A PROPOSAL FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GONGALI HIGH SCHOOL
KARATU DISTRICT-ARUSHA TANZANIA
To be launched on January 2013
Mission statement:
To promote education for Holistic Sustainable Transformational Development to eradicate poverty
VISION:
3,000 students to receive Quality High School Education by 2025
“Education is a tool that should be used to fight poverty”.
Help the poor person by educating his/her children.
EDUCATION FOR HOLISTIC SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The Executive Summary
Karatu is one of five (5) districts in Arusha region-Tanzania. It is located beside the Ngorongoro conservation area (consider the map). The district has a population of about 300,000. The main tribe living in Karatu is Iraqw (65%), whose major activities include faming and livestock keeping. Other tribes include Barbeik and Maasai (livestock keepers), together with Pare and Chagga to mention few. The area is productive; but due to long drought season since 1990’s, many people are unable to access social services and other human basic needs. Education sector is one of the most affected areas. Despite the government efforts in collaboration with donor agencies, there is inadequacy of schools, particularly the high schools. A good number of students who perform well in their secondary school (O-Level) examination have no access of higher education. The experience shows that a form four leaver is not competent enough to cope with the current socio-economic situation of the 21st Century. Thus after missing a chance for higher education, the majority of youth end-up in unhealthy behaviors such drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, drug abuse, unsafe sex, etc.
The Gongali Community has decided, through participatory approach, to establish the GONGALI HIGH SCHOOL (O-Level and A-Level school). The A-level combinations will be as following (to start with):
• Physics, Chemistry, Biology (PCB)
• Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (PCM)
• Chemistry, Biology, and Agriculture (CBA)
• Chemistry, Biology, and Nutrition (CBN)
• Chemistry, Biology, and Geography (CBG)
• Economics, Geography, and Mathematics (EGM)
The school envisions registering all students graduating from Gongali primary school, Magesho, Aslini, and Kinihhe. These will be about 200 students (100 Boys and 100 Girls) every year. The school will be built in Gongali Village, few Kilometers from the Karatu town. At present, the Gongali village has provided fifteen (15) acres of land for such purpose. We are expecting to launch the school by January 2013.
The school will be in the midst of the indigenous community, thus, the community will benefit as follows:
- Majority (if not ALL) of students will be from the indigenous community. In long run these students are expected to transform their community.
- Teachers and students will spend some of the weekends to address various challenges of the community by visiting them and conducting seminars.
- The community will also learn from the school projects the practicality of what we will be instructing them.
STARTING MONEY/CAPITAL
Local resources. The main sponsor of this school is the GONGALI COMMUNITY. The people of Gongali have decided to put all their energy and resources to establish and run this school – EVERY ONE IS INVOLVED!
GEO members
Profit generated from the Gongali Community Microcredit Bank (GCM Bank)
Donors within Tanzania and from foreign countries
Government support through education fund
NGOs and other volunteers
Student’s fees
School Projects (after recruiting students)
The school can be built with only 1.2 Billion Tanzanian shillings (Ths) equivalent to 800,000 USD. The money will be sufficient for building Administration Building, eighteen (18) classrooms, three (3) laboratories, two (2) libraries, one (1) dinning hall, ten (10) toilets, Four (4) Dormitories, and twenty (20) teachers houses.
The school will be run by the income of the school projects, constant support from the Gongali Community, donor support, and the students’ fees. There is a long-term plan of establishing similar schools in other parts of the country.
DONORS & VOLUNTEERS
All donors and volunteers who are willing to visit Tanzania will be given various incentives eg. free meal & accommodation while in Tz for all days they want to stay. Gongali community will pay for their entrance fee (Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, etc). Visits will be during vacation, particularly in December of every year.
The Statement of Need
The 21st Century is characterized by alarming voices all over the world on the issues pertaining poverty eradication. Countries that are said to be the Third world Countries, including Tanzania, are struggling every now and then to device and implement various modes that are envisaged to be effective to eradicate poverty. Meanwhile, Tanzanian government has established a special strategy to reduce poverty, called, Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP); we appreciate that, and we thank our government for being so considerate. Nevertheless, we have observed that majority of the theory developers are the people who had but a “glimpse of the reality” in those poor communities. The small loans and grants provided to some small business groups are not the sustainable solutions to eradicate poverty. On our view, if one decides to live with those poor communities he/she might come up with a better solution for poverty eradication.
Thus, some of the Tanzanian graduates (GEO Members) have decided to join the community and work among the poor so that we understand and feel life from their point of view. We will be able to understand the complexity of nature and causes of poverty, to inquire the belief and wisdom of the community and seek for reversals. Reversal means applying participatory method instead of domination. Emphasis is on facilitating instead of directing, listening instead of lecturing and empowering instead of extracting. Where the modes of learning are set by the community and not by the experts; the poor set their priorities not outsiders. We will cooperate with other stakeholders in facilitating, strengthening and improving community skills through mutual learning toward community-based development for the common good. This is only possible if one (particularly the theory developer) is willing to live in the community; being part of community life.
We solely believe and adhere to a famous statement made by the former president of Tanzania Mwalimu J. K. Nyerere that, “Those who receive this privilege [of being educated] therefore, have a duty to repay the sacrifice which others have made. They are like the man who has been given all the food available in a starving village in order that he may have strength to bring supplies back from a distant place. If he takes his food and does not bring help to his brothers [and sisters], he is a TRAITOR.”
On our view, true development must be holistic (cut across all human aspects; socially, economically, physically, psychologically, and even spiritually), transformational and sustainable. Transformational development empowers the communities to be responsible for their own development; where communities see their capacity steadily improving through training and attitude changes to the point where our mission and values become theirs and outlive us.
By living in the midst of the community we anticipate to:
• Facilitate development processes in the community by applying our professional skills, principles and concepts of development.
• Sensitize the community on the importance of education and mobilize them to gather local material and contribute in cash or kind toward a better learning environment for their children in all levels of study.
• Facilitate farmers to improve their farming practices, proper food utilization and environmental protection.
• Create awareness on primary health education and advocacy issues by working alongside the poor and oppressed as we pursue their transformational development in partnership with government, sponsors/donors, churches and other NGOs.
• Catalyze the community-based organizations (CBOs) by facilitating the community in identifying potential leaders, formation of economic groups and identification of factors that promote sustainable development.
Project Description
Objectives
• The school will enable 85% of the students who will be graduating every year, to pass their National examination to join higher education. The remaining 15% will be competent enough for self-employment through the practical skills they have learnt in school.
• 25% of the community members will be assisted every year through the GCM Bank to address their common challenges in the endeavor to eradicate poverty.
SIGNIFICANCE
Being in the midst of the community the school will be a blessing to the society.
• A good number of people will get employment, including ourselves. We are also creating employment opportunities for some more teachers, secretaries, guards, environ-care, and cooks together with other posts as the circumstances may necessitate. We anticipate getting all these people from the indigenous community.
• The indigenous community will use the school building for seminars/meetings and other relevant programs when the school is out of session.
• The school community (staff and students) will spend some weekends and holidays to visit the indigenous community. Thus, we will have opportunities to address some common challenges of the society such as:
(i) Heath issues (HIV/AIDS, Lifestyle diseases, Malaria, worms, malnutrition, water sanitation and hygiene in general)
(ii) Environmental conservation,
(iii) Gender issues and
(iv) Advocating for the disadvantaged groups (e.g. Disabled, orphans, and helpless aged)
PROJECTS & DEMONSTRATIONS
We will also address the problem of famine and food storage by advocating the modern technology in agriculture and livestock keeping. In a long run, after a number of years we believe that community must have attained a holistic sustainable transformational development.
To show the reality/practicality of our teachings, the school will run the following projects:
(i) Involvement in Tourism
(ii) Agriculture/School farm
(iii) Bees and Livestock keeping eg. Diary cattle
(iv) Garden & trees nursery and Poultry, etc.
The Karatu environment is favorable for all these projects, but many people lack knowledge of running them. Through these projects the school will benefit but again the community will have an opportunity to integrate the theories with the actual practice.
• The project can be used by various researchers together with other stakeholders to evaluate the impact of this seemingly self-sacrificial approach and it may be replicated elsewhere. Those graduates who are despising their local communities and decided to live in Towns/Cities at the same time complaining for shortage of employment may be motivated to go back home and make their education useful in the battle against poverty. Furthermore, the community members particularly the youths who are flocking to the Towns/Cities may reverse their attitude after seeing people from the City coming back home to join them and facilitate the community development. What a practical model!
• The school project will benefit students; they will acquire useful practical skills relevant to their local environment and for their community. The product will be for the students’ food and the surplus will be sold to cutter their common interest. In fact because of these projects we don’t see the logic of demanding high school fees. The assumption is that we will have no debts after the school construction for the donors/sponsors will have genuinely supported us. Otherwise we may need relatively a longer time before the school is fully independent.
Methods
A sustainable transformational development is not a work that can be accomplished overnight. A strategic approach must be developed and in fact a considerable time is required before we enjoy its destination. We have planned to establish such an institution (a high school) in the midst of the community to act as a fountain of blessing! As we will explain briefly, the school we are proposing will empower the children/youth to be agents of transformation. All girls and boys will participate in the development process in an age-appropriate manner, becoming agents of transformation in their families and community, in the present and future. We will give them a proper education, according to Tanzania A-Level syllabus and practical skills relevant to their local environment. The school will have many other advantages for being in the midst of the community as shown in the section outlining the significance of the program.
Frankly speaking there is a very big shortage of A-Level teachers in the areas such as Karatu that some graduate teachers call them ‘interiors’. Thus, graduates are overcrowding in Towns and Cities ready to do any job provided that the job makes them remain in the Town/City. The government & NGOs effort to support primary and O-Level schools is very meaningful and worthy of praise. However, we are threatened by the future of those students who cannot secure the limited A-Level chances. The fact is that with O-Level education, one is not in a good position to do anything with impact. There is a challenging gap between ‘O’-Level and Diploma/Higher studies. This gap, unless filled, limits a big number of students. There is a need to focus our attention on this alarming issue, and here is where our concern originated, for we are determined to be part of the solution to fill the existing gap.
We have decided to go back home and help our people. We could get a reasonable job here in the City of Dar (of course one of us is already employed in one of the royal Companies here in the City), and join the inhabitants of the City with the common Swahili legend ‘tutabanana hapa hapa!!!.’(We will live here despite the overcrowding); but we have voluntarily decided to go back home to those areas which some people of our level of education call them interiors.
We are confident that this is quite possible for number of reasons:
• All of us (GEO members) are from the place (Karatu). We were born there. We have nothing strange to learn about the culture of the people of Karatu; for we are the ones. We are comfortable with the environment, for it is the place where we were living for more than two decades. We cherish our area; we love and value our people.
• The Gongali Community has already provided fifteen (15) acres of land for the school (to start with).
• The construction materials such as sand, stones and timber are available and cheap. You can easily collect them from the area. The supply of other materials such as corrugated iron sheet and cements is reliable and the price is reasonable (consider the budget on the last page).
• There are more than enough local contractors who can build efficiently with low price. This will also create a temporary employment for them.
• Karatu is a fast growing district. Currently there is a good supply of water and electricity and our school can be connected to the national grid. There is a tarmac highway from Arusha Town through Karatu Town center. Thus, road transportation is not a problem.
The sustainability of the project is 100%. HOW?
- Constant support from the Gongali Community
- Constant support from the GEO members
- The GCM Bank will regularly continue to support the school
- There are 4 primary schools in Gongali. Thus, the reliability of getting students is doubtless.
- The school fees will be minimum for common people to afford and it should be sufficient to run the school. Thus, we don’t expect to relay upon donors for the continuation of the project/program.
- Currently, the government policies support the establishment of community schools and conditions for registering schools are simplified.
BUDGET
(Current rates in this year, 2011)
To reduce the complications and ambiguities, a budget breakdown for one classroom is done as a guideline (model) for the rest of the school buildings. Detailed analysis is available.
The cost minimization was done for every possible item.
Thus, the total amount required at least to start the school is about 1.2 Billion Tshs:
• Eighty classrooms (6 A-level; 12 O-Level) ~ 200,000,000/=
• Ten (20) teachers houses ~600,000,000/=
• Three laboratories ~100,000,000/=
• Two libraries ~80,000,000/=
• Ten toilets ~20,000,000/=
• Dining/meeting hall ~100,000,000/=
• Administration Building & Contingency ~ 100,000,000/=
The breakdown cost for building a single classroom is shown below. *Transport included.
S/N / Description / Units / Quantity / Rates / Amount-Tsh.1 / Hard core / 20 / Trips of tractor / 30,000 / 600,000
2 / Course aggregates* / 3 / Trips of tractor / 150,000 / 450,000
3 / Fine aggregates (Sand) / 40 / Trips of tractor / 30,000 / 1,200,000
4 / Cement* / 100 / 50Kgrms-bags / 15,000 / 1,500,000
5 / Burnt bricks* / 4000 / Pieces / 100 / 400,000
6 / Corrugated iron sheet* / 50 / Pieces / 20,000 / 1,000,000
7 / Timber* / 2,000,000
8 / Steel bars* / 30 / Pieces / 10,000 / 300,000
9 / Iron nails / 20 / Kgs / 2,500 / 50,000
10 / Panel doors / 2 / 100,000 / 200,000
11 / Windows / 6 / 100,000 / 600,000
12 / Ceiling board* / 30 / Pieces / 20,000 / 600,000
13 / Contractor(s) / 1,000,000
14 / Classroom tables+chairs / 45 / 40,000 / 1,800,000
15 / Contingence / 10% of total budget / 1,300,000
TOTAL / 13,000,000
FINAL WORDS
We are flexible to modify our program provided that it will end up with a high school that will be beneficial to the indigenous community to eradicate poverty.
We believe that you are interested with our innovation and we hope that you want to do something to support it.
You can help the community through us in one of the following ways:
• Sponsor the whole project by providing the required amount.
• Sponsor a part of the project according to your financial capacity.
• Graciously introduce us to another potential donor(s).
• Give you comment(s) and any other potential idea.
We are confident that this project will surely be successful and your sponsorship/donation is the one that will make it realistic.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
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