Shortage of toilet facilities haunt Arusha schools

SCHOOLS in Arusha region are in dire need of toilet facilities for pupils and students. Reports from a recent Regional Consultative Committee (RCC) meeting indicate that there is shortage of 8,392 latrine holes.

The RCC report shows that the region still faces shortage of 7,222 latrine holes in primary schools and 1,170 in secondary schools. The schools also need 2,959 classrooms for primary schools and 280 for secondary schools.

School furniture in the region is also said to be lacking with shortage of 1,834 desks in primary and 1,397 tables and chairs in secondary schools as per the latest education office’s stock taking.

The government, through the education infrastructure improvement programme, has so far disbursed 764m/- to schools in Longido and Ngorongoro districts for construction of classrooms, dormitories and toilets in eight institutions; six primary and two secondary schools in the mostly nomadic pastoralists’ precincts.

The government has also ordered the elevation of two secondary schools to advanced level, with forms five and six streams and according to the Regional Administrative Secretary Richard Kwitega, construction works have already started.

Arusha has also transferred 120 former secondary school teachers who taught art subjects to primary schools to offset the shortage of tutors in the lower levels of education. The 523 primary and 141 secondary schools in the region receive 1.9bn/- monthly from the central government to finance fee-free education.

The region has this year enrolled 24,190 students for secondary education, recording 82 per cent of its target to register 29,521 students.