There is primary and secondary school. Primary school is taught in Kiswahili while English is one of the subjects taught. All subjects in secondary school are supposed to be taught in English with the exception of Kiswahili course. I say supposed to be taught in English because I have heard that many of the teachers do not actually know that much English. Nonetheless, all of the national examinations for secondary school are indeed in English. So while I am technically teaching math, I am sure I will be teaching math with a side of English everyday.
Primary school is for 7 years. It is compulsory and free. At the end of primary school there is a national exam which students must pass to be admitted into secondary school. Secondary school is for a maximum of 6 years but is broken into two levels, ordinary and advanced. O-level is for 4 years and is similar to high school in the US. Instead of grades, they have forms (Form I -IV). Then, A-level (Form V-VI) lasts for 2 years. Due to low passing rates and cost, very few students make it to A-level. Speaking of cost, there is a yearly cost for secondary school. Rates vary especially among public and private schools; however, the average cost for public school is Tsh 20,00 or US $12. While this may seem quite inexpensive in US standards, this is a lot to ask for many families.
Class sizes vary from school to school but are generally much larger, at least twice the size of most US classes. However, students are incredibly well behaved, perhaps partially due to the fact that corporal punishment is still used regularly. As opposed to the US standard, students stay in the same classroom while teachers move from room to room. Tanzanian schools are generally severely understaffed and teachers can sometimes be indifferent or nonchalant about their profession. It is not rare from teachers to not come to school or go to their classes.
Whew! That was a lot about the technical details. I look forward to experiencing the realities first hand very soon!
And for the first of many interesting USAID infographics I want to introduce you to from Tanzania 365... This one is about education in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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