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Thursday 7 May 2015

Tanzania need positive thinking and risk taking Youth. Meet Novertus Modest, a young Tanzania and change agent who started an English Media School to support children in his village.

To achieve National development Goals, and to realize the Tanzania Development Vision TDV2025 we need to invest not only in education, but quality education  which can educated people who can compete in the job market and with enough knowledge to invest and effective utilization of national resources for the benefit of all.

Today we have Mr. Novertus Severine, a young Tanzania who realized the importance of quality education for all regardless of their background and economic status then decided to start an English Media for nursery and primary school in his village. He need everyone's support to make sure he achieve his dreams of not only supporting children in his village, but also complimenting to National Development plan and Tanzania Development Vision.
  
Mr. Novertus Severine, Head Teacher and founder of Severina English Medium School
Can you tell us about yourself?
My names are Novertus Modest Severine, a young Tanzania and a nurse by professional. I was born in small village called Ngulu which is in Mwanga District in Kilimanjaro region. I am the first born in a single parent family of three children. I live with my mother and my young brother and sister, I like football and working with the community for community.

What was the reason behind starting Severina School?
During my studies I was facing a lot of challenges including lack of school fees and other basic needs, this gave me very hard time to achieve my life dreams because most of time I had to stay at home to help my mother to do some small business and casual jobs (we call them Vibarua) so that we can get money for food and school fees. In my form four I couldn’t get good pass mark though was good for me to go to advance level education, but due to financial difficulties, my mother couldn’t afford to pay for my Advance level education, then I decided to go for nursing. After graduated from nursing I came back home thinking on how I can get rid of all those challenges and support my young brother and sister in their education, this forced me to start small business of buying maize and selling to other people, this business was not successful because I had no enough capital to invest, then I decided to change it to lending money to people where they return with small amount of interest.

But all the time I was thinking on what I can do to help my community at least to get better and quality education in affordable costs, also I was more hurt when seeing children in my village has no access to quality nursery education which is a base of children development, I knew that, their life is in danger even more that how I was, this gave me millions of reason to start up a program of teaching children when I have free time, but at the end I came to realize that I need to devote more of my time to help them and from there is where the idea of Severina School came.

What are your achievement so far as Severina School is concern?
Severina School is an English Media Nursery and Primary School. Since I started it is three years now and we have students in in middle Class, Pre-Unit and Standard one students. We managed to employ one teacher, in that case, Severina School has two teachers including me. Also we managed to secure three class rooms of which our current students use.

How did the community react on Severina School?
At the beginning it was so hard for me to make things happen. Not only the community, but even the village leaders and Local Government Authority was taking it in negative way, they were complaining that I establish it with the intention of killing other normal nursery schools, but thanks God now they appreciate what I do after seeing the progress and achievements of students that we have now.  

Where are you getting funds to run your school?
I have only one source of fund, and that is fees which parents pays for their children. Those money are not enough to cover everything needed for student to get what they are supposed to, but we are trying our best to make sure that whatever we get we invest in school.

What are the challenges that you are facing?
Challenges are many as far as still in a beginning stage. Mostly is the lack of fund to buy school equipment’s including books, chalks and other teaching materials, also three classes we have we use to rent them, to maintain them is very hard since we have very limited source of fund, but also the classes are not enough because we need to extend to standard seven, also parents delay in paying fees or not paying at all is among biggest challenge that face us.

How do you Severina School in next ten years?
I see Severina School among best English Media schools in my district and regional at large with all school facilities and enough teaches and good performance of its students.

What is your advice to other Tanzanian youth and the rest of the world?
Challenges are always there in life, but always there is another way to take you where you want to go, God is only who know everyone’s destiny, we need to link up whatever we do with him, and most of all we really need to work hard, no easy way out for personal success.


What is your call to Tanzania government and other development partners?
I know that Tanzania government do a lot to make sure that its people get better life, but still there are those part which seems to be marginalized, especially in rural areas. Government need to reach us and provide us with better and quality services. I believe most of youth are moving to town because in rural areas services are very poor.

My call is for the government and other development partners to support youth who are doing a lot to rid themselves from the poverty trap, and support their efforts which always complement to National Development Vision. With support to youth in particular they can be a great source of national development.

We have land where we can build our school, but we don’t have money to buy building materials, I would love to ask for development partners to support me at lease to have classes and other equipment’s necessary for school. No matter how small you can give, I believe it is worthy for these children who need to get better education for their bright future

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