July 2020 - Labs at Tumaini Senior Secondary School
Tumaini Senior Secondary School is designated a science, technology, engineering and math school by the Tanzanian government. Thus, the School has always taken great pride in its well furnished labs and high quality equipment. This is one of the reasons that Tumaini Secondary is one of the highest performing schools nationally; ranking 157th out of 3,908 secondary schools in 2019. There are three large laboratories, computer, biology and chemistry, with a fourth, the physics lab, currently awaiting completion.
The Computer Lab
The computer lab has been central to Tumaini’s mission to prepare students with the skills necessary to enter STEM sector employment, one of East Africa’s fastest growing industries. This lab is extremely well equipped thanks to TEC donors. There are 35 laptops, two Raspberry Pi kits (used to teach basic computer science) and robotics equipment. The students use the lab to learn coding basics, software development, app development, website development and, as of this year, game development! It is often referred to by many students as their favorite place, and we are proud to make computer science a key part of Tumaini's curriculum.
The Chemistry Lab
The chemistry lab was so kindly donated by the family and friends of Tony Poplstein, a visitor to Tumaini in 2016, to honor his memory. This lab has all the equipment required to support the various practicals required as part of the national curriculum such as acid-base titration and understanding the preparation and separation of gases. Many students across Tanzania unfortunately do not have access to these resources and as Mr Chitanda, a chemistry teacher said, “students enjoy doing practicals because it allows them to prove what they have been taught theoretically.”
The Biology Lab
The biology lab is the most used laboratory at Tumaini. Madam Mary, a biology teacher, is particularly proud how smoothly experiments go there. It was built with work benches and stools that can be easily moved so a teacher or student can demonstrate a practical. Sinks are built into the work benches and the lab is stocked with all the equipment needed to complete practicals, including a student favorite, dissections -- of hibiscus flowers, frogs, cockroaches and even guinea pigs! In Tanzania, practicals are not necessary parts of the curriculum until the final year of school, and often students do not get the chance to try a practical until then. However, the lab facilities at Tumaini allow students to participate in practicals throughout senior school which Madam Mary attributes to students' strong engagement with the subject!
At Tumaini we encourage our female students to develop interests in these subjects with the goal of balancing the gender disparity in employment across Tanzania. Where possible, we try to hire female technology teachers at Tumaini and our past two computer programming directors have both been women. Both current programming teachers are from the continent, and act as inspiring role models for Tumaini students, many of whom have expressed interest in pursuing a career in technology.
Tumaini was founded to offer students a comprehensive learning environment, and we continue to strive towards providing the highest possible level of STEM based education to students who otherwise may not be able to access it.
