Bonifas Mtulo, a resident of Ludewa Village in the Ludewa District of the Njombe Region and parent to Alistaliko Mtulo, a student at Kimbila Primary School states that the 'Jifunze' class, implemented under the 'Kijiji Changu' (My Village) project, has helped his child effectively master reading and arithmetic skills.
He notes that his child is among the beneficiaries of this project, which is implemented by the organization Uwezo Tanzania in collaboration with the Ludewa District Council.
"I believe this 'Jifunze' class is excellent; it helps children develop their academic skills. In this class, children receive more direct support from the teacher because the group sizes are smaller," says Boniface.
Bonifas explains that, through the 'Jifunze' class, he as a parent was included in a program that sent text messages (SMS) to his mobile phone. These messages contained regular lessons, enabling him to support his child’s learning at home and strengthen his reading abilities.
He adds that these messages have enabled him to consistently assist his child in correctly pronouncing syllables and words, and even in reading stories. Furthermore, Bonifasi, a parent, notes that the text messages served as a reminder of his responsibility to support his child’s reading at home.
Finally, he suggests that the scope of the project which aims to help children master reading, writing, and numeracy skills should be expanded to include rural schools, as he observes that rural schools face even greater challenges than those in urban areas.
