Tumaini Jipya Girls Secondary School (TJSS) is the boarding School for girls registered in the country by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology by registration number S.5913. The school is owned by Africa Inland Church Tanzania (AICT) in partnership with ROCK International, USA and being managed by the diocese of Mara and Ukerewe. TJSS is dedicated to provide quality ordinary education for secondary school students (Form I-IV); it follows the syllabus of National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA). This school is located at Kazilankanda Village in Ukerewe Island, 17 Kms from Nansio Township.
The vision of establishing this school came alive in 2014 when our dearest and trustworthy friends met with AICT Mara and Ukerewe diocesan leaders and some community members to discuss the best way of helping girls who were struggling in getting quality education and sometime fails due to various factors including sexual abuses, early pregnancies, high poverty level and gender discrimination. Dr. Rachel Hagues, now a professor at Samford University in Alabama, USA and Ms. Hunter Parker, theatre teacher and director, both from USA, had previously collaborated with women from our country for research and community engagement on gender discrimination their focus being girls from Ukerewe Island especially those who are coming from Most Vulnerable families.
After extended time of prayers and plannings, God open the doors and the first building was constructed in 2016 through the gifts and donations from the network of generous friends and partners inside and outside the country. The establishment of this school was made to fill the education gap for girls living in Ukerewe Island where majority of them are failing to advance with secondary education due to unfavourable learning environment for girls characterized by gender violences which led into school dropouts and pregnancies at early ages.
The school was opened in January 16, 2023 by enrolling the first intake (23 Form One students) and on April 14,2023 the diocese officially launched the school by the dedication prayer which was led by Bishop Peter Pharles Kissena, the bishop of AICT Mara and Ukerewe Diocese and Dr. Phil Golson, a vice President and Chairman of ROCK International board of Directors.
Our focus is to recruit students coming from most vulnerable families around Ukerewe Island by making sure that of all students who are enrolled to undertake their studies at this school, 75% will be coming from Ukerewe Island. Because of the nature of the students we are targeting, the school has made efforts to secure the scholarship for such kind of girls from the network of friends and organizations inside and outside the country by providing full or half scholarship.
The school is located at the centre of Ukerewe Island, with a favourable environment for students to learn and grow holistically. The infrastructures are attractive and friendly for students and staffs to nature academically, socially and spiritually including decent dormitories, full equipped Science Labs and Library. The school has professional and competent staffs with Christian Morals who are ready to help the students to excel academically and in all sphere of life. Sustainability is our priority; we want to see this school to be self-sustained in the long run and to make this possible the school has started to invest into small projects. These projects will aim at generating income for the school as well as imparting knowledge to our students by building their life skills through engaging directly into these projects. So far, the school has established kitchen gardens at the school campus and now working on the construction of a poultry house ready for the establishment of a poultry project.
Currently the school has 14 full time staffs, 6 being teaching staffs and 8 non-teaching staff and 1 part time staff who devotes 22% of his time supporting the school. Apart from staffs, the school has 10 Board members who were appointed to serve in the duration of 4 years starting from APRIL 2023 to APRIL 2026.