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Make textbooks affordable to all
2006-05-08 07:56:39
By Editor
Yesterday, our sister paper The Sunday Observer carried a story on a plea by booksellers in the country for relief of tax on paper and ink used to print books so as to facilitate the lowering of prices for educational textbooks.
The story,quoted members of Books Sellers Association of Tanzania (BSAT) at their annual general meeting held in Dar es Salaam last week.
They said relief of taxes on the important inputs would enable many in the low income bracket in the country to afford textbooks.
These include pupils and students from poor families who are required to buy for themselves textbooks, almost every year whilst at school.
We wholeheartedly support the call by the booksellers, and add this is a plea that is also being shared by newspaper producers – on the need to reduce, if not to completely scrap off tax on inputs for newspaper production, particularly newsprint.
For a long time,this has been the prayer of the Media Owners Association of Tanzania (MOAT) – that as well as being a medium for entertainment, newspapers are essentially educative by their objectives and so their affordability to a large section of Tanzanians should be promoted. And one way to do that is by reducing the government taxes thereof.
We believe the government can do that because it is always held that textbooks, as well as newspapers can hardly be considered as luxury items.
It is our sincere hope the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training will look into the issue critically with the view of finding a solution thereof.
Coast Region potential for investment but…
It is a fact and the President has said it all. Without formal education and serious efforts to ensure Tanzania children go to school, this country cannot attain the required level of development.
While addressing residents of Coast Region, on Saturday, President Jakaya Kikwete did not mince his words.
The President,who hails from the coast, compared the region with the rest of the country and conceded that coastal residents are lagging behind in terms of education.
Generally, the region is underdeveloped and only strangers would ask themselves why.
While we do not dispute the fact that Coast Region has investment potential, in agriculture and industry, we also know that most of whatever is flourishing today, is not derived from the hard labour of the local inhabitants but those who ’migrated’ to the region.
Tanzanians are free to settle anywhere in the united republic. Dar es Salaam Region for example,is a business hub for people from all over the country.
Yet, local inhabitants are supposed to be part of the team, not just onlookers. They should be clever enough to learn from the success story of those from upcountry.
There is no short-cut except education, at whatever level. Education is the key to success.
Let’s face the facts, some traditional practices of the coastal people are detrimental to development.
Are we aware for example that a good number of girls don’t attend school on reaching puberty because they must be hidden from the public until they get married?
How about the evening traditional dances which can go on for a week, commonly known as mdundiko?
How do teenage marriages help reduce women dependence on men? Does self reliance for adolescents make any sense in the coast?
We do understand Coast Region is not alone in practicing outdated traditions but as the President said, if other regions can produce learned and successful people, then why not the coast?
Else, how can the region join the rest of the country in the struggle to rid us from poverty?
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