Students from severely under-resourced government schools now have much-needed desks and chairs thanks to St Jude鈥檚.
Our Secondary Second and Academic Master Revocatus Pharao recently committed to donate 30 second-hand desks and chairs from St Jude鈥檚 for a government school in need.
鈥淭here are students (in government schools) who sit on the floor right now, so the President has said to do whatever you can by June, to make sure every student is seated,鈥� Mr Pharao said.
Tanzania鈥檚 recently-elected president, John Magufuli, has pushed to see all Tanzanian children in primary and secondary schools attend for free.
Even though free primary education in Tanzania has been in place for over a decade, parents have been expected to pay school contributions that they cannot afford.
The influx of students in already under-resourced government schools has caused a number of issues, such as a lack of furniture for classes.
St Jude鈥檚 committed to provide almost 10% of the total need for class furniture in the district.
Mr Pharao said our original plan was to refurbish the 30 sets, but due to a shortened timeframe only a third could be completed before the deadline.
He said St Jude鈥檚 will definitely continue donating used desks and chairs, as more students will continue to attend government schools.
St Jude鈥檚 Facility Manager Ombeni Zelote also extended his expertise to the government school, by advising on customising and maintaining the desks and chairs to accommodate more students.
Our Beyond St Jude鈥檚 team also works with our committed graduates to help alleviate the 47,000 teacher shortage in Tanzania鈥檚 overcrowded government schools.
The majority of last year鈥檚 Form 6 inaugural graduates volunteered to give back to their communities in thanks for their free education by taking part in the Community Service Year before pursuing university. They taught in 21 government schools, often serving as the sole teacher in their subject of choice, and have used their high-quality education to help more than 10,000 students.
Make your donation dollars go further by supporting聽St Jude鈥檚. As education is the best way to fight poverty, we聽support the local community聽through聽various projects.听
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