Mukidoma is a fee-paying English medium school in Tanzania that provides high quality education and excellent results compared to other schools in the country. It educates students from across Tanzania, including some disadvantaged children alongside fee-paying students in preparation for the highly competitive national university entrance. Located in a rural community near Arusha and wildlife parks, Mukidoma aims to improve opportunities for its students through its academic rigor and extracurricular programs, despite its more limited facilities compared to schools in developed countries.
3. Education is a privilege in Tanzania, students at Mukidoma are particularly
lucky – it is a fee paying English Medium school, with excellent results.
Students come from all over Tanzania.
7. GEORGE ABBOT has link schools in
Canada, China, France, India and Tanzania
In Tanzania –
•Average life expectancy is 51
•Infant mortality is more than 1 in 10
•Percentage underweight for age 5 is 22%
•Percentage undernourished in population is 35%
8. THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN ACROSS THE ROAD FROM MUKIDOMA.
Arusha is a busy city, but Usa River is a quiet rural community
Most people speak their tribal language and Swahili. Lessons in state schools are in
Swahili. Those lucky enough to have more educational opportunities speak English in
addition to Swahili and their tribal languages.
9. The area is popular with tourists as it is near Kilimanjaro and several wildlife parks,
however many in the local community struggle to survive, Mukidoma students are very
fortunate and have high expectations
10. Dr Masanja and Dorcas
Masanja (headteacher at
Mukidoma) do what they
can in the local
community and some
disadvantaged children
are educated alongside
fee-paying students who
will compete for the few
university places in
Tanzania.
Mukidoma has achieved
some of the best results in
the country on several
occasions.
11. Teaching methods are traditional, subjects include:
Economics, Maths, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, History, Kiswahili,
History, Geography and English Language.
12. Classes seen here are Business Studies (book-keeping)
and A level Chemistry (properties of the periodic table)
13. Mukidoma is a caring
community with high
moral and academic
standards.
Staff teach classes of
around forty students,
they work hard to deliver
a varied curriculum,
though facilities are far
more limited than
schools in the UK.
14. There are very few places available at universities in Tanzania, so
students face much competition and must work extremely hard.
16. Mr Moloney and Miss Hamer visited the school in 2009. was invited to speak
at school assembly. Presents were given as a token of friendship between
the two schools. A book of photographs and some footballs and netballs.
Students also spoke at this special assembly….
17.
18. Students wasted no time in making use of the footballs. Football is very
popular in Tanzania and many of the students follow British clubs!
19. Students board at Mukidoma, the girls showed us their dormitory. They
have to do their own washing at the weekend (see photo!)
20. Mr Moloney and Miss Hamer taught an art/creativity lesson with a group
of students in the library. The lesson involved discussion and a quiz.
21. There was some excellent team work
and exchange of ideas, followed by
some discussion about what the
Mukidoma students would like
George Abbot students to learn
about Tanzania.
22. The students were very keen to find out about George Abbot,
and many asked for their names and addresses to be passed
to George Abbot students so that they could exchange letters
and emails.
23. Mukidoma has another very special role…it provides protection and education
to Albino children who are often in great danger in Tanzania. Albino students
work alongside other students and strong friendships provide support.
24. You can find out more about Mukdioma’s efforts to change attitudes in some of
the poorer parts of Tanzania by looking at their film on YOUTUBE
search for MUKIDOMA ‘THE VOICE’ (the film is in three parts)
