Ten new schools for new students
What you need to know:
Excellent performance by the region in last year’s national primary school examinations has seen thousands selected to join Form One amid a challenge in the number of classrooms.
Arusha. Regional authorities here have vowed to end the shortage of classrooms for thousands of students selected to join Form One this year.
Regional administrative secretary Richard Kwitega told reporters here yesterday that ten new secondary schools would be registered to absorb some of the students.
Elsewhere, 18 other existing schools in Arusha, Arumeru and Monduli districts will have double-sessioned classes to enable all students to be taught.
“We will ensure that all the 33,035 students selected to join Form One this year are in class today (Monday),” he affirmed.
The 33,035 selected for secondary education accounted for 87 per cent of all pupils who sat for the national primary school leaving examination in the region last year. He added that 18,716 of them, or 57 per cent, were left out due to a shortage of classrooms in the existing schools.
However, according to Mr Kwitega, the problem has been addressed by the regional leaders, which included opening up ten new secondary schools.
The new schools, he explained, would be registered soon as construction of classrooms and other buildings commence. The RAS revealed that schools that would have double teaching sessions will include Akeri, Ngyeku, Mbuguni, Ngongongare and Nkoarua in Meru District.
Others are Kiranyi, Enyoito, Sokon II and Mukulat in Arusha, Sombetini, Sinoni, Themi, Baraa, Kimaseki, Kinana, Ngarenaro, Olasiti and Suye in Arusha city and Eangutoto and Ilkisongo in Monduli District.
In Arusha city, where a total of 8,456 students passed their Primary School Leaving Examinations to join Form One, the demand for classrooms in all the public secondary schools stood at 207.
According to the city education officer Valentino Makuka, until last month there were only 38 classrooms left by those who recently completed Form IV. He added that the available rooms were able to accommodate only 1,901 students out of the 8,456 who are expected to join Form One next month.
The city director, Dr Maulid Maden, said every effort was being made to ensure more classrooms were built to accommodate the increasing number of students.
He disclosed that 21 of the classrooms set to accommodate 1,050 students were near completion and that the number would double by February, next year.
“By next month, 3,250 students will be learning comfortably as there will be 65 additional classrooms, some of which are in the finishing stages and 44 new ones to be constructed,” he said.
