PATRIZIA School Ndanda
Classes with 100 or more pupils are not uncommon in Tanzania’s primary schools: the population is growing and with it the number of children and young people in state schools. The quality of education suffers from the catastrophic conditions: Many children hardly learn to read and write properly.
The town of Ndanda, in the Mtwara Masasi District in Tanzania, faces economic and social challenges. They have to deal with problems such as a high number of children, insufficient school infrastructure and a cultural tendency not to send children to school due to costs and loss of labor.
In order to offer more children access to a high quality education, the Benedictine Abbey of Ndanda expanded its elementary school in collaboration with the PATRIZIA Foundation.
„Our average attendance rate is 98%. This shows how important the school is to parents, children and teachers.”
Theresia Machota
Principal of the PATRIZIA School Ndanda
Education as a way out of poverty
The Benedictines have been running the primary school in Ndanda since 2018. But space was limited. To enable it to take in more children, the abbey decided to expand the school. Education is incredibly important for the Tanzanian society. Currently, far too few primary school pupils meet the requirements for secondary education or a qualified job.
On the other hand, there is a high demand for skilled personnel: nursing, administration, hotel management and many other sectors are desperately looking for well-trained employees. As a result, the country’s transformation into a modern society is progressing slowly and many people have no way out of poverty.
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Impact of the school radiates into society
As part of the PATRIZIA School Ndanda project, important steps have already been taken to improve the educational situation in Ndanda, Tanzania. Today, the highlight is the construction of a new main building, which was completed in 2023. The building contains rooms for ten classes. These new classrooms represent a significant expansion of the school infrastructure and are an essential part of the project to give up to 620 children access to high-quality education.
At the same time, the sanitary facilities were upgraded and supplemented, which also contributes to improving the learning environment. The entire site has been made child-friendly and colorful. The school is particularly proud of the school buses that are available to the pupils of PATRIZIA School Ndanda. These school buses make it possible for many children who live in isolated areas and for whom the journey to school on foot would be too long and dangerous, to attend school regularly. This is a crucial factor in increasing participation in education and ensuring that education is accessible to all children, regardless of where they live.