Improving literacy at Lungongole primary school in Kilombero district
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| Elimu ni ufunguo wa maisha (education is the key to life) reads the caption below the sign. |
Lungongole primary school is a twenty minute drive away from the main town of Ifakara with a splendid view of the Udzungwa mountains. I had the pleasure of meeting some of the six hundred students who attend the school today and I left with a sober reality of the challenges facing our kids in some of our educational facilities.
There is one teacher for every sixty six students and sometimes there are one hundred students per class forcing some to sit on the floor or bricks.
Only 50% passed grade four exams because the other half cannot read or write. Others slipped through the cracks and ended up in the higher grades without being literate and the principal (head master) plans to place them in a remedial literacy class next year. Literacy is the foundation of knowledge and the valiant teaching staff at Lungongole want every single one of their students to read and write by the end of next year. It is an ambitious goal considering grades one and two have no text books and the overall learning environment is fraught with obstacles such as no running water, electricity and meager nutrition.
Electronic Afrika will provide digital learning tools to improve reading and writing skills at this school and we are very excited about the prospect of teaming up with other digital change-makers in Tanzania to make this happen. Stay tuned to this blog for future updates regarding Lungongole primary school and other education initiatives from our organization.
