Background And Education System Of Tanzania

Background And instruction System Of TanzaniaSince independence in 1961, the pedagogyal clay has been passed over different transitions base on the political and economic changes mishap over judgment of conviction. These changes dissolve be categorized into deuce-ace of import phases the prototypic was from 1961 to 1967, which the emphasis of the governing was to reform the preparation system so as to relieve inequalities among the battalion stipulated by colonial situations of life system which was based upon racial segregation (Nguni, 2005). The second phase galvanizeed from 1967 to 1990, where discover policies were emphasis on the upbringing for Self-Reliance as one of the government efforts to build a socialist state. Within this period of time the priority was coif on attainment of universal basal instructional activity (UPE) by engaging in massive enrolment, rapid expansion of instructs and abolition of racial based education system ( x/MET, 2007). In this period the government took several actions to alter education system including nationalized only if clannish schools with exception of few schools owned by religious organization. To get through UPE the government took the pursuit measures as summarized from the handbook Transforming insurance policy and Practices A Guide to Education Advocacy in Tanzania by TEN/METUniversal primary education change states compulsory and all school fees were abolished. capacious enrolment of children into the newly established and lowly resourced schools.Para- schoolmaster educateers were recruited to tackle the massive append of educatees. (20079).In this period Tanzania recorded remarkable achievements in education subsequently becoming one of the countries with high literacy rate of about 80 pct leading an separate(prenominal)wise countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The third phase cover the period from 1990s to present it was within this period where the government do major c hanges on its economic policies from socialist-oriented to free-market economy known as geomorphologic adjustment computer programmes (SAPs). These changes resulted into various reforms in educational system including cut-down of government expenditures on social services, allowing private schools and universities and re-introduce of school fees to the leafy vegetable schools. Therefore in order to reduce the impact of this transformation the government decided to start a holistic education sector organic evolution program (ESDP). These initiatives light-emitting diode to the introduction of twin education learning programs PEDP and SEDP in 2001 and 2003 respectively. In 2002 the government re-introduced free and compulsory primary education resulting in capacious out climb upths in enrolment (Nguni, 2005 Ten/Met, 2007). The impact of these efforts results on the large expansion in students enrolments with net enrolment ratio rose to 97.3 per centum in 2007 from 58 per ce ntum in 2000 in the primary schools (BEST, 2010). However, on that point were concerns that the prime(a) of primary school declined of overcrowded partitioninges, high pupil- instructor ratio, para- master key instructors and insufficient school infra coordinate and facilities (Komba and Nkumbi, 2008).In Tanzania the structure of the formal education and teach system constitutes two historic period for pre-primary, sevener grades for primary education, four years for junior petty(a) education, two years for senior vicarious education and at least trinity years of tertiary education. Specifically, the education system has one-third aims, Basic, Secondary and ordinal levels. Alongside with formal education in that respect is non-formal education for adult people who lost the opportunity to get a formal education. Kiswahili is the style of focussing in primary schools and English is taught as a compulsory down in all classes. plainly, some of the private primary s chools handling English as medium of instruction famous known as English Academy. In Secondary Education, English is used as a language of instruction except for Swahili subject at the end of each wheel around the students write examinations which atomic phone number 18 national standardized examinations before jump to the nigh level. Similarly, English is the language of instruction at universities, high acquisition and polytechnic institute institutions.The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (METV) has the legal mandate for policy formulation, coordination, monitoring, range standards, tone assurance and feeling control of the whole education system. However, local anesthetic government governance ( regularizes, town, municipal and city councils) atomic number 18 responsible for perplexity and deli really of primary and inessential education services within their beas of jurisdiction. similarly the ministry through its instructors prep atomic number 1 8dness colleges is responsible for educate, recruiting, deploying teachers in the man schools across the country.3.2 popular School teachers in Tanzania Briefly Situational Analysis.The Tanzania agenda for formulatement as it is stipulated in the Development Vision 2025 aims to build up a well amend nation and attain a high standard of living for all citizens (Malkeen and Chen, 2008). Yet now a great progress has been make to achieve Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) number two and three on primary education enrolments. This comes as a result of successful surgical operation of PEDP from 2001 2006 which enable to increase net enrolment ratio to 97.2 percent in 2009. However, as country still there are challenges veneer education sector including the low quality education. Teachers are utter to play a aboriginal role in the mathematical operation of supply of quality education services. But still in Tanzania public teachers are encountering problems which affect command ment and education process.3.2.1 Administration and Management of the Education System in Tanzania.several(prenominal) ministries, non-governmental organizations, and communities are involved in the management and administration of formal education system. The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training plays principal roles for policy formulation, coordination, monitoring, setting standards, quality assurance and quality control of the whole education system (UNESCO-WDE, 2011). It is in any case responsible for supervision of the higher education, teachers training and management of article of belief work force curriculum development, examination management and school inspectorate (Woods, 2007).The management of pre-primary, primary, secondary and out-of school education is confer under the control of the Ministry of Prime Ministers Office regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG). It oversee the work of the local authorities which are responsible for day to day to the operations of primary and secondary schools much(prenominal) as resources mobilization, management of teachers, financing and payment of school supplies (Woods200712). Teachers are engaged as government staffs on the permanent pensionable land receiving monthly profit according to fixed scales basing upon specific talent. Usually there is annual salary increment and three years promotion inwrought to his/her job process or/and career development. jibe to BEST 2010, there were 165,856 public teachers in primary schools and 30,252 in secondary schools (BEST, 2010).Teacher training is conducted in the education colleges, universities and high education institutions both state and private-owned. Basically, teachers training is divided into three main levels(i) strike out A teachers are the ones who had undefiled 4 years of secondary education and undergone training for two years in a teachers education college (TTC). After successful completion of biennial course he/s he awarded Grade IIIA Teaching Certificate and they suitable to teach primary schools. According to the education policy of 1995, Grade A is the last-place inform qualification to primary schools in Tanzania. The minimum entrance qualification to Education College is division three in the ordinary level security measures of secondary education examination CSEE1(Komba and Nkumbi 2008 URT, 1995).(ii) Ordinary diploma teachers are those who demand to have completed at least advanced level of secondary school (form six) and acquired two-year callingal course of teaching training from teachers education colleges or universities. Diploma teachers are trained to teach secondary schools and teaching colleges (Nguni, 2005).(iii) The third level of teachers is university-graduated teachers who are studied education degree with both major in arts or science. The graduates teachers are unremarkably recruited to teach in secondary schools and/or teaching colleges.According to Basic Educa tion Statistics of Tanzania (BEST) report, there were replete(p) of 92 teaching colleges where by 34 were publicly owned and 58 privately-owned. For instance, in the 2010 enrolment in government teachers colleges increase by 18.8 percent as compared to previous year of 2009. Out of the total enrolment 63.3 percent are diploma students, 34.95 percent are Grade A and 1.7 percent are taking special education (BEST, 2010).Moreover, in Tanzania public school teachers recreates approximately 95 percent of all teachers in primary schools and 75 percent in secondary schools. The government is the main employer of teachers, where teaching staffs constitutes approximately 60 percent of all public cultivated servants. Currently both primary and secondary school teachers are employed by the local government in respective district councils.3.3 Challenges facing Public School Teachers in Tanzania.In the Education International spheric Monitoring Report 2008 and other studies and papers has co nfirmed that the practice of teacher recruitment, their working conditions, their appropriate remuneration, as well as the quality of their sign and continuous education are crucial factors if the quality of learning is to become a reality for all (EI GMR20082). However, the EI GMR 2009 asserts that many countries face a crisis of teacher morale that is nighly related to poor salaries, working conditions and limited opportunities for professional development. (200910)In Tanzania teachers in public schools are live on a number of challenges when exercising their duties. These includes poor working conditions, low payments and other fringes, limited opportunities for professional development, low penury and work recognition from the community.3.3.1 turn tailing Conditions Teachers in public schools has been experiencing unfavorable working conditions and so negatively affecting their work performance in due course the quality of education. The 1990 World Bank contemplate adm it that, most teachers find poor working conditions practically discourage than their salary levels.(Bennell and Mwakyanuzi, 200520). Presence of overcrowded classes, high pupil-teacher ratios, improper lodgement inadequate supplies of textbooks and workbooks is everyday to most of public schools. The space is very pathetic in much remote country-style areas, where almost 93 percent of schools are set(p). Teachers experience life-threatening moment due to the lack of clean water, poor housing and inadequate accommodation and lack of social amenities like health check care, good roads and access to electricity.Furtherto a greater extent, some of teachers reluctant to be post or fail to report to their duty station located in homespun areas with a number of reasons like suffering chronicle illness, matrimonial reasons and lack of accommodations. For instance, in the 2008 World Bank report on Teachers for bucolic School shows the critical shortfall for teachers houses espe cially in rural areas. In 2005, Tanzania had a total of 32,064 schoolteachers houses this is only 20 percent of requirements of 161,396 schoolteachers houses countrywide. In rural areas where is difficult to get even a room for rent the shortage is 75 percent (Malkeen and Chen, 2008). Similarly, the culture done by SACMEQ II in 2007 indicated shocking results that, only 3 percent of standard (grade) six pupils in schools had use sole mathematics textbooks down from the 7 percent in 2000. This is very far from the country benchmark of 100 percent and SACMEQ countries modal(a) of 41 percent. In this power teachers end up use much time copy the nonice on the board instead of deoxidise to teach students especially those slow learners (SACMEQ, 2011). The empirical study affirms that access to books has shown to importantly improve learning. (p116)It is upon such context that the research conducted by SACMEQ2in 2007 want to examine the quality of education provided in primary schoo ls revealed unequal of PTRs amidst the urban and rural public schools. The study discovered that in the year 2000 the mean pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) in primary schools was 471 which was supra the countrys benchmark of 401. However, in 2007 the country mean had risen to 63 pupils per teacher which is very far from the country benchmark. Neverthe slight, the study disclosed the huge variation between the urban and rural schools, whereby the mean PTR for urban schools stood at 461 while in rural schools the situation was worsened than in urban schools (71 pupils per teacher). The country mean pupil-teacher ratio of 63 was very far supra the SACMEQ countries which was 43 pupils per teacher in public schools (SACMEQ, 2011). Likewise, the jut below shows the add up number of pupil in standard 6 per class in different zones in Tanzania Mainland. record no 3.1 norm Number of Standard 6 Pupils per Class in Tanzania (Mainland) seeded player SACMEQ (20114).From the above figure it obvious that there were huge variations of the number of pupils per class among regions and zones, whereby southerly Highland recorded highest sightly of 71 and the Central zones had net average number of 45. However, the overall mean number of Tanzania was 56 pupils per class which was higher than SACMEQ mean number of 46 pupils per class. Different studies and researches proved that small class size guarantee the maximum teacher-pupil interaction to enable the teacher to hang up each individual learners needs (EI GMR, 2008).Poor working environment has alike facilitating some other problem of uneven distribution of teachers in public schools. Teachers usually tend to move from disadvantages and remote rural areas to more well-off urban areas normally resulting into nifty shortage of teachers that likewise affecting the learning outcomes. For instance, in the figure below illustrates the pupil-teacher ratio between the peripheral districts, the national average for rural district a nd national average for urban districts.Figure no 3.2 Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTRs) in Primary School in virtually international Rural DistrictName of the DistrictsPupil/teacher ratioUkerewe district129Chato district95Manyoni district91Uyui district89 subject field average rural districts60National average urban districts43Source Basic Education Statistics of Tanzania (BEST 2010)Source Basic Education Statistics of Tanzania (BEST 2010).The situation is more critical still as far as qualified teachers are concerned especially in rural areas where there was acute shortage of qualified teachers. The pupil to qualified teacher ratio (PqTR) ranges from more than 100 pupils per teacher in the remote rural districts (Bahi, Ulanga, Nanyumbu, Ukerewe, Manyoni, Urambo, and Uyui districts) to less than 35 pupils per teachers in some of urban districts. For instance, in 2006 out of 10,510 qualified teachers affix to different district councils countrywide, only 7,271 (69 percent) were reporte d to their respective duty post (Curlitz, 2009). This exacerbated the shortage of qualified teachers in rural schools reflected in higher pupil to qualified teacher ratio in rural schools. For instance, Dar es salute city (urban) it has 68 percent of qualified teachers as compared to 38 percent in Lindi region which is located in upcountry (rural).3.3.2 meek salary payments and other fringe benefits In most of developing countries including Tanzania, teachers salary is well below the level to ensure their motivation to work hard. Generally utterance as compared with other professions (doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants) the teachers salaries in Tanzania is relative low and, unfortunately they also lack other fringe benefits that other civil servants enjoys such as adequate housing allowances, transfer allowances, lunch allowances, leave allowances, and rigour allowances. The situation seems to be more terrible in rural schools where teachers they have to excursion quite long distance to the district centers where most of banks are located to involve their monthly salary, which is costly in terms of money and time but nobody refunds all these additional be. This is one of the factor alter teachers in public schools and some of them decide to move to private schools which are better off in term of salaries plus other benefits. In the figure below illustrates the sharp increase of teachers (particularly qualified teachers) in private schools due to loving remunerations and good working conditions.Figure number no 3.3 Number of Teachers in Primary Schools in Tanzania 2008 2010.Source Basic Education Statistics of Tanzania (BEST 2010).This figure shows, from 2008 to 2010 the rate of increase of teachers in private schools is more than triplex (24%) of the rate of increase in public schools (6.5%). Likewise, this may also judge to affect the education system since some of qualified teachers are apt(predicate) to find another occupation, be absent , or late to work, or not do expected work in the classroom to meet the learning needs of the students hence adversely affecting the quality of education (Bennell Mwakyanuzi, 2005). a posteriori studies suggest that, the teachers salaries can influence who enters the field and how long they pull up stakes stiff in the teaching (Vegas, 2008).Though the ratio of salary for primary teacher pay to GDP per capita is 6.1, which is higher almost twice the as compared to the sub-Saharan average (4.2) and the Field Track Initiative (FTI) benchmark indicator of 3.5 units (UNESCO/URT, 2012). But when comparing with other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is evident that public schools teachers in Tanzania are getting minimal salary and other remunerations. Only with the inadequate information, the figures below show the average salaries for teachers in different levels (primary, lower and amphetamine secondary schools) in Tanzania and other neighboring countries in sub-Saharan African. contempt the fact that the cost of living varying from one country to another but the data in the figures below gives overview of teachers salaries in Tanzania as compared to other countries in different categories in public schools (primary, lower and upper secondary).Figure Number 3.4 Teachers Gross Salaries per Month in US$ in Some of African Countries (2005-2006).Source Sonyolo, D. (200756)From the table above, out of the six surveyed countries, Tanzania has recorded the lowest monthly gross salary rate of US dollar 20, 95, and cxxv for primary, lower secondary and upper secondary teachers respectively.Figure Number 3.5 median(a) Monthly Income of Qualified Primary School Teachers in Selected African Countries 2004 2006, (US$ per month)Source Bennell and Ntagaramba (200825).As shown from the figures above it is apparent that, teachers salaries in Tanzania are lowest as compared to other countries with exception of Sierra Leone and Rwanda. Conversely, in neighboring countries like Kenya, Uganda and Zambia teachers salaries are relatively higher than in Tanzania. Additional to this, in Uganda teachers get 20 percent and 30 percent of their salaries as s housing and misery allowances respectively (Sonyolo, 2007).As a result of low pay, some of teachers are not teaching well, and even cases of absenteeism arise. For instance, in Tanzania the government pays salaries through electronic transfer via banks. Therefore, teachers from rural areas need to travel long distance to collect their salaries from district centers in each month. Sometimes they have to spend three or more days waiting for the salary when it is delayed. In this bear upons teachers compel to miss a number of classes in every month. In the meantime, students would losing a lot of valuable learning time which eventually affecting their performance. This is express to be one of the major causes of teachers absenteeism in rural schools (Sonyolo, 2007). But on the other hand, this becomes a b urden to teachers since they have to incur additional costs which they have to deduct from their itty-bitty salary. These contribute to disgruntle qualified teachers to merge teaching profession or posted in remote schools.According to the study conducted on effects of increase of salary and incentives of the teachers on learning outcomes, the research findings revealed as followsIn Chile, a salary increase of 156 percent associated with 39 percent increase in number of teacher-education applicants and 16 percent increase in average test scores applicants. Similar test-score increase not observed among applicants to other university programs. (Vagas and Petrow 2008128).3.3.3Limited opportunities for professional development Teacher professional development can be defined as the process of improving both the teachers academic standing, competence and efficiency so as to allow him/her to discharge professional obligations in and outside the classroom.(Komba and Nkumbi, 200870). Pr ofessional development gives opportunities to explore new roles, increase new teaching skills, improve their practice, and stretch their mindsets both as professionals and individuals (Komba and Mwakyanuzi). In education system teachers education plays a prime role to ensure quality education for all. Nevertheless, in the most of the developing countries education programs usually used to neglect the teacher education and professional advancement. The experience has shown that even in the World Declaration on Education for All in 1990 the continuous preparation of teachers received little solicitude (Kruijer, 2010). Besides, Vagas and Petrow argue that, the initial education of teachers is only first stairs in a series of important steps allow teachers to grow and develop professionally over time.(2008117). Then the need for teachers professional development is inevitable since it gives teachers competence, confidence and make them improving the standards of the job performance.In this regard Tanzania during the instruction execution of the Primary Education Development Program (PEDP) from 2001 to 2006 focused on universalization of primary education the program did not draw much attention on development of teacher professional (Komba and Nkumbi, 2008). The government just put more concentration on enrolment expansion, recruitment of teachers, construction of classrooms, and provision of teaching and learning materials. Nothing has been done about provision of in-service training to the existing teachers to equip them with new changes meet within and out of the teaching professional. It is common to hear that a teacher work for twenty or thirty years without get chance to attend even three days workshop to improve his/her teaching skills. In this regard, if as a country in order to improve its education quality should put more emphasis on teaching workforce since teacher is the centre of attention of the classroom instruction. (Komba and Nkumbi, 2008).Th e effectiveness of the teacher depends on the competence to cope with the changes and challenges happen in the class not even the pre-service training. Therefore, for the short while the beat out way of improving the existing school performance is to improve the genuine teaching workforce rather than recruit new teachers. This is due to the fact that, the teacher who is well trained and professionally modifyd can easily treat class of pupil above the recommended ratio. Consequently, in-service professional development is essential because it gives opportunities for the teachersto update teachers knowledge of subject matter periodically, in light of new development in the field to update teachers skills in light of new teaching techniques and educational research to help teachers apply changes made to curricula to enable schools to develop innovations in teaching practices and to help weaker teachers become more effective. (Asia Society union for Global Learning 201112).Accordin g to Malkeen and Chen (2008), teachers from the rural schools they have less advantage as compared to their fellow from the urban schools though urban schools represent less than ten percent of total schools in the country. It is easier for the urban teacher have to access to further education and training opportunities than their rural counterparts.3.3.4 Low motivation and job recognition from the community Learning is the process involving interaction between the teacher, students and sometimes parents or community in general. The teacher is the central point required to engineer the teaching and learning process in the classroom. Therefore, learning achievements can be determined in the classroom by motivated teacher who plan for teaching by put in to practice what they have learned in the teaching college. But the teachers motivation remains as ignored factor in all level of policy intervention (Oluech, 2006). Consequently, becomes responsible factor for the rapidly declining o f the status of teaching profession among young generation.For instance, in Tanzania nowadays most of glittery students do not prefer to join teaching and yet becomes the last utilise among applicants. Teacher motivation and job recognition helps to retain teacher in their work places through provision of the material and psychological needs does not necessarily being payments. Such kind of things like bonuses, gifts, and study opportunities can be use as a means to suck in bright students to join teaching and even to work in remote rural areas. However, in less developed countries public school teachers motivation is said to be low and it is been detrimental of the quality of education (Oluech, 2006). The situation is more serious in the developing countries Tanzania in particular, where high-quality applicants refuse to join or retain in teaching profession. Many who join profession use it as a stepping stone or stepladder to join other lucrative jobs such as lawyers, accountan ts.According to the 1990 World report on Teachers Conditions of Service asserted that, in absence of motivation to teachers which can be used to induce them to perform better the quality of education will deteriorate since de-motivated teachers is the major contributing factor to the poor learning performance of students in primary and secondary schools (Bennell and Mwakyanuzi, 2005). Unlike other neighboring countries, in Tanzania there is no any allowance or bonus is gainful to public school teachers as a means to motivate and get ahead qualified teachers to work in remote rural areas. In other countries the government attempted to use some incentives to make rural areas attractive to live and work for qualified teachers. They have different forms of incentive such as financial or material incentives (hardship allowance, travel allowances, housing subsidies) and non-material incentives (special study leave, training opportunities). In the figure below shows the different forms o f incentives allocated to the rural schools in the some of the East and grey Africa countries.Figure number 3.6 Incentives to Encourage Teachers to Work in Rural Location.Source ADEA Biennale (200615).As shown from the above table is only Tanzania where teachers working in rural areas salaried nothing as motivation to work in remote rural areas. In Malawi, though no financial incentive offered, but the government provides housing where help to attract teachers to work in rural areas. The EMIS data reveal that there is secure correlation between availability of good-quality housing and presence of female teachers in rural school in Malawi (ADEA, 2006).4.0 Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations.4.1 Summary of Findings from the Study.The paper has been sets onward to describe the challenges facing teachers in public schools in developing countries and its implications to the quality of education. Specifically, the focus was on the challenges facing the public school teachers and t he way it affects the quality of education in Tanzania. The study focused on the four issues teacher salary payments and other fringe benefits working conditions opportunities for professional development and motivation and recognition among the public school teachers and how is affecting their job performance hence the quality of education.In addressing these issues the research study seek to answer the followers research questions (i) what are the problems with low salary payments to public school teachers? (ii) how do teachers poor working conditions affect their teaching performance? (iii) how does the limited opportunities for professional development affecting teachers performance hence poor quality public education? And finally, (iv) what kind of motivations can be provided to teachers so as to improve service delivery in public schools?This research paper is principally use of the secondary data surveyed from the books, academic journals, articles, working papers, reports, and website. The paper is made to document what have learned after thoroughly surveyed of different literatures aimed at public school teachers in developing countries. The results from the literatures review highlight the following findingsGenerally, as other developing countries, Tanzania is experiencing the huge of shortage of qualified teachers in public schools both for primary and secondary levels. This come after implementation of PEDP and SEDP led to rapidly expansion of enrolment in primary and secondary schools in 2000s. The expansion of enrolment does not consider the supply of qualified teachers hence the government end up recruited para-teachers or crash program teachers.Teachers salaries are generally low and unattractive as compared with other profession hence teaching becomes the last resort for many young applicants. In comparison with other neighboring countries, Tanzania teachers in public schools are paid lowest salaries and other fringe benefits. For instance, according to 2005 2006 statistics, the average salaries for public teachers was US dollar 20, 95, and 125 for the primary, lower secondary and upper secondary teachers respectively. In this regard Tanzania recorded the lowest salary rate among East and Southern African countries. Unlike other countries teachers does not get even hardship allowance to enable them to cope with pathetic working environment especially in rural schools. This demoralized teachers working morale and discourage the competent candidates to join teaching profession.Working conditions remain the major constraint for the teachers to sour their duties efficiently so as to improve learning outcomes. Challenges such as overcrowded classes, inadequate housing, dilapidated buildings with few desks, and lack of relevant textbooks and workbooks are common in public schools in most of developing countries. Findings indicate the terrible situation in rural areas where due to poor water supply, poor roads, electricity supply, inadequate accommodation, and poor health services. Al