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Concrete education sector plans urged
2007-01-21 10:38:07
By Correspondent Michael Haonga
Dar es Salaam residents have called for short, mid and long-term education plans to ensure that education up to university level is not an exclusive privilege of a few.
In a cross-section interview conducted by the Sunday Observer, people ranging from ordinary citizens to high-profile academicians and politicians said that it was not too late for the Government to come up with a holistic national education plan.
The interviewees hailed the initiative taken by the Government to ensure every region had not only a plan but also played its part timely and efficiently to enroll pupils who had passed Standard VII examinations in secondary schools.
They cautioned, however, that much as it was necessary for every region to deploy what was in its reach to ensure that eligible Form One students were absorbed in secondary schools, care should be exercised to guard against schools becoming factories for producing low quality products.
``We should not overcrowd classes. For instance instead of each having between 45 and 50 students, they may end up having 100 or so,`` cautioned Professor Samuel Wangwe.
He said the increase in schools should be coupled with provision of basic requirements, including qualified and experienced teaching staff, materials, and laboratories.
Professor Wangwe said this called for having in place proper short and long-term national education plans to which resources from all over the country could be marshaled for implementation in the interest of all Tanzanians.
This, he said, would avoid some districts or regions lagging behind because of differences in rich natural endowments and man-made wealth creation avenues.
An ex-educationist, Mhengele Mduda, congratulated the Government stance, typified by among other things, the prompt action by Primier Edward Lowassa to summon some Regional Commissioners on issues related to Form One enrolment.
He said it was time for belt-tightening for every region to ensure that primary school leavers who have passed examinations get secondary school education do so, to avoid disheartening others that even if they did well in exams, their advancement would be blocked.
The General Manager of a Dar es Salaam-based modern information system company - Computec-ITC, Engineer James Dotto, said people all over the country should be involved in contributing towards implementation of proper short, intermediate and long-term national plans on education.
The Vice Chairman of the Jahazi Asilia Political Party, John Robert Muswanyama, said the Government should not divert from its cardinal role of ensuring that the country has proper education plans because the issue of education is primarily a national issue.
He said much as every citizen has a role to play, the country should not let each region deploy what is within its reach to improve education in its region.
Muswanyama cautioned that some development partners might decide to invest in just selected regions, noting that much as their support would be welcome, it should be the role of the Government to effect equal development by having proper short, mid and long term plans.
His views were shared by the Chairman of the Party, Kassimu Bakari Ali, who said education provision right from primary to higher levels was the cry of all Tanzanians irrespective of whether they were in rich or comparatively poor regions.
He stressed that it should be provided under national umbrella plans.
He pointed out however, that this should not bar any region from taking initiatives for improving the education sector.
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