Q&A with Minyenye Primary School Headteacher

Global Partners For Development has a mission to take an authentic and sustainable approach to community-driven development in impoverished regions of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. That means supporting schools and community-based organizations to manage education and public health interventions that generate lasting change for local people. Their vision is grounded in the belief that local people are the key to responsible development. GPFD envision a world where even disenfranchised communities have the capacity to build sustainable solutions to the problems they face.

World Centric has funded two projects with GPFD, including the construction of two new classrooms and three new rooms for teacher housing at the Minyenye Primary School in Tanzania. These projects will benefit over 1,400 students and help improve attendance rates by 10%.

Read on to learn more about the Minyenye Primary School.

• What does your day to day look like as the headteacher of the Minyenye Primary School?

My work consists of administering academic issues and health issues, monitoring student and teacher attendance, acting as a bridge between government and school, supervising and overseeing the school infrastructure, maintaining all the school assets, and supervising the implementation of new projects at school.

• How have the additional classrooms at Minyenye Primary School benefitted you students?

The students are now studying more comfortably and are happy. The new classrooms have reduced congestion at school, improving not only attendance but performance. The shortage in our classrooms is now reduced, resulting in a reduction of truancy. Plus, the new classrooms have helped to create an attractive, conducive teaching environment for the teachers.

• What are some of the challenges you face as a teacher in Tanzania?

One challenge is a shortage of teacher housing and functional working facilities. For example, many schools lack clean water. This makes for an unconducive environment that leads to a lack of basic needs. Additionally, many students and teachers have to travel long distances to get to school.

• What does the course work consist of for a Minyenye Primary School student?

Mathematics, English, Maarifa ya Jamie (social studies), geography, Kiswahili (Swahili language), science, stadi za kazi (domestic studies), and Haiba na michezo (sports and games.

Learn more about World Centric's impact project with Global Partners For Development here.