Students at Sakura Girls Secondary School in Tanzania. (© SGSS)
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"I want to change my country as the Ambassador of Tanzania.”
“And I want to become a lawyer!”
“I want to become a doctor and save lives!”
The moment the girls began sharing their dreams one after another through the screen, I was astonished. Even many Japanese university students struggle to answer the question, “What is your dream for the future?” right away. Yet these girls did not hesitate for a second. Why are they able to envision their dreams so vividly?
Behind this conviction lies the difficult reality of girls’ education in Tanzania.
The Educational System in Tanzania
The hurdles to education in Tanzania are incomparably higher than in Japan. Although the enrollment rate for primary school (7 years) rose to 97% after tuition was abolished in 2001, the number of students who can actually stay in school is shockingly low.
- Secondary School (4 years) enrollment rate: Approx. 32%
- High School (2 years) enrollment rate: Only 4%
Compared to Japan’s nearly 100% enrollment, the gap is staggering.
Why does enrollment drop to 30% after Primary School?
There are three major "walls" standing in their way:
1. The Wall of National Exams
In Japan, most students advance to the next grade regardless of their grades. In Tanzania, however, if you fail the national exam at key milestones, you stop there. You are forced to either repeat the grade or drop out.
2. The Language Barrier
This is perhaps the biggest shock. While primary school is taught in their native Swahili, all classes suddenly switch to English in secondary school. Having to learn science and math in a foreign language overnight causes many students to lose heart.
3. The Quality of Education
Most public schools are overcrowded, lacking even basic desks and textbooks. It is not uncommon for teachers to fail to show up or to simply copy the textbook onto the blackboard without any explanation. Furthermore, many girls are forced to leave school due to poverty, early marriage, or unplanned pregnancies.
As a result, there was a time when the passing rate for the secondary school graduation exam was as low as 3% (2016). Most students are forced to give up on their studies before they can even reach high school.
Our birthplaces and educational environments are completely different.
Sakura Girls Secondary School: Protecting Girls’ Potential
The school we engage with, Sakura Girls Secondary School, is a four-year boarding school that provides a safe learning environment for these girls. It was established in 2016 by the "Kilimanjaro no Kai" (a Japanese general incorporated association) and a local NGO in the foothills of Kilimanjaro, in the Arusha Region.
The school has three main features:
Science Education through Experiments and Dialogue:
In a society where the old custom of "women belong in the home" still remains, professional roles like doctors and engineers are the most powerful "weapons" for women to achieve independence. Sakura fosters the power to open their own futures through math and science.
Leadership Training:
Through daily debates and speeches, students acquire the power to express themselves and influence others.
International Education:
The curriculum includes Japanese language and culture. It is not just about words; Japanese students and experts visit to give special lessons, preparing the girls to become bridges between Tanzania and Japan in the future.
Why They Dream So Boldly
In a society where education directly creates "options" in life, learning is synonymous with survival and freedom. The students at Sakura start their day at 5 AM and study for nearly ten hours. I was deeply moved by their dedication — working hard every single day just to achieve their dreams. As a student in Japan, seeing someone face their dreams with such wholehearted commitment was a truly fresh and eye-opening experience.
In the national examinations for advancement to high school, where results are ranked from Division I to IV (with I being the highest), all students of the 7th graduating class (Class of 2026) achieved either Division I or II. This outstanding performance is among the top in the entire Arusha Region, where Sakura Girls Secondary School is located. We feel an immense sense of joy to see their daily hard work manifest in such a tangible and remarkable achievement.
Our Partnership
Our connection with Sakura began in 2022 as a Project-based Learning (PBL) initiative led by Professor Akiko Imai’s seminar at the Showa Women's University. Today, students from various faculties participate, collaborating with organizations like Kilimanjaro no Kai, Mercer Japan, Daihatsu Tokyo Sales, and Seibu Shinkin Bank. We continue to hold fundraising bazaars at university festivals, organize study tours to Tanzania, and run online Japanese classes.
This project continues for a simple reason:
The girls' pure and powerful pursuit of their dreams keeps us moving.
Sakura students look forward to interacting with us, Japanese students, very much. Through these activities, my own image of "support" has changed. At first, I thought we were the ones "giving" something. In reality, I was the one being encouraged and taught by them.
This connection goes beyond "supporting" and "being supported." Sakura taught me that "cheering for someone else's dream is also a chance to re-examine your own."
Supporting girls' education is not just about delivering knowledge. Through this exchange, we have realized that it is about expanding the possibilities of each other's lives.
The series continues. In the next article, we will introduce exactly how we engage with the Sakura students and what we learn from one another through our specific activities.
Asante sana!🥰
Thank you to our partners, Daihatsutokyo Sales Corp, THE SEIBU SHINKIN BANK, Group Kilimanjaro Inc, and Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, for their support and advice. To learn more about the Japan Showa Women's University Sakura project or to help support it, please follow the project on Instagram and see the Sakura Vision website.
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- Women in Focus: Kyoko Takano, Teaching Japanese Culture As a Lens to the World
This article is part of the JAPAN Forward English essay series, "Ignite." The authors are Showa Women's University students who hope to broaden awareness among their global counterparts and contribute to the dialogue on the urgent issue of girls' education.
Author: Mikae Udagawa
Showa Women's University ー Sakura Project Team
Senior, Japan Showa Women’s University
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