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JK: Pupils should not ’decorate’ leaders
2006-03-27 09:12:08
By Lucas Raphael, PST, Tabora
President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete has banned the use of school children from handing out bouquets and scarves to government leaders at public functions.
President Kikwete said the long-established habit of using school children to give flowers and scarves to government leaders when they disembark from a plane or a vehicle must be stopped immediately.
The ban came just a few hours after the President arrived in Tabora and received the region’s development report, which among other things, highlights a serious shortage of secondary schools.
’These are school children who are supposed to be in class. If we continue using them, how are they going to pass their exams?’ he asked.
’What is the significance of using school children? I think this can also be done by adults,’ he said.
Kikwete directed leaders in the region to ensure that more secondary schools are built to enable pupils who pass examinations, but miss out on Form One places, to receive secondary school education.
He said regional leaders must make sure that each ward has one secondary school to enable children who pass exams get a chance to pursue secondary education.
Earlier, Tabora Regional Commissioner Ukiwana Ditopile Mzuzuri told the President that over 17,000 pupils who had passed their exams last year cannot pursue secondary education because of lack of schools.
President Kikwete was on a two-day tour in the region where, among other things, he attended the burial of Archbishop Mario Mugulunde of the Tabora Diocese of the Catholic Church.
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