,

Katy Allen

Director

9th March 2012

9^th March 2012