loyola.ac.tz

The issue, is do students in boarding schools perform better academically than in day schools? What of Loyola? It is a day and mixed secondary school and it is in the city but it performs well in national exams.

Overall, schools like Ilboru, Marian, Mzumbe and St. Francis do well every year. Of course other special schools and especially Catholic minor seminaries do very well. What is the secret behind the great academic excellence in these schools? It is merely the fact that they are boarding?

For me, I think the secret of their success first lies with discipline. These schools observe strict discipline both moral and academic. All the energy of students is focused on academic excellence. Often this is then supplemented with other things such as good teachers, books and atmosphere conducive for study. Of course nothing can substitute for hard work. No hard work, no success.

Most of our boarding secondary schools are single sex schools. In other words they are either for boys only or girls only. This had tremendous advantages. Teenage years are years of change and "confusion." Physical and hormonal changes can bring a lot of worry and anxiety to young people. It is here they need proper guidance in order to cross this bouncy bridge of youth into the solid ground of maturity. It is here that many young men or women get entangled in relationships that leave them confused for years. Friendship between boys and girls is good but if not put into balance it leads to confusion, stress and can often result in failure in exams.

Life in our country today is very stressful. Parents want children in boarding schools to avoid the stress brought about by the "restless teenagers." On the other hand, many young people prefer to go to boarding schools or stay in hostels to keep away from the stressful atmosphere of their parents who are often involved in marital and other family fights. Issues such as alcoholism, divorce, separation and other family quarrels particularly over money and property make teenagers "want to totally disappear from home." When one is in a boarding school, such family pressures do not affect him or her very much at least in day to day learning activities.

As a counselor, I tend to think in general that boarding schools are less stressful and therefore give students a better atmosphere for academic performance. It is no wonder then that secondary boarding schools do better in national exams than day schools.
By: Fr. Edmund Mallya, SJ