Mzumbe Secondary
school – a school of contradictions
By Kizitto Joseph
As could be read in last weeks’ issue of The Express, Mzumbe Secondary School is
a school of contradictions. Despite its buildings being neglected for over 40
years combined with other problems, it has continued to produce top scoring
students. What lies behind its success?
Mzumbe is one of the most famous schools in Tanzania. It is known all over the
country for its outstanding performance in the National Examinations.
This year the school boasted of its 97 division I scorers, four in division II
and two in division III. With this performance Mzumbe managed to produce six
students out of the ten best students in the country.
Much of the success has to be attributed to the school’s headmaster Ray Mwasha.
With a career in the educational sector spanning over 20 years, he has great
knowledge and understanding of what is needed to make a school successful.
“I want people to know that Mzumbe is not working solely on maintaining the top
position in the country. We are working on maintaining our school point average,
which is 12. We achieve this by giving close assistance to our students. We
insist on discipline and self-realisation,” said Mwasha.
He added, “Our students’ spirit and determination to higher performance
stimulates the morality and responsibility of teachers.”
The school’s good results also stems from the fact that it put emphasis on
activities outside academia. To motivate students and help them take their minds
off their studies for a while, the school has established different clubs to
provide students with life skills.
“Clubs like anti-AIDS; youth and environment; religious groups; wildlife
conservation together with village tournaments are highly appreciated with
prizes for winning teams. In so doing we keep students in touch with the world
outside,” explained, Sanga, member of the academic staff.
Still, there are pressing problems facing the school on an every day basis. As
The Express could reveal last week, maintenance negligence is a major problem,
forcing students to study outside to avoid accidents in the rundown school
buildings.
Mwasha also highlighted the problems facing the academic staff. Despite being
surrounded with motivated and well performing students, teachers are overworked
and receive little appreciation from the government.
“Teachers start their day early in the morning and work long hours. On top of
attending the daily class routines they have to supervise games as well as
students cleaning after class hours. The government should implement plans to
provide people who could take care of the outside cleanliness,” insisted Mwasha.
In order to tackle the school’s problems, the management has turned to parents
and the wider community for financial contributions, opening a special bank
account.
“The school also uses EK Fund to solve small problems. We use it to offer prizes
to teachers with outstanding performances in their subjects and to students as
well,” said Mwasha.
Commenting on the forthcoming Secondary Education Development Programme, Mwasha
had the following to say: “The idea is good but the problem is planning. The
programme should not have been introduced before solving the problems facing the
existing secondary schools.
The government should ensure availability of teachers to run the programme. Now
the problem will be incompetent teachers who will probably bring poor results. I
also believe that some teachers, trained to run the programme, will shift to
private schools in search for better salaries and fascinating teaching
environments,” said Mwasha.
Yet, the success of Mzumbe is what one remembers after a visit. Students are
proud that despite all the hurdles and difficulties they manage to perform well.
“I studied at Loyola Secondary which is a private school run by missionaries.
One of the differences is that Mzumbe is a school for academically gifted
students. Therefore there is a difference in teaching and learning styles. Here
there is no time limit for student preparations, while at Loyola we had to study
up to 10 pm. Solidarity between students and teachers is the secret behind
Mzumbe’s performance,” said Alfonce Simbula, a form VI student.
Simbula had one concern, which if solved, would help students perform even
better. “Lack of books in our library is a major problem we face. Our library is
full of ancient books that give no appetite to enter for reference books. The
government should ensure book supply, especially to a school like ours to honour
our academic achievements,” said Simbula.
The latest contribution to the school, from the American Embassy, should make
Simbula happy. The Embassy provided more than 400 schoolbooks worth more than
Tsh. 3.8 million on August 25, as part of the Ambassador’s Self-Help Fund.
According to a press release, the books cover topics from advanced chemistry to
world history. They will add to the shared commitment to the development of the
student of Mzumbe Secondary School and perhaps also contribute to the ongoing
success of the school.