In Tanzania, the national government assigns teachers to
schools, which means that they are often sent to teach in faraway
regions and then frequently request transfers, trying to get
assignments closer to their hometowns. Ms. Njau is lucky to have
been assigned to a school in the community where she grew up,
and she has taught there since the start of her career.
At the end of her four years of secondary school, she
scored too low on the national exams in mathematics and
bookkeeping, which meant she could not study business, as she
had intended. However, her results on the English test were
better. A teacher encouraged her to follow her strengths and “take
the subject that seems simple so you can go far,” advice that Ms.
Njau now passes on to her own students. She continued her
studies as an English major and passed the difficult national
examinations before studying for her teaching diploma.
Internet: <americanenglish.state.gov> (adapted).