Moshi. Weruweru Secondary School, which marked
its Golden Jubilee yesterday, wants the government to reverse its order
to phase out ‘O’ levels in all high schools.
The school’s administrators and former
headmistresses said the decision, taken in 2007, was counter-productive
and could have led to a drop in the performance of the school in
national examinations.
Maria Kamm, the longest serving headmistress, said during the climax of the celebrations yesterday that ‘O’ levels were critical in moulding students.
She told Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, who was the
chief guest, that scrapping Form 1 to IV at the school she taught in
for 22 years may have led to the drop in its performance in recent
years.
Ms Kamm, who is one of only five headmistress the
school had in its 50-year history, said the school fared well in the
national examinations in the 20 years it had only ‘O’ level students.
The situation remained more or less the same from
the 1980s, when Form V and VI were added and Ms Kamm is concerned about
the school’s national ranking.
Weruweru was established in 1963 by the Roman Catholic Church with the support of the Assumption Sisters from the United Kingdom. The government took it over in 1970.
Weruweru was established in 1963 by the Roman Catholic Church with the support of the Assumption Sisters from the United Kingdom. The government took it over in 1970.
In 1984, the school had to be expanded to
accommodate Form V and Form VI students, raising the number of students
at any one time to an all-time high of 1,200.
In 2007, ‘O’ level classes were phased out
following a government directive that schools with ‘A’ level students
should ditch Form I-IV classes. The move affected other public schools
countrywide.
Ms Flaviana Msuya and Ms Anna Devotha Sambaya, the
headmistresses from 1993 to 2001 and 2001 to 2009 respectively,
suggested that if the government could not revert to the old order, it
should reconsider Weruweru’s case.
Similar sentiments came from other speakers,
mainly former students Asha Rose Migiro, Dr Mary Nagu and Ambassador
Mwanaidi Maajar, during the well-attended event.
But the deputy minister for Education and
Vocational Training, Mr Philipo Mulugo, said the government phased out
‘O’ levels in all high schools after the rapid rise of the former.
Some 12,757 girls have gone studied at the school,
which has 53 teaching staff currently. Three of the headmistresses have
been former students.
