Heated debate in Parliament on quality of education in Tanzania

The Ministry of Education and Vocational
Training received scathing criticism for the
state of education quality in the country as
Members of Parliament called for exhaustive
structural amendments and stern measures to
be taken against the dysfunctional officers.
The lawmakers made the remarks during a
heated debate on the Ministry’s 2013/14
budget estimates speech tabled by Minister Dr
Shukuru Kawambwa in parliament yesterday.
Deogratius Ntukamazina, (Ngara, CCM) noted
that government executives lack seriousness,
patriotism and commitments as they regard
their duties as a ‘business as usual’ affair.
“How can the country’s education sector
develop without public libraries where people
can gather to read various materials, the
literacy level has decelerated, it currently
stands below 50 percent, it is actually at 45
percent, this is because teachers and teaching
environments are of poor standards as there
are no enough classrooms and laboratories,”
he said.
MP Ntukamazina who is also the former
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of State –
Public Service criticised the government’s
recent move to standerdise and re-grade 2012
Ordinary Level Secondary School (Form Four)
Examinations results in a bid to raise pass
marks following a massive failure.
He said: “As a teacher I don’t agree with the
standerdisation, this is politics, if students fail
let them re-seat for the exam, there is a
danger of setting a precedent here because in
the future students will capitalise on this move
and say if we demonstrate to the ministry and
pressurise the government there will be
standardisation. The last British Governor,
Richard Turnbull once told the first President
Julius Nyerere that you can politicise anything
but not education.”
He said he was surprised by Kawambwa’s
decision to announce the Form Four
examination results, “it was the first time to
witness such practice since the establishment
of the National Examination Council of
Tanzania (NECTA) … this is not your job, do
not go to the kitchen you will get burnt, let the
managers do their work.”
On his part, Juma Mtanda (Mchinga-CCM)
called for the dissolution of the NECTA’s
governing Board and the grading committee
for allegedly failing to properly supervise the
examination body.
He argued that one of the good examples of
failures of the said bodies was the disparity in
the grading system of two religious subjects
namely Bible knowledge and Islamic knowledge
as stipulated in a report by a team formed by
minister Kawamba.
“These two bodies should be disbanded
immediately before closing this Parliamentary
meeting,” said Mtanda, however he defended
Minister Kawambwa saying he (the Minister) is
a man of integrity and called for stern
measures to be taken against some officers at
NECTA for being responsible for the blander
instead of urging Kawambwa to resign as the
opposition camp in the House had
recommended.
Naomy Kaihula (Special Seats, Chadema) said it
was time for the legislators to join hands to
hold the government responsible regardless of
their parties’ ideologies.
Meanwhile, the former Minister for Education,
Margareth Sitta proposed amendments on the
distribution of the 6 percent-Skill Development
Levy by channeling 3 percent to the Higher
Education Student’s Loan Board (HESLB) while
Vocational Education Training Authority (VETA)
gets the remaining 3 percent instead of the
current 2 percent.
Under the current arrangement VETA gets 2
percent and the remaining 4 percent is
channelled to the Treasury.