The former headmistress of Weruweru Girls Secondary School based in
Kilimanjaro Region, Dr Maria Kamm, delivers a speech yesterday in Dar es
Salaam during the 50th Anniversary of the school. The school’s Golden
Jubilee brought together some of the most influential women in the
country -- most of who were students under Dr Kamm
. PHOTO I FIDELIS
FELIX
In Summary
It was a time to hug each other, recall fond
memories and share their joy as the former schoolmates, most of them 50
and above and famous within and outside the country, gathered for their
alma mater.
Dar es Salaam. It was an emotional moment
yesterday for some of Tanzania’s most powerful women--all of them alumni
of Weruweru Secondary School--as they rejoined their former
headmistress, Dr Maria Kamm, to commemorate the jubilee of the school.
Dr Kamm was the headmistress of Weruweru for 22
years--from 1970 to 1992. She later became a Member of Parliament and
served in that position for 10 years. Tens of successful women she
nurtured gathered yesterday in the city to meet their heroine and attend
a public lecture she gave on “the power of educating the girl child”.
The stars of the show included former UN deputy
secretary-general Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, former Tanzanian ambassador to
the US Mwanaidi Maajar, chairperson of Mwananchi Communications Limited
Ms Zuhura Muro and executive director of the Legal and Human Rights
Centre Dr Hellen Kijo-Bisimba.
It was a time to hug each other, recall fond
memories and share their joy as the former schoolmates, most of them 50
and above and famous within and outside the country, gathered for their
alma mater.
Also in attendance was Dr Julie Makani who in 2011
won an award from the Royal Society Pfizer as an African working to
save the lives of people with Sickle Cell disease in Tanzania.
The story of Dr Makani’s professional path
yesterday was testimony to the positive influence teachers can wield. In
the course of her lecture, Dr Kamm recalled that she convinced Dr
Makani to pursue science despite her deep interest in the Arts.
As Dr Kamm explained how she convinced Dr Makani
to ditch her passion for the Arts, Dr Makani wept quietly--apparently
overwhelmed by the memories. Other participants in the symposium told
The Citizen that Dr Kamm used to encourage them to study science
subjects even though many girls shunned them.
In her presentation, Dr Kamm said the school
produced good students because of its principles and a focus on
equality, building innovative skills and empowering girls with
entrepreneurship and career skills at an early age. “Today, I am glad
when I hear some of the dedicated and powerful women who say I nurtured
them,” Dr Kamm said.
SOURCE: THE CITIZEN
SOURCE: THE CITIZEN
