Hassan Magulumali
Kinyerezi Ward Councillor and Deputy Mayor of Dar es Salaam City, John Lyoba Mrema, has donated rice to students at Ari Secondary School in Kinyerezi, following concerns from parents over the number of students who struggle to afford meals while at school.
Mrema made the donation in fulfilment of a promise he made during a parents and teachers’ meeting at the school, which he attended together with the Member of Parliament for Segerea to listen to challenges facing the school and its students.
He said providing students with food is important because many students spend long hours at school and cannot concentrate properly on their studies when they are hungry.
Mrema explained that in the past, students would return home during lunchtime. However, the arrangement was found to waste a significant amount of learning time, while some students also returned to school without having eaten.
He said that, as a local leader, he has a responsibility to work with the school, parents and other stakeholders to improve students’ learning conditions.
Apart from the food support, Mrema said he has already responded to some of the challenges previously raised by the school.
One of the issues was the school’s uneven and hilly grounds, which made it difficult for students to conduct morning assemblies and participate in sports.
Mrema said he had promised to help level the grounds, a commitment he has since fulfilled, giving students a better space for assemblies and sporting activities.
He acknowledged that the school still faces shortages of desks and chairs and said he would continue supporting the school where possible, including providing additional chairs for teachers.
He also thanked President Samia Suluhu Hassan for allocating nearly 700 million Tanzanian shillings in the current financial year to begin construction of a new multi-storey school building.
Mrema said some of the school’s existing buildings are old and have developed cracks, raising safety concerns for students.
He said the new building would provide better and safer learning facilities, adding that local leaders would work to ensure construction progresses as quickly as possible.
Mrema also highlighted the need for the school to have a perimeter wall, saying the lack of fencing poses a security challenge and could expose students and school property to unnecessary risks.
Also Read: Mwinyi Launches CCM-ACT Wazalendo Joint Dialogue Committee
The school administration says it also needs more chairs and desks, as well as a photocopying machine to support the preparation of examinations and other learning materials.
Speaking on behalf of the school, Headmaster Charles Francis Mapunda thanked the Deputy Mayor for fulfilling his promise to support the students and for remaining closely involved in addressing the school’s challenges.
Mapunda said the school still needs support for chairs, a perimeter wall and a photocopying machine, and appealed to other well-wishers and stakeholders to come forward.
Meanwhile, Mathematics teacher Ndiguako Mulungu, who is responsible for coordinating the school’s meal programme, said the food donation would make a significant difference to students whose families cannot afford regular meals.
He said the school has approximately 500 students, but only about 200 currently manage to pay for meals, while around 300 students often go without food because their parents cannot afford the cost.
Mulungu said the school reduced the price of a meal from 1,000 shillings to 700 shillings in an effort to make food more affordable and enable students to remain at school and study until the afternoon.
He appealed for additional support, particularly donations of rice, so that more students can benefit from the school meal programme.
The school’s Head Prefect, Baraka Jumbo Sagati, thanked the councillor for the donation and promised that students would continue working hard in their studies while maintaining discipline.
He said the students were encouraged by the support and would strive to become a good example to other schools.
Also speaking during the visit, Rauf Isa Mohamed, a school department head, thanked the Deputy Mayor for visiting the school and pledged that teachers would continue working together to improve education and the learning environment.
Ari Secondary School is one of the secondary schools serving Kinyerezi Ward in Dar es Salaam and continues to face a number of infrastructure and basic service challenges.
The school administration has appealed for continued cooperation between government leaders, parents, teachers, private stakeholders and members of the community to help improve facilities and ensure students have a better environment for learning.
