The first Anglican Bishop of Tarime in Tanzania, Bishop Mwita Akiri, has asked communities to invest in girls’ education as the best way of empowering society, adding that educating a girl is equal to educating the entire world.
He was speaking to East African Christian women at Isebania on Wednesday, where he stressed that when girls are given access to secondary education, the benefits extend beyond the individual to families and the wider community.
Bishop Mwita pointed to cultural barriers in Tarime that often see girls leaving school after primary level and entering early marriage.
He argued that Christian secondary education offers both practical opportunities and a change in mindset.
He spoke about Tarime Girls High School, also known as Talanta Girls Secondary School, which started only last year but has already attracted international attention because of its quality education founded on Christian values.
The background of Talanta Girls Anglican Secondary School lies in the Diocese of Tarime’s response to the low transition rates of girls into secondary education in the Mara Region.
For years, Bishop Mwita observed that many girls in Tarime completed primary school but failed to continue due to cultural attitudes that viewed them as second-class citizens, limited financial resources, and the prevalence of child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The idea for the school emerged during his visit to Australia in August 2023, where he presented the need to Anglican Aid and the wider Australian Anglican community.
With $234,260 raised, construction was completed despite delays caused by a shortage of electricity poles and heavy rains, and the school officially opened in January 2025.
The Bishop explained that the main objective of Talanta Girls is to provide a safe, Christian-based secondary education that equips girls academically, morally, and spiritually.
Academically, the school aims to prepare students for national examinations and give them qualifications that open pathways to employment and further studies.
Socially, it seeks to delay early marriages and reduce the practice of FGM by teaching girls about their rights, health, and dignity as persons created in God’s image.
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He told the congregation that the school is intended to produce “champions of change” who understand the Christian faith and can positively influence their communities.
Bishop Mwita envisions the school growing to accommodate 800 girls, with graduates returning to serve as teachers, health workers, and advocates for social transformation in Tarime and beyond.
By Enock Okong’o
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