My plan to overthrow Bensouda

When I returned to Mwisho wa Lami last term as de jure deputy headmaster but de facto headmaster, schools were almost closing, and as such, I did not have sufficient time to make changes in line with the transformative agenda I have for this school and this community at large.

But this coming term, now sure that I am here to stay, I am ready to make changes that will completely transform this school.

With nothing much to do, I spent most of last week conceptualising the key pillars that will inform the direction I will take this school next term. I scribbled these on pieces of paper, made changes and more changes. So that not to appear as one who is insubordinating my boss, I called Bensouda on Wednesday to prepare her for the paradigm shift the school will undergo. I can tell you that the school will be unrecognisable once I implement my plans.

“Hi Dre,” she greeted me cheerfully. “I have missed you,” she added. I admitted missing her as well and although she tried to maintain a non-work conversation with me, I told her about my plans for next term.

“Relax Dre,” she said. “Schools are closed. Usikue tu mtu wa kazi tu kila saa. Work will kill you” I did not know how to respond to her, so when she asked me what I was doing the next Friday, that is last Friday, I told her that I was busy but could try to adjust it if she wanted. The truth is that I actually had nothing planned but a man needs to look busy

“Why don’t we retreat at Kasuku Bar and Rest for deliberations on those so call strategies for next term,”

I quickly agreed. “I will call them to book for us a room, she said then hang up.”

I arrived at Kasuku Bar and Rest last Friday, ready with a black book, manila papers and other writing material. The previous day, in preparations for the Friday retreat, I had spent the day at the office, to further develop the plans well in advance before meeting Bensouda.

It was 8.30 a.m. when I arrived, hungry as I had no taken breakfast at home.

Bensouda was not in and I asked for the menu from the waiter. It was too early for them to have good meals but he agreed to prepare for me for me two cups of tea, four fried eggs and three kaimatis in half an hour.

STRATEGY RETREAT

The 30 minutes I waited for the food felt like eternity, and the waiters didn’t keep time, serving me my breakfast almost an hour later. Bensouda had not arrived by 10am when I completed breakfast. I had ended up taking three cups of tea, with the hotel considerate enough to add me a third cup of tea for free. According to Mwisho wa Lami parlance, the third cup was chai sosa.

To keep myself busy, I revised the plans again, memorised everything and re-arranged a few concepts in my mind – as if I was going for an interview. It wasn’t until a few minutes after mid-day that Bensouda arrived.

“I hope you didn’t come so early and that you haven’t waited for long,” she said as she hugged me.

“I have just arrived,” I said.

“I am so hungry,” she said. “Is there something I can grab quickly before lunch?” she asked the waiter. The waiter offered tea, chapati, and boiled eggs.

“Have you taken anything or you will also take tea?” Bensouda asked me. I said that I was hungry too, and asked for tea and chapati; ignoring the eyes the waiter gave me to indicate that I had already eaten

“So how is family?” she asked as we took tea.

“Family is good,” I said, “My father and mother are doing well.” Soon the tea came and we attacked it from all angles – at least I did. She tasted the chapatis but did not like them, saying they tasted spoilt. She passed her share to me. I did not taste anything bad in them, and cleared them within minutes, if not seconds.

Once we were done with breakfast, I took her through my strategies. I must say that her mind was not on that at all, and she just kept nodding and say, “Next?” She suggested very minimal changes to my overall plan. She only interrupted my presentation when she called the waiter to make an order for lunch, which would take about an hour to be ready.

“Leta kama kawaida,” she said. The waiter asked me what I would take and I also told him to bring me just as Bensouda had requested – kama kawaida. That was about 2 pm.

As we waited for lunch, I managed to summarise the key things that I planned to implement in school in second term. The theme of the retreat was to build on the priorities I had identified that would take the school forward and the agreed action points had a direct relation to the theme.

Staffroom Clusters: We clustered the staffroom into three major teams on discipline, academics, and extracurricular activities. I would chair the first two while Bensouda would chair the extra-curricular activities team. Each staff member would fully focus on one of the items

Tuition -  Magufuli’s or no Magufuli, we would embark on a  serious holiday and weekend tuition programme in second term with the sole purpose of uplifting the already good academic performance of this school to much higher heights. We remained focussed on at least 20 marks improvement on the Mean Score.

Discipline – Discipline would be a key pillar in our administration going forward, and indiscipline would not be entertained. So as to ensure that the pupils are disciplined we will begin by ensuring that teachers are disciplined before looking at pupils discipline.

SOLE RESPONSIBILITY

Lunch was served while I was still summarising. Try as much as we wanted, we could not concentrate on the exercise while food beckoned. We washed our hands and embarked on the lunch. Kama kawaida consisted of one kilogramme of mbuzi choma and ugali. After lunch, I tried to go back to the strategies but Bensouda waved me off.

“Please plan for a staff meeting the first week and take the teachers through this.  We will review those strategies then,” she said. “Let us enjoy the school holidays while they last.”

“Waiter?” she called.

She asked for a Tusker Malt while I asked for my all-time favourite drink – Summit. I can’t remember how many we took as she kept ordering and ordering.

It was well past 8 pm when we left Kasuku Bar and Rest; and I escorted her home. From what I gathered, Bensouda was not very interested in the social and academic development of the school.

It would be my sole responsibility to implement my vision-led strategy. By the time I am done with the changes, and since the changes will be quite noticeable, the Teachers Service Commission will have no option but to confirm me as the HM of this great school.