Education
EDUCATION – What we offer
Day Care Centre
Tír na nÓg offers a day care centre which caters for children aged two to three years. As a result of the large number of poor families in our area we opened a day care centre in the community. Our Tanzanian volunteers encourage these families to send their children to day care as a way of getting their children started in the education system. The children are given a breakfast and our two teachers teach them songs, games and the basics in letter recognition and English commands and instructions. We provide up to 25 places to families who are unable to pay for day care costs. Our day care centre operates from 08.00 to 12.00 Monday to Friday.
Kindergarten
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We at Tír na nÓg offer a Kindergarten school for both local children and children who live in the children’s home. Two teachers are employed in our Kindergarten. Our ‘baby class’ caters for children aged three and four years and our pre- unit class accepts children aged four to six years. We have approximately twenty children in each of these classes. They learn to read and write, recognise sounds and letters, learn instructions and commands both in English and in Kiswahili. Our Kindergarten begins at 08.00 and finished at 14.00. The children are given numerous breaks to play outside in the playground and when school finish they get their sleeping mats and take a nap. We provide a bus service for those children who live a long distance from the school and have no means of transport.
Primary School
Our primary school currently caters for over 250 children. Our school day begins at 08.00 and finishes at 16.00. We also operate two school buses for the collection and drop-off of these children. Each child attending our school receives two hot meals per day. The children study a variety of subjects including English, Mathematics, Civics, History, Geography and Science. Our school is an English Medium School, which means the children and taught through English. The students also study their own language Kiswahili and Friday afternoons are dedicated to sports.
Our school uniform consists of of a blue shirt, black shorts and a red jumper for the boys and a blue dress and a red jumper for the girls. All children wear red socks and black shoes.
Primary school begin at class one and continue to class seven. When the children reach class seven they are required to sit the Primary School Leaving Examination, which serves as the secondary school entrance exam.
