AAIDRO launches pre-school programme in rural areas

by Valentine Marc Nkwame

The Arusha Catholic Archdiocesan Integrated Development and Relief Office (AAIDRO) has launched a special programme, aimed at introducing, Kindergarten and pre-school education in rural parts of Arusha region.

The charitable, community based pre-school programme (CBPSP) targets children aged between three and six years in six districts that are covered by the Catholic Archdiocese of Arusha.

Father Richard Rwiza, the general secretary for the Archdiocese said the district covered by the pre-school programme are Arusha, Arumeru, Monduli, Simanjiro, Kiteto and Ngorongoro.

According to Father Rwiza, the programme is tailor-made to suit educational needs of young children from the local pastoralist communities in the rural areas.

Early childhood education, in form of kindergarten and pre-school, has always been missing in most rural parts of Tanzania where children normally go straight to class one, in primary schools.

The pilot CBPSP project, covering the two districts of Monduli and Ngorongoro, in which 26 pre-schools will be built, is expected to end in 2006.

Last week, one of such schools, the Mongere pre-school of Mto-wa-Mbu was officially opened and is expected to cater for over 45 children in the area.

The community based pre-school programme for the Tanzania rural communities, is being sponsored by the German Government through CARITAS-Germany.

A representative from CARITAS-Germany, Wolfgang Fritz was present during the opening of Mongere kindergarten last week.

CARITAS-Germany had donated Tsh.9.9 million towards the project which has cost Tsh.23 million with the local community contributing Tsh.3.13 million.

However, it was noted during the ceremony that, there was still the need of encouraging pastoralist community members to take their children to school especially female children, most of whom are usually forced into early marriages.

Last modified: October 30, 2003.
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