Why TUSEME clubs matter in Zanzibar schools

ZANZIBAR: FOR some children, dropping out of school does not begin with a decision to leave the classroom. It can begin quietly with problems at home, poverty, teenage pregnancy, family conflict, social pressure or simply the feeling that nobody is listening.

By the time a child stops attending school, the problem may already have become difficult to reverse. But in some Zanzibar schools, a different approach is taking root and that is to say that if you don’t give them a place to speak their problems, it becomes the reason(s) to leave school. This is the thinking behind TUSEME, a school-club initiative supported by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Zanzibar.

TUSEME, meaning “Let’s speak out,” uses participatory activities, including theatre, to help students identify challenges affecting their education, discuss them openly and take action.

The initiative is particularly important in a school environment where some students still face absenteeism, drug abuse, sexual activity leading to unintended pregnancies, theft and other behaviours that can affect their education and relationships with the wider community.

Rather than waiting for a crisis, TUSEME seeks to give young people the confidence and support to speak about problems early. That, FAWE Zanzibar Director Winnifred Yatuwa Mamawi believes, is one of the programme’s greatest strengths.

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“Tuseme Clubs are an important platform for supporting students facing challenges that could push them out of school,” she said.

According to Mamawi, the clubs provide a safe environment where students can learn, express themselves, seek assistance and discuss issues affecting their lives, including teenage pregnancy and other social challenges. The numbers also suggest that the idea is growing.

FAWE Zanzibar plans to establish TUSEME clubs in 40 schools across Zanzibar, with 14 schools already having clubs after teachers and students received training to equip discussion them with the skills needed to run them. FAWE describes TUSEME as a platform through which students identify problems, give them a voice and act on them.

At the College of Education, for example, a 100-member TUSEME group with its own leadership structure has undertaken activities including tree planting, banana farming, art and drama, as well as a “Bring Back to School” peer campaign. The campaign has already helped reintegrate a student who had dropped out. That example captures the wider value of TUSEME: students are not treated only as recipients of instructions from adults.

They are given a role in identifying problems and helping find solutions. Ms Asia Idd Issa, Director of Secondary Education in the Zanzibar Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, said TUSEME clubs have played an important role in empowering students to express themselves, discuss challenges and report situations that could threaten their safety and education. Children between 12 and 18 are at a particularly sensitive stage of life and need guidance and protection from parents, teachers and the wider community, she said.

Family conflicts, parental separation, teenage pregnancies, abuse and social pressures can all interfere with a child’s concentration, examination performance and educational ambitions.

“When a child is exposed to family conflicts, they may lose peace of mind, struggle to concentrate on their studies and eventually perform poorly in examinations or decide to drop out,” Asia said.

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For girls, the consequences can be particularly severe. Asia urged society to reconsider attitudes towards girls who become pregnant while still pursuing their education, saying pregnancy should not automatically mean losing the opportunity to continue studying.

This is where TUSEME connects with another FAWE priority the Government’s Re-Entry Policy, which seeks to give children who have left school an opportunity to return. Mamawi said FAWE continues to support students who drop out because of teenage pregnancy, poverty, family difficulties, marital breakdown and child labour.

She stressed that helping a girl return to education benefits not only the individual but also her family and society.

“If you help a girl, get an education, you are helping the family and society as a whole, because education empowers her to make decisions and participate in development,” she said.

Mr Nasir Khamis Juma, Head of the Policy Division in the Ministry of Education’s Department of Planning, Policy and Research, said returning students need a supportive environment in which they feel part of the school community. They require protection, counselling and encouragement, without discrimination, fear or stigma.

Ms Asha Idd Bavuai, headteacher of Hurumzi School, acknowledged that teenage pregnancy remains a challenge at the school, although it is not widespread. Helem Yussuf Alawi, a counsellor at Nyerere School, similarly said the problem exists but is not on a large scale. Both pointed to the importance of teachers, parents and guardians working together to help affected children return to education.

The message from students who participated in TUSEME training is equally significant. Students from Nyerere and Hurumzi schools said they had gained a better understanding of the Re-Entry Policy and intended to use that knowledge to encourage classmates who had dropped out to return and to create a more supportive school environment. For TUSEME to succeed, however, the responsibility cannot rest with clubs alone.

FAWE works with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, schools, communities, local authorities and development partners. Its wider mission is to remove barriers to education while promoting gender equity, safe learning environments, leadership and girls’ voices.

The programme therefore deserves continuity not simply because it is another school activity, but because it addresses something fundamental: the power of being heard. When a student can speak about a problem, seek help, support a friend, challenge harmful behaviour or encourage a dropout to return to school, the club becomes more than a meeting place.

It becomes an early-warning system, a support network and a training ground for leadership. And perhaps its greatest lesson is simple: sometimes keeping a child in school begins by giving that child a voice.