IFUNDA STUDENTS HAIL THE GOVERNMENT FOR SCHOOL RENOVATION

Peter Mbata's the Deputy Headmaster and Amon Chota (academic master).

Headmaster of Ifunda Technical School, Mpambwe Paul

The construction workers are going on with  rehabilitation  Ifunda Technical Secondary School e as they were found by our reporter yesterday (Photo by Friday Simbaya)

Students of the Ifunda Technical Secondary School in Iringa region congratulate the fifth-phase government headed by the president Dr. John Pombe Magufuli to revive and improve their school infrastructure.

They said that the government has decided to do rehabilitation of the oldest schools in the country including the Ifunda, that will contribute to the best outcomes for pupils as well as to create good educational and learning environment.

The Guardian yesterday paid a visit to the oldest of the Ifunda School and saw the rehabilitation and repairs managed by the Mbeya University of Science and Technology (MUST) going on.

Derika Makoi is a form three student, noted that the ongoing rehabilitation will help pupils do well in their studies as previously when the infrastructure was poor students were using candles and solar lamps to read.

He said that the ongoing rehabilitation of classrooms and dormitories will improve the environment for students to study because even in the classroom there is electricity when previously the students were studying in the dormitories.

Apparently, he said that they did not have a good studying place but instead in their dormitories with mix of pupils who slept in it and probably making noise.

"We had to use candles to study in classrooms because classes did not have electricity but at present we thank the government for repairing and improving our school infrastructure," said Makoi.

He said that the ongoing rehabilitation has been more profitable than the loss in that pupils are now confident in regular study because classrooms have light all the time.

Another form three student said the renovation has improved the environment in classes for many classes did not have doors and mirrors and during the wind could blow through the windows and blew all the papers away.

He said that sometimes the wind was blowing until the paper was shattered during the study but after the rehabilitation environment had been good.

He said previously few classes had electricity so pupils are doing preps all the time since most classes have electricity and read it until night.

However, he said the rehabilitation should also consider improving water supply because the school has poor water system and students spend more time looking for drinking water from afar.

He said that water is healthy so the government help improve water resources in school so that students can spend more time studying it, hence sanitation improvement.

In turn, the headmaster of Ifunda Technical School, Mpambwe Paul thanked the government for repairing their school as the program will raise the level of achievement for students.

He said that through the program the school environment will also contribute to the best outcomes for pupils and will also have a good teaching environment as infrastructure will be a companion for teaching and learning for students.

Other teachers who supported the government's plan for renovation was Peter Mbata's the Deputy Headmaster and Amon Chota (academic master).

Mpambwe said that the rehabilitation involved all classes, all dormitories with the administrative building except teachers' houses.

Recently the government through the ministry of education, science, technology and training has begun a comprehensive program for repairing all the oldest schools in the country after the oldest government schools have done poorly in national examinations for almost five years consecutively.

The government has established a strategic plan to revive and improve the schools.

In the past Parliament, Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Dr. Joyce Ndalichako noted that during the 2016/17 budget, the Government has allocated a total of 33 billion shillings for the repair of all the oldest schools in the country and in the beginning, the total 20 schools will be allocated through the scheme where Sh 20 billion are allocated to the project.

She said the oldest 10 schools are Jangwani, Azania, Kibaha, Nangwa, Kigoma, Tosamaganga, Songea Girls' School, Malangali, Mirambo and Minaki School have already been entrusted to the Tanzania Real Estate Agency (TBA) and the rehabilitation work has begun and is expected to be completed this year.

The other 10 schools are Mpwapwa, Kibiti, Ifakara, Bwiru-Boys, Kantalamba, Moshi-Technical, Tanga Technical, Musoma- Technical, Ifunda- Technical and Mtwara technical have been awarded to the Mbeya University of Science and Technology (MUST).

End