Solar means fewer challenges for Changalikwa

We arrived at Changalikwa Secondary School at dusk. It transpired the next day that we'd inadvertently reached the school via an unofficial (and extremely overgrown) back entrance. But we reached it nonetheless.

Visiting Changalikwa was to be a particularly interesting experience for me personally. We were to stay the night here, which would of course mean experiencing the solar lighting in use after dark!

ABOVE: SolarAid's Mason Huffine talks to the Headmistress, backlit by the classroom with solar lighting.

Changalikwa Secondary School is very respected by the President of Tanzania who was born in the district and still owns property there. It has 1250 students and just 10 teachers, one of whom is a volunteer.

Through the President's support, the school received funding some years ago for two generators. These generators had been the sole energy source for Changilikwa prior to the solar installation. Keeping them running had been a real challenge. The generators were very unreliable, polluting and fearfully expensive, using 20 litres of diesel per week, at a cost of 860,000 shillings per month to the school (about £430).

Too poor for secondary school
In Tanzania, primary education is free so the majority of children attend. However, secondary education is not compulsory and is subject to school fees. The day we visited Changalikwa was officially the first day of the new term. However, there was just a handful of students present. When asked why this was, the Headmaster told me:

"The students must only return once they have paid the fees for the term. The students you see here are ones who have paid their fees."

I realised that the vast and alarming majority of parents were not in a position financially to send their children back to school. There were just nine students present, meaning that 1241 others were at home still, unable to come back for classes.

"It can take weeks into a new term before we have all the students present, as it takes families time to save up for the school fees. Some children sadly never return."

ABOVE: a classroom at Changalikwa is illuminated by the solar lighting system.

Then there was solar light...
When Changalikwa relied on its generators the school would economise on fuel by only allowing light for homework for three hours each evening. With the arrival of solar, the school can now offer its students as many hours of additional study as they want. The generators are still used to power some classrooms and staff housing, but it now only costs the school 300,000 shillings per month on diesel (around £140. That's a saving of £300 per month!).

The fees have subsequently been reduced now that the school doesn't rely wholly on diesel. It used to cost each student 100,000 shillings for fuel (along with teaching fees, boarding, food etc) but now the fuel cost to each student is just 5000 shillings (£2.50). This also contributes to running costs of the solar.

Like at many similar schools, Changalikwa students used to have to buy their own lamps and kerosene. Now there is no need and the students' families are saving money.

Students of Changalikwa in a classroom illuminated by the solar lighting system.

The school is extremely remote and isolated so all staff live on site. In the past, new teachers would often leave after a couple of terms, finding the lack of power together with the remoteness too much. But the solar has had a positive impact on staff moral. Teachers can do their marking and lesson planning well into the evening, in the comfort of an illuminated staff room.

To top it all, the school has enjoyed a massive improvement in exam results and has moved up the league in the schools table from near the bottom - 335 out of 364 - to a very impressive 191 out of 574! Security has also improved substantially across the campus and the school now plans to buy a computer. Not surprisingly, enrollment has also increased.

More about my stay at Changalikwa in my next blog.
Anna