My trip to Mtwara: how energising rural schools could improve education

After a few false starts and more than a few hours, the bus veered onto the dirt track. The track itself was only 50 kilometres long, but depending on the fitness of the bus it can take two to three hours- one more reason why the Southern region of Mtwara finds itself cut off both from the economic and infrastructural base of the rest of Tanzania.

We had just re-engaged with the tarmac when a bird flew into the windscreen, smashing and completely removing it. The immediate tension was replaced by laughs all around. Sunglasses and a hat were found for the driver to protect him from the wind and dust. And we were off again.

As we arrived into the village of Mikindani, I was greeted by Ben, our contact from NoPC, with whom we are hoping to link up the running of their new low-energy computers in schools with our solar systems in the rural areas.

The next day we headed out to some villages to look for potential schools. We hired an open-air three wheeled taxi as there is no local transport that plies this route, with locals relying on bicycles or foot for distances of 50km or more inland. The area is poor with minimal government investment after the failure of the planned groundnut scheme resulting in the area being a total net importer of food.

The reality in Mtwara
Only one secondary school in the entire Mtwara rural and urban regions has a stable electricity supply. Two more are linked to the grid, although remain powerless due to the high costs of electricity, and all the others have no access to electricity. Students are learning about the concept of electric lights in secondary schools without ever having seen one.

A rural primary school in the Southern region of Mtwara in Tanzania.

While speaking about solar with one of the school teachers in Mgao village I was surprised to see how well she understood the potential of solar power. She then explained to me that it was well-known because there were some panels in her village. She took me to have a look. Indeed, there were three panels charging a car battery which was then being used in the evenings to charge mobile phones for a profit (at 50% increased cost than in Mtwara town - 30km away). A second and a third village were also found to be using solar, although all in a private capacity. Now the challenge is to ensure that the public benefits from solar through solar systems on schools.

School children following us as we left a village in Mtwara, Tanzania.

An education without light
Can you imagine your high school experience without electricity? No science experiments, no chance for studying in the evening or possibly even on a dark, rainy afternoon and only learning about electricity as an abstract concept. One of the schools I visited was constructing a dormitory to accommodate students from far away - a macrosolar installation on the school would allow them to pursue reading and studying into the night.

While waiting for the bus out of Mtwara a few days later at 5:30am I contemplated the relative remoteness of the region. The road into the west of Tanzania is horrendous and completely impassable during the rains. There is no road southwards into Mozambique, with the car ferry having recently sunk and only small dugout canoes ferrying passengers across the river to the border posts on the other side.

My trip back to Dar Es Salaam would also become a 15 hour odyssey through breakdowns, poor roads and congested city traffic. Mtwara remains isolated but its people need not experience a lower quality of education as a result. Energising schools is a positive start in improving education in the region.

More from me soon,
Courtney

Reflecting solar panels. Mgao village, Mtwara Region in Tanzania.