Tanga: A LOCAL school in Muheza District has proved that sustainable management of the environment and natural resources is vital for economic growth and human wellbeing.
Perched on the slopes of East Usambara Mountains, at the heart of the Amani Nature Reserve, Shebomeza Secondary School recently bought and installed two Solar panels in its two classrooms to improve learning at the school.
Briefing Journalists’ Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET) members who toured the Amani-Nilo corridor last week, Bashir Mvungi, an environmental teacher at Shebomeza said the school was reaping fortunes from the presence of the forest, which he said guaranteed the area of enough rainfall, throughout the year.
“It is fair to say that our school is making the most of the Amani Nature Reserve, having conserved and eventually sold 1,000 Clove Seedlings to traders in Lushoto District,” he revealed.
The school, according to Mr Mvungi pocketed 1m/-, which he said was used to buy the two solar panels.
The enthusiastic environmental teachers who help develop 60 students, affiliated to an environment club, the skills and aptitudes necessary to understand ecological issues and take necessary actions, told JET members that the panels have now come to the rescue of Form two and Form Four students, who are due to sit their National Exams this year.
“The school is part of the Amani Nature Reserve and it means a lot to us,” said the teacher.
Mindful of the importance of the protected area located in Muheza and Korogwe districts in Tanga Region, the school has embarked on a mission of sensitising the public, creating awareness on creative, dynamic, effective and efficient environmental protection and management responsibilities.
In his rejoinder, JET Executive Director, Mr John Chikomo commended the learning facility for involving young men and women in environment conservation.
Mr Chikomo observed that teaching the young children can make a difference and will in fact, help to raise a generation of adults who are more aware and environmentally conscious than the generation before them.
“This is a noble gesture that ought to be emulated by other schools as well,” he added.
The JET members pitched camp on the slopes of East Usambara Mountains on fact finding mission, which is part of Tuhifadhi Maliasili, a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) five-year activity which addresses threats to animal movement and biodiversity in Tanzania.
Source : Daily News
