The Bethany Family Education Facilities

• Background
• All students in Tanzania are expected to go to school. The Government provides education at Primary and Secondary level.  The reality is that some children and young people do not attend because they are too poor to afford uniforms or live in areas that are too remote. In addition, some are kept at home to carry water or perform other chores for their family or carers. 
   
• Students are taught in Kiswahili and English during their primary years and in English at secondary level. The children report that their class sizes can be between 40 and 70 students to one teacher.  To progress to secondary level students have to pass an examination which includes English.
   
• Goals
• Education is a priority at Bethany and is an area in need of continued development. 
• The long term goal is to establish and run a Primary School for the children in Bethany’s care on site.  The secondary students will still attend their schools.
   
• Current provision - Pre-school age
• The pre-school age children spend all their time at Bethany under the supervision of the carers. They will benefit from age appropriate games and activities, particularly in the mornings and late afternoons when it is cooler.
   
• Resources available:
  Parachute available for games
  Ping pong balls
  English big reading and easy reader books
  Swahili easy reader books
  Large hand puppet
   
• Resources needed:
  Colouring books and crayons
  Early years learning materials
  Swahili big reading books
  Carer with designated responsibility for teaching this group

• Current provision - Primary and Secondary age children
• The primary age children all attend local primary schools and make their own way there each weekday morning. They depart at around 7am and return between 12.30 and 4.30 dependent on their teacher’s schedule which can vary without prior notice.  A small number of secondary age students attend private education as boarders and return at weekends. Those students who have not passed their secondary entrance exams would benefit from additional support and tuition. Bethany has the resources to provide additional English lessons to all its children to ensure the academic success of its young people.
   
• Resources available:
  ‘Primary English for Tanzania’ text books and teacher guides for Standards 1 to 7
  Exercise books
  A classroom space
  English and Kiswahili reading books from the Junior African Writers Series published by McMillan
  Computer with colour printer
  Computer tutorial software e.g. PowerPoint, Excel, etc
   
• Resources needed:
  Additional English and Swahili reading books, especially those specifically written for African children and for more able readers
  Pens, erasers, rulers, coloured chalk, etc.
  Subject specific teaching materials to supplement their taught curriculum for Maths, Science, English and other subjects
  Bilingual dictionaries (available in Mawanza at a minimal cost)
  English and Swahili bilingual hardback picture dictionaries (available from Millet in the UK)
  English school dictionaries (available in Mawanza at a minimal cost)
  Educational posters (produced by Millet or Mantra Lingua in the UK) and blutack
  Flashcards (yes/no, true/false, colours, alphabet, key words, etc.)
  Reward stickers for marking work
  A teacher or designated member of staff to take responsibility for the monitoring and implementation of teaching and learning
   
• Classroom Facilities
• There are three classrooms available for the students to use.  All have a chalkboard with desks and benches; they are interlinked by a small room which will eventually be their library space.  The library does not have shelves or stock yet. There is also a small stockroom which will be available once the building work elsewhere on site is completed. The classrooms have some educational posters but would benefit from more professional resources such as those produced by Millet or Mantra Lingua in the UK. (Days of the week, months of the year, opposites, the seasons, colours, times tables, etc.)  There will also be a First Aid room in the future which will need health posters, models, etc.
   
• The classrooms, stock room and library space are currently used as visitor accommodation during busy periods so it may be necessary to ask where the resources are and to make them available.
   
• Organisation
• The three female students who will be studying in England at Accrington and Rossendale College have day to day responsibility for teaching the 7 Standards and for managing the educational resources.  They are training other students to take their place from September when they will have moved to England.  They are supervised by Eliada who is very supportive of the need to improve the education facilities.
   
• Teaching and Learning Strategies
• The three young women have been taught the following teaching and learning principles:
  All lessons should have between one and three aims to be shared with their students
  Each lesson should have three sections: 1, an introduction or recap. 2, the main teaching and learning activities. 3, a plenary or conclusion
  Work should be marked and returned regularly
  Try to include auditory (listening), kinesthetic (movement) and visual activities in each lesson to increase learning and student participation
  A record of lessons must be maintained so other people can follow the work they have been doing and so visitors can support with awareness of the student’s progress, achievements and needs
• These strategies need to be used regularly and monitored to ensure their success before they can be further developed.
   
• Record of Lessons - Standard One
   

Date	Activities	Comments