Tanzania: New Education Initiative to Rescue Girls in Distress
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Arusha Times (Arusha)
23 February 2008
Posted to the web 25 February 2008
Arusha
A special Education Initiative for Girls is being conceived in Arusha and is focused at transforming the current learning situation among female pupils and students through addressing gender inequality and dealing with HIV-Aids threats against the vulnerable gender.
Codenamed 'Seig' the new project is a brainchild of the Njiro based, Maarifa ni Ufunguo a non-government organization working in the fields of education, development and research.
"The Overall goal of Seig is to achieve a transformation in the education of girls in Tanzania, enabling them to enroll and succeed in school on one hand and address key challenges and obstacles hindering their participation in school on the other, including their increasing vulnerability to HIV infections," Israel Gabriel Laizer, the program officer stated.
Piloted in Arusha the project intends to reach more than 30,000 girls throughout Tanzania, reducing school drop-out rates caused by early marriages and pregnancies through empowering female pupils.
"We increase girls' confidence and negotiating skills, enlighten them on more diverse life options and animate them to report violence, abuse and other negative advances both inside and outside school compounds," said Laizer.
A total of 60 schools are expected to participate in the project, among them 50 primary and 10 Secondary schools. According to Maarifa-ni-Ufunguo, Teachers Training Colleges, District Education Offices and the Teachers Union will also have active engagement in the project which on the other hand incorporates local communities.
Seig is to be conducted together with the Bureau of Education Research and Evaluation as collaborative partner, BERE was established by the University of Dar-es-salaam during the 88th meeting of University Councils in November 1999, as a research unit of the faculty of education.
Action-Aid International (United Kingdom) through its Tanzanian Chapter is the other partner which 'Maarifa-ni-Ufunguo' will be working with to execute the new project.
The initiative will also increase awareness and understanding among girls in Tanzania and their counterparts in the United Kingdom regarding obstacles to girls' education and this is set to be achieved through regular exchange visits.
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Employing participatory approach in its implementation, teachers, parents, boys and girls, training colleges and district councils will be consulted and expected to fully participate in this project.
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