TEA throws its weight on ward secondary schools

Following the public outcry over lack of hostels in Community (Ward) Secondary Schools the Tanzania Education Authority (TEA) has decided to throw its weight into constructing the facility for female students. Though the initiative started way back in 2011 the authority has stated that the programme would continue  up to 2015 whereby a total of Sh 2.3 billion is expected to be raised and spent to accomplish the need. Speaking to reporters yesterday in Dar es Salaam TEA Information and Communication Manager Sylvia Lupembe said the amount to be raised would also benefit other educational institutions, including those serving people with disability and teachers colleges. She said that, TEA will build a total of 30 female hostels in 8 secondary schools in the country as the first phase construction project for 2013/14 financial year which would be used by 1,504 female students. The aim is to accomplish the target of 100 hostels in all by 2015, she said adding that TEA is engaged to support educational projects as it is recognizes the availability of better education for all in the country. “Almost 80 percent of the TEA activities is driven to ward secondary schools which are remotely located in the vicinity of the urban centers, and the aim is to focus female hostels” she said adding that female students are subjected to lots of domestic problems. However, she stated other problems are that most female students do not get enough time for studies if are stayed at home as they are kept busy with their parents to contend with some domestic works. Other reasons she cited as the increased pregnancies which leads many of them to drop out from schools, she said in an exclusive interview when asked by this reporter who wanted to know why have they mostly concentrated on women and She said that, for the last three years, TEA has financed 119 schools and institutions with the educational facilities which include teaching materials and other learning materials. She said a total of 3,114 students have benefited under the program in the country. Under the period, TEA has spent a total of Sh. 1.9 billion to support the purchase of the tools and supplied them to the respective colleges and schools. Some of the educational institutions that benefited included Patandi teacher’s training college in Arusha, Buigiri in Dodoma, Njia Panda in Kilimanjaro, Katesh in Manyara and Maisaka in Bariadi. She listed down such facilities as white walking sticks and eye spectacles used by people with eye disability, and special ointments for peoples with skin disabilities as well as apparatus used to raise the volume sound to help people with deaf disability in order to enable them hear properly.  Other learning materials she noted are typing machines used to print doted words which are used to enable people with eye disability to read and know various information around them. Other things the authority has supported includes computer machines that helps to ease various publications for the disabled persons. Apart from that, the authority has extensively engaged various infrastructure upgrades. However, she noted that, in these have been doing renovation activities for classrooms and dormitories in order to cater for the need of the disabled students. Other activities she said is to promote environment around in teachers’ training colleges. According to Sylvia, TEA is committed to contribute to the development of the education sector in the country and support all projects, and in view of this, has asked well wishers to make their contribution to education fund in order to help- the government accomplish its commitments to the development of education in the country.