Around sixty former students of Edmund Rice Secondary School Sinon in Arusha, Tanzania, who are currently studying in various universities and educational institutions, responded to an invitation to gather at the end of July to reflect on and share how their lives had been inspired by Edmund Rice.
Participants spoke of their having been transformed into people of hope and courage, able to give hope to others and with a commitment to serve the marginalised.
A number of issues emerged from the discussion groups on the day. Participants recognized their responsibility to speak up in regard to the right to education, particularly for youth and children with disabilities. The need to overhaul the curriculum offered in Tanzanian schools and the particular challenges faced by women and girls were highlighted. Those studying law and political science were able to point to many anomalies in the Tanzanian constitution and a lack of will by the Government to address these issues.
Importantly a group of participants undertook to work with the Edmund Rice Network co.ordinator, Johnstone Shisanya, to develop an Action Plan and begin a strategy to engage the Edmund Rice Network in advocacy with policy makers on the issues raised.
thanks to Johnstone Shisanya for the information in this article