EDUCATION PROGRAM
REACH Shirati founded Tina's Pre-and-Primary School in the Shirati region of Tanzania in 2012 to provide educational opportunities for rural students who would not otherwise have access. It has quickly become one of the top schools in the region. Most government elementary schools in rural Tanzania teach in Swahili with minimal instruction in English. However, the entrance exam for secondary school requires significant knowledge of English, leaving many rural children locked out of a secondary education. Because we believe that education is at the heart of opportunity, we built Tina's Pre and Primary School in the village of Nyamagongo, with a focus on providing a bilingual curriculum in Swahili and English. A school board composed of community leaders and parents runs the school, following a traditional practice of decision making by consensus. As a partner, REACH Shirati provides financial resources and access to the expertise of volunteer educators for special projects.
For four out of the last five years, the graduating class at Tina's School has been first in its district on the national high school entrance exams (placing second in 2018), making it among the top five schools in the region. Compared with other regional schools, a far higher percentage of girls make up classes at Tina’s School, and 94 percent of these girls receive A or B on the entrance exams, compared with just 23 percent at the local government school. Relative to the performance of boys in their school, these girls perform far better on the national exams. The school also offers a Gender Respect class on family relationships, which has lowered pregnancy rates among its female students. Each year, *every* member of the graduating classes has qualified to attend the local secondary school. In July, 2023, New Tina’s Pre- and Primary School opened its doors at a new, larger campus in Obwere, a more populous area than the rural area where the old school was located. We hope the new school will be able to serve a larger proportion of school-aged children in the Shirati region. We charge a modest tuition to meet our monthly operational expenses. All our staff members—teachers, administrators, security, cooking and maintenance—receive a fair wage. However, many families are unable to afford even our small tuition. So we have created a Scholarship Project to provide our most needy students with free tuition and health care at nearby Shirati Hospital. Your donation of $200 will keep a student in school for the entire year. Inspired? Donate now Learn more about our Education Projects: |
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