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Pre-form one studies banned
2006-04-11 09:14:13
By Salome Kitomary, PST, Moshi
In her efforts to forge fairness in secondary school studies, Minister for Education and Vocational Training Margaret Sitta, has imposed a ban, with immediate effect on the so-called pre-form one course and warned stern actions would be taken against defaulters.
To ensure the order is executed, the minister has directed education inspectors around the country to submit to her office, the names of schools running the courses.
Addressing educational inspectors, officers, college principals and secondary schools, headmasters in the municipality, the Minister said pre-form one courses were illegitimate and that they should be withdrawn immediately.
She said the government was uncomfortable with the course, which forces primary school leavers to undergo studies for about one year, before qualifying for secondary school education.
The minister said the course which was common in Dar es Salaam and major towns in the country like Arusha, Moshi and Mwanza, and run mostly by private schools, contravened the country’s education system.
She said the arrangement amounted to re-introducing illegally standard eight, which was abolished decades ago, arguing that it was unfair for students pursuing the course to be examined on equal basis as those not taking it.
’I learnt about it (pre-form one course) from advertisements. Some schools charge between 150,000/- to 200,000/- for the course. The arrangement unnecessarily overburdens parents and guardians,’said Sitta.
She said the course widened the gap between rich and poor families, because most pupils completing primary school came from poor families.
Sitta urged schools to look for alternative ways of preparing students for secondary school education, instead of interfering with the country’s education system.
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