The Tanzanian educational system is structured in three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary schooling. Primary schooling consists of a possible 2 years of pre-priamry, followed by seven years of primary school. Secondary schooling is divided into junior secondary, which is four years long, and senior secondary, or advanced level, which is two years long. Finally, tertiary schooling refers to higher education. Another distinctive component to education in Tanzania is the bilingual policy: children are required to learn both English and Kiswahili. During primary education, English is a compulsory subject, while Kiswahili is the main medium of instruction, though once a student reaches secondary school, the main language of instruction becomes English.
Just as we discussed in class, the articles reiterated the idea that education is key to the development goals of Tanzania, as well as being essential in reducing poverty and inequality. The national website of the country makes the assertion that, “…it is through quality education Tanzania will be able to create a strong and competitive economy which can effectively cope with the challenges of development.” Therefore, a main focus of both the Tanzania government and donors to the country has been a stronger educational system accessible to all students.
To facilitate this goal, the Tanzanian government set up a program called the Primary Education Development Program (PEDP), created with World Bank as a partner. Established in 2001, its main goal is to provide greater access to primary education to all children, as well as improving the overall quality of education. Before the program was created, net enrollment in primary schools had remained at around 60% since 1995, though the drop-out rate was also around 6%. Enrollment at secondary school was at a dismal 8%. By 2006, five years after the program was implemented, net enrollment in primary schools was at around 96% and the drop-out rate had fallen to 3.4%. The program, which was financed primarily by a World Bank grant from their International Development Association, was closed officially in 2004, though donors continue to support the drive for increased primary education.
In 2005, the Tanzanian government outlined their plan for reducing poverty in the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty, also known as MKUKUTA. In it, education was labeled the key to creating a more economically equal country. The drive for making education more accessible to all students continues through this governmental initiative, then. As a part of MKUKTA, fees for primary school education were dropped in 2005. This move, along with the PEDP results, have reduced “primary-aged out-of-school population from 3 million to fewer than 150,000 between 1999 and 2006,” according to Unicef. However, while the numbers look good to both the government and to donors, the increased enrollment has meant more students in classrooms with limited resources and not enough teachers. For example, the ratio of students to teachers has risen from 1 to 40 in 1997 to 1 to 53, though the ratio is even worse in rural areas.
For a more unbiased, less padded look at the real status of education in Tanzania, the Tanzania Education Nework is a good start. It is an umbrella network of CBO’s (community based organizations) and national and international NGO’s concerned with the promotion of education in Tanzania. Its goal is to link together these actors in order to facilitate discussion and generate a collective voice that can influence the government’s policies on education. Particularly, they too are concerned with providing education to all children. But unlike the government or the World Bank, the Tanzania Education Network is demanding more accountability and is less willing to trumpet the success of the new education policies. For instance, the director of the program, Joseph Kisanji, quoted the real enrollment figure of primary-aged students at around 77%, not the 96% the government claims. As a group, the Tanzania Education Network is therefore committed to monitoring the impact of government policies on the ground while maintaining constructive communication between NGO’s, CBO’s, and the government to continue to improve education in Tanzania.
More Information on Education:
The Tanzania Education Network:
http://tenmet.org/public_html/index.php
The Tanzania National Website:
http://www.tanzania.go.tz/educationf.html
The World Bank Website:
News Article – The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/mar/10/schools-worldwide-tanzania
Schools Making A Difference:
Ruaha School
http://www.monafoundation.org/ruaha/ruaha.htm
http://www.onecountry.org/e123/e12304as_Ruaha_School.htm
The School of St. Jude
http://www.schoolofstjude.co.tz/
