AfricaPress-Tanzania: RUKWA Regional Commissioner (RC) Joachim Wangabo has expressed satisfaction at the ongoing construction of Chala Folk Development College at the cost of over 637m /-, whose completion would help girls, who drop out of school due to pregnancies.
The government through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology had earmarked 637,036,07 1/- to construct the college in the 2019/20 fiscal year with funds from Education Skills for Productive Jobs (ESPJ).
As per the latest statistics, Rukwa Region has the highest early pregnancies rates, where in 2017 to August 2019 about 722 young girls dropped out of schools due to childhood pregnancies.
In a move to address the situation, the region on 18t h February this year, officially launched a strategy against early marriages and pregnancies in schools in a ceremony held at Namanyere Town in Nkasi District.
The event was organised and funded by Plan International Tanzania that works jointly with Jhpiego and Africare with funds from the Canadian government.
“It is crystal clear that this is a special college, because it will register girls who had dropped from schools for early pregnancy reasons, and we hope they will have time to study mechanics, electricity, masonry and lumbering among others,” added the RC.
However, he directed the Nkasi District Council Executive Director (DED), Mr Missana Kwangura to ensure the plot for the building construction is surveyed and served with certificate of ownership.
Commenting on the building, a Godfrey Kiwango from the college briefed the RC that the architectural construction of the facility started on 25, November 2019 and was scheduled to be completed in April this year but lagged because funds were insufficient, adding: “However, the construction work has reached 80 per cent against the goal.”
