“My name is Sarah Allen Komba. Am a teacher at Kiluvya A Primary School, Kisarawe District, Pwani Region. Before participating in the Jifunze/Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) training by Uwezo Tanzania NGO. I faced significant challenges in my teaching career. I lacked the skills to teach children who had difficulties in reading, and my classroom had a large number of students who could not read, write, or count.
The teaching methods I used did not actively engage the children. Additionally, I did not have the confidence to train or guide other teachers. As a result, the lack of improvement in my students made teaching feel overwhelmingly difficult, to the point where I considered leaving the profession to pursue other opportunities.
My journey with Jifunze teachings began in 2019 during the first phase of training. After Attending Jifunze teaching techniques Training by Uwezo, This opportunity exposed me to new and effective teaching techniques. Over time, I continued participating in various Uwezo Jifunze trainings and community-led initiatives across different districts.
The Jifunze training significantly transformed my teaching approach and produced remarkable results. I gained simple and practical techniques to help children read, write, and count, making my teaching experience easier and more enjoyable. I became capable of managing classrooms with students who face learning challenges. In 2019, during the first phase of the program, I successfully eliminated reading, writing, and counting difficulties among all my students. This achievement earned me recognition, leading to my selection as a national trainer through the Uwezo Tanzania NGO.
Following this success, I was trusted by education officials in the district and tasked to train other teachers in at other school named Kurui, situated in Mzenga Ward, Kisarawe District, where I shared effective strategies that had brought success to my own school. My efforts were recognized further when I received the best teacher award for addressing 3R (Reading, Writing, Arithmetic) challenges in Kisarawe District. Consequently, I was transferred to Kiluvya Ward in the same district to extend support to other schools with children facing similar difficulties.
When I was at Kiluvya A Primary School, through dedication and the application of Jifunze techniques, I ensured that all students under my care achieved the ability to read,write and numerate. I also extended my support to other schools, supporting students in examination classes. As a result, those students improved and successfully passed their Standard Four and Seven exams.
Beyond the classroom, I received numerous invitations to train other teachers in the district and regional level. This led to recognition from the Ministry of Education, which several times invited me to participate in national-level training sessions. Since 2020, I have trained teachers in various districts, including Mvomero, Gairo, Kilolo, Mpwapwa, Mbarali, Ludewa, and Iringa. Additionally, I been invited and collaborated with organizations such as Uwezo Tanzania, IBO Italy in Iringa, Tanzania Diaspora in Temeke, and Orkeeswa NGO in Monduli, Arusha to train teachers and contributing to their education initiatives to improve children eduction in Tanzania.
