Feed A Hungry Mind

12^th February 2016

The new Minister for Education in Tanzania was announced just before Christmas. Dr Joyce Ndalichako now holds office. Dr Joyce was previously head of the national examination council, and then lectured at the University of Aga Khan in Dar es Salaam. When Barbara, Dilly and I went to present there as part of the Research Series Seminars in February 2015 Dr Joyce was the host for the event. Dr Joyce then encouraged us to present at the LANES international conference on literacy and numeracy, which we did in July 2015. I wrote to Dr Joyce to congratulate her on her appointment, and she replied, “Thanks and pray for me so that I can be able to fulfil the expectations of Tanzanians”. We are looking forward to an appointment to see her in the Ministry of Education.

For that appointment and for other purposes, I have been producing a video in the UK about the NOEC books for teaching English as a foreign language. These books are unique in that the teacher’s guides are in the teachers’ native language so that the teachers can easily read and understand explanations and instructions about the grammar, usage and teaching methods. Book One is now additionally in Kinyarwanda for our work in Rwanda, and Book Two has been translated into Kinyarwanda but is not yet printed. The video, which will be accompanied by a written document, is to be used as a way of gaining exposure about the books, and to reach higher levels of government across East Africa.

Sara Green approached us in 2015 about helping with our work in early-years learning. Sara runs her own nursery school in West London. Sara is arriving in Tanzania this week. Sara is to help the teachers of pre-primary pupils. The emphasis will be on educational play with the aim of developing motor-skills and thinking skills, with literacy and mathematics as a focus. This is part of our partnership with the Dutch organisation F T Kilimanjaro.

In Rwanda the trustees of our new Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) have been working hard to get the NGO approved. The new NGO is called Support to Primary Education Rwanda (SPER) and the chairman of the trustees, Emmy Nyrigira, has submitted the application. In Rwanda there is an efficient system, and indeed the Rwanda Governance Board oversees all matters pertaining to non-corporate organisations. There is a prescribed process and every step has to be complied with. The steps to be followed are clearly laid down:

1. Application Letter Addressed to the CEO of Rwanda Governance Board;
2. Authenticated statutes in conformity with the law n^o 04/2012 of 17 February 2012;
3. Document showing the Organization’s head office and its full address;
4. The name of the Legal Representative of the Organization, the name of his/her deputy, their duties, full address CV and their judicial records;
5. The minute of the general assembly which appointed the legal representative of the organization and the signatures of all the members that attended such a general assembly meeting;
6. Action plan for the fiscal year (July 1^st, 2015 to June 30^th, 2016) according to the format below
7. Original District Collaboration letter

Emmy as chairman of the trustees is the Legal Representative, and Allan Mugabi is his deputy. Another trustee, Andrew Kettlewell, has worked with me to prepare the Action plan with budget. I will be in Kigali on 25^th February ready to set up a bank account in the name of the newly registered SPER, and to start work in the District, and to continue my struggles in learning the Kinyarwanda language!

Anne Samson will join me on 7^th March for two weeks. Anne and I will meet education officials, particularly those involved with pre-service training for primary school teachers, to discuss our contribution to primary education in Rwanda.

Thank you to all our donors for supporting our work. Our current work is based on our experience over the last 22 years with the teachers and pupils in the primary schools, with officials at various levels in government, and with the syllabi and textbooks which are the root cause of so many of the problems being encountered. We continue to promote our feasible solutions, which through our pilot work we know bring good results. Many thanks to all of you who help us in our quest.

Very good wishes, and happy spring time.

Katy Allen

Director

www.EducationEastAfrica.org  

Education is the Passport to a Self-Sustaining Life

Katy@EducationEastAfrica.org