Sombetini and Felix Mrema Secondary Schools

I went on two school visits today to Sombetini Secondary School and Felix Mrema Secondary School.

General thoughts: Sombetini impressed me with their English language skills. You could tell they really enforced the language pledge there – they even had a sign that said no English, no service. Haha. Every school has “general cleanliness” in the morning and afternoon, which is when the students clean up the school by watering flowers, cleaning desks, cleaning toilets, etc. They don’t have a janitor because the students and teachers take care of everything. Seems very efficient and somewhat empowering because it allows the students to take ownership and care over their school. It’s definitely an interesting approach.

Sombetini Secondary School Profile:
Key Contacts
Headmistress: Bertha I. Lyimo
Second Master: John Chacha

Quick Facts
Founded: April 2008
No. of Students (2009): 806
No. of Teachers (2009): 11
No. of Classrooms (2009): 20
Class size: >30
Days of School: 285-290
Uniforms: Navy blue pants or skirt and navy blue sweater
School year: Begins mid January, ends mid December
Laboratory: No
Library: No
Computer Lab: No
Electricity: Yes

Daily Schedule
7:00-7:10 Arrival and roll call
7:10-7:30 Cleanliness
7:30-7:55 Morning Assembly
8:00-10:40 Classes
10:40-11:10 Break and Morning Tea
11:10-2:30 Classes
2:30-3:30 Cleanliness and Extra-curricular activities
3:30 Dispersal
3:30-5:30 Remedial for Form II

Clubs
Subject clubs
Scouts
Club against Corruption
Environmental Club
Religious Societies
Choir
Drama club
Poetry club

Sports
Football
Volleyball
Athletics
Netball

Motto
Education for Self Actualization

Vision
To provide a quality education so that all pupils are able to reach their full potential within a caring, secure environment

Mission
To provide a safe, supportive environment with a variety of educational opportunities to empower each student to develop the attitudes, behaviors, skills, knowledge to become self-assured, responsible and economically productive citizens

Student Services
Health: First aid kit
Social Welfare: 2 guidance counselors
Field Trip: Organize student-financed safari to Ngorogoro Crater or Serengeti

History
The school was started in April 2008 as a government school. They started with 320 form I students and 8 teachers. In October 2008, they hired 3 more teachers and received almost 500 new form I students.

Future Plans
Sombetini hopes to add bookkeeping and commerce classes but currently does not have the teacher capacity to do so. In two years, they plan to have nearly 1600 students. The headmaster wants to “make the school look like a school” with a laboratory and library.

The school also wants to be more self-dependent, which will require expanding school grounds to include a place for sports and more buildings for an administration block and classrooms. They hope to receive more teaching materials as well as teachers.

Classes
Forms I and II take 9 subjects:
• English
• Kiswahili
• Maths
• Geography
• Civics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• History
Forms III and IV take at least 7 subjects and can take up to 9.

Felix Mrema Secondary School Profile:
Key Contacts
Headmaster: Rashid William Nkanga
Second Master: Mr. Hassan

Quick Facts
Founded: June 2007
No. of Students (2009): 750
No. of Teachers (2009): 11
No. of Classrooms (2009): 13
Class size: unsure
Days of School: 195
Uniforms: Charcoal grey pants or skirt and light grey sweater
School year: Begins mid January, ends beginning of December
Laboratory: No
Library: No
Computer Lab: No
Electricity: Yes

Daily Schedule
7:00-7:30 Reporting and General Cleanliness
7:40-7:55 Assembling and Announcements
8:00-2:40 Classes
2:40-3:00 General Cleanliness
3:00-4:30 Sports, Clubs, Remedial Classes
4:45 Home

Clubs
Family and Life Education club
Subject clubs
Scouts
Debate Club
Club against Corruption Environmental Club
Academic Revolution Club
Religious Societies

Sports
Football
Volleyball
Basketball
Netball

Student Services
Health: First aid kit, Global Service Corps health seminars
Field Trip: Organize student-financed safari for whole school

History
School was started in June 2007 with 164 students.

Future Plans
Felix Mrema plans to create a laboratory and library with more textbooks. They currently have 13 classrooms completed and 2 in progress. In addition, the school would like to offer bookkeeping and commerce classes, but don’t have enough teachers.

Classes
Forms I and II take 9 subjects:
• English
• Kiswahili
• Maths
• Geography
• Civics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• History
Forms III and IV take at least 7 subjects and can take up to 9.

S4Si update: We have officially hired three mentors for our Zanzibar scholars!!!!! Two are really dynamic teachers from two of the schools we sponsor scholars at and the third is a journalist who is very involved with different education programs around the island. All three have excellent computer skills, which was one of the qualifications that was somewhat hard to fulfill. I got to write my first employment contract as well!

The Postal System:
Since no one here really has an address but rather a location within a village, mailmen aren’t a feasible way to deliver mail. Mail is delivered through PO boxes at the post office in downtown Arusha, and comes Monday through Saturday.

Scholar meeting: I also met with the scholars today to collect their photo release forms and connection letters. This was one of my favorite few hours in Sakina yet! I tried to teach them hand games in English and impressed them with my wide range of Swahili vocabulary (just kidding!). We sang songs and just goofed around. One of the scholars, William, said he liked the guitar, so I got out the guitar that Kerry from Sustain Foundation had left here when she came. It seemed appropriate that the sakina scholars would play Kerry’s guitar. They also read letters that were sent from school children from Carrboro, NC and loved them! I told them they could take pictures with my camera and they LOVED that. They all took turns posing together and posing with the guitar. I can tell the Literacy through Photography program during the scholars retreat will be a huge hit.

GREAT DAY.

Vocab word of the day:
Fenesi – jackfruit