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Reboot [2020-06-21]

We got the news this week from Reneal School Liaison David Nyangaka that secondary schools in Tanzania will be reopening for students on June 29th.  Our first order of business has been to quickly prepare everything for the Reneal scholars so they will be ready to return to school.  David met with the Form 4 2019 graduates yesterday, and he will meet with the Form 3 students next Saturday.  Here at home, Neal is putting the finishing touches on a software update that will be installed when Reneal Team Tanzania begins computer lab visits again.

The six Reneal scholars in Form 3 will basically resume where they left off in March.  Their first term of the 2020 school year began in early January, so the shutdown in mid-March means that the second term will be very intense to make up for the lost time.  David confirmed the amount for the second term room and board fees, and Reneal has sent the funds to pay for these as well as for the students’ personal allowance.

The next step for the Form 4 graduates is more complex.  After Form 4 graduation, students have numerous options.  Some end their schooling there.  If exam scores are sufficiently high, some apply to go on to advanced (A-level) secondary school for two years (Forms 5 and 6).  Another option for high-performing students is to advance immediately into a certificate program in college.  The six Form 4 Reneal scholars all did well on their exams, so they were able to apply in early 2020 for their desired next step.  The government schools conduct a process that reminds me a bit of the NFL draft, and invitations were just announced this week.  David is gathering information as I write this to determine next steps for Reneal and these scholars.  Like O-level, the A-level schedule has been impacted by SARS-CoV-2 so things are moving rapidly now that things are restarting in Tanzania.

Here in the US we wait and watch, with fervent hope that the reopening of schools in Tanzania goes safely and well.

[Photo: David Nyangaka with the O-level graduates]