African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC)

In reflection to the 28th graduation of Bigwa Secondary School in Tanzania

Education is for improving the lives of others, struggling to achieve and leaving the social community development and the nation better than ever before. This is exactly the thinking we should pass to the younger generation whenever we desire to discover the true passions for society development.

Bigwa's 28th Graduation Ceremony

On 26th April, 2017 the entire community of Bigwa Seminary Secondary School was overflowing cheerfulness to celebrate 28th graduation festival. Parents, guardians and friends joined hand-in-hand to congratulate 44 graduates; 21 Catholic sisters and 23 girls. Many thanks to the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC) organization in the USA who financially supported 22 of the graduating students.

The ceremony began with Holy Mass led by Rev. Fr. Melchior Mkoba, Mgolole Parish priest. On his homily during the Holy Mass, he said to the graduates,

You are now sent to the world to utilize the quality education acquired; assist the needs, educate the society and be of example morally, spiritually, socially and intellectually. You are being sent like the disciples of Jesus who eavesdropped carefully what Jesus ordered them to do. We also verify that you became attentive in class and perform all your accountability accordingly that’s is why today we are gathered to congratulate you, your teachers and all those who contributed in one way or another to your accomplishment of two years journey of schooling. Give thankfulness to God Almighty for the gift of life and good health provided to you throughout the studies years; you will be blessed abundantly and succeed in final exams.

Professor Suzan Nchimbi, school Chairperson and Principal of the College of Agriculture (SUA) in Morogoro, Tanzania thanked God for the gift of spiritual and moral support the students received in their two years at Bigwa.   She also expressed her gratitude to the parents and the sponsors who sacrificed to pay school fees for the students. Professor, Mrs Suzan Nchimbi stated that,

“Education has no end, when a woman educated the whole of her family is also educated”.  

This statement poses a challenge to the graduates to continue to put effort into their studies and aim higher for the betterment of their future. We all need to remember that education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the economic stagnation of our nation. The beautiful country of Tanzania is full of mines and tourist attractions, and with a good education the youth have the ability to take on roles in these areas and contribute to society development.  

ASEC’s Tanzania Director, Sr. M. Tryphina Burchard and Tanzania Coordinator Sr. Maria Telesphora attended the graduation ceremony. Their presence was important and encouraging to the graduating students, parents and guardians in attendance. The ASEC staff also had the opportunity to express their feelings about the implementation of ASEC programs in Tanzania. Many people appreciated ASEC’s contribution to the educational development of Tanzania, and the nation at large.      

Striving for Quality Education

Most parents are interested in educating  their children at Bigwa Secondary School because of the quality education provided, which gives hope to the future generation. The school motto of Bigwa is “EDUCATION FOR SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT”.   This is fulfilled through the knowledge, skills and experience provided to inspire the future generation towards community development.  

The school is doing wonders due to the availability of competent, professional and effective teachers. Teachers at Bigwa are like a candle determined to light the way for others. The dynamic and cooperative administration and teachers toil day and night to stimulate students’ progress.  Consequently the school’s performance accelerates daily.  In the 2016 Form Four National examination, Bigwa ranked 8th out of 174 regional schools and 35th out of 3,280 national schools. In 2016, Form Six National examination results, the number 3 art subject student was from Bigwa Secondary School! There were 320 Tanzanian students total who sat for the national exam.

Student studying at Bigwa have great opportunity to be self-reliant in the future due to the concrete experience they get at school.  Apart from class studies, the students also engage in various social activities such as keeping pigs and chickens, planting trees, maize, beans and gardens. This teaches the students have to have a balanced diet and gives them experience to become a hardworking generation. Many parents are also  influenced to bring their children to Bigwa due to high morality, spirituality and performance improvement.  Bigwa’s plan for the future is to increase school performance and create job opportunities, especially the youth.

Guest of honor Rev. Fr. Thadei Sia, thanked the founder and everyone who contributes to the development of Bigwa.  He stated that,

“To educate a woman is to educate the society.”

Current Challenges at Bigwa

Despite the success of Bigwa, the school is still wrestling with many challenges, such as

• shortage of water
• old drainage system needing repair
• lack of funds to continue the renovation of administration building

We invite the donors and good wishers of Bigwa to join together in support of our mission to sustain quality education for the next generation of leaders.

Bigwa’s 50th Anniversary Celebration

In 2018, Bigwa will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The school was established in 1968.  Inaugural ceremony preparation officially took place at Bigwa on 29th April 2017. Over the years Bigwa has seen great development in performance, as well as strong growth of moral integrity and spiritual ethics. The school administration enthusiastically invites the donors, good wishers and former Bigwa students to join together for the 50th anniversary celebration, expected to be held on 29th May 2018.