News to Celebrate in Tanzania!

One of the hallmarks of the organisations supported by the LBW Trust is the emphasis on the social impact of the Projects they implement. A first class example of this is the Mamire Teachers College in Tanzania. Built by So They Can and operated jointly with the Tanzanian Government, Mamire Teachers College has gone from strength to strength in the eight years since its inception. This year the achievements of the graduating students were outstanding. Out of 79 public and private teachers colleges nationally, the diploma students placed first and the certificate students placed second in the country. Notably, one female student graduated with distinction from the certificate program — one of only 5 certificate graduates in the whole country to achieve this standard.

In recent years, the Government of Tanzania has introduced a system whereby employment offers are based on academic achievement, with the best graduates being targeted for employment, so these great results also mean that Mamire Teachers College graduates will be first in line for employment when opportunities arise. The LBW Trust supports two programs which directly impact on and benefit from the work of So They Can. Students in their first year of training are able to participate in Single Lesson Practice sessions, something that is not possible in other colleges. In addition, we fund the Internship program where 35 college graduates are recruited each year, based on academic performance and a professional assessment test, to work alongside experienced teachers in schools supported by So They Can. This provides the interns with the opportunity to gain practical classroom teaching experience. This program equips the interns with the skills that make them the first choice of the Tanzanian Government when employing graduate teachers.