CCM HAS SPECIAL CONCERN FOR EDUCATION

We believe it has always been that way

It is strange or rather awkward that most of the opposition political parties candidates vying for precedence speak not about the achievements that our country has scores in the past ten years under CCM government but just capitalize on very minor aspects, which they think could have been given attention. While this does not seem to be a gentle man’s approach, it is important to highlight on a few of those many achievements.

Tanzania recognises and treats with enough attention the matters of education at all level i.e. primary, secondary and tertiary. That concern is embodies in her policies on education, which in the resent years have focused or targeted on delivering of free primary education (an initiative that has put more than 94 percent of all primary school aged children into school), reducing school fees by about 50 percent for all students in public secondary schools and has in the most resent days introduced the Higher Education Students’ Loan Board (HESLB), which is under the Ministry of Science Technology and Higher Education (MSTHE). All those initiatives put together, there is a great need to congratulate the CCM government.

Free education in Tanzania is not a new thing, we are told by my parents and some other elders who happened to be in school in the period between 1960s and 1970s.

During that time, they say, the only cost for education at all the three – and if we want four levels, to include kindergarten/pre-primary education – was the attendance. Students that time were even luck to be supplied with free meals, textbooks and transport allowances for those who happened to be in boarding schools far from their families.

Coupled with Ujamaa policies that came about with the Arusha Declaration in 1967, the free education at that time had an implicit significance of uniting all Tanzanians. It was not a surprise for instance, to have students from Mtwara, Lindi, Mbeya, Kigoma and other remote place at Umbwe or Old Moshi high schools in Kilimanjaro. Schooling was therefore meant to create conducive environment and of course a practical field for love, peace and union among the Tanzanians, thanks to the great ideas of the late Mwalimu Nyerere.

It is widely agreeable that the free education offered in 1960s, 1970s and even in 1980s was possible due to party (TANU/CCM) politics, which meant to deliver education on equal bases. The idea of equality in social services access, education inclusive, was inherent and vivid in Arusha Declaration both in the policy formation and in the implementation. We have no doubt that those few who happened to experience such schooling atmosphere i.e. some of the professors, doctors, political leaders, workers in different sectors, parents and friends, testify to this and wish things were the same today for their lovely children.

In 1990s and of course starting from late 1980s, God forbid, education was turned into a commodity for which the Tanzanians had to purchase. It is well understood, may be by the majority of the Tanzanians, that in those years there was not any other alternative especially when we put into consideration the economic hardships or crisis that our nation was caught in.

It is to be reminded here that, besides the economic crisis that our country faced on the eve of 1990s, just like many other African countries particularly those in Sub-Saharan region, Tanzania had to follow or implement the policy packages by both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Cutting of subsidies to social services provision, especially at the time when people were not prepared had a devastating and long lasting negative impact on the lives of the Tanzanians and their counterparts in the other poor countries. Although education by then left out a good number of people (children being the most affected), it did not ceased to be the priority of the party and of course of the government. In spite of wide spread poverty all over the country, the government did not stop prioritising education. Primary school children for instance, paid just part of the fees while the rest were taken care of by the government.

The period from 2000 to the present has to my opinion, and probably that of the majority, put us back on the right truck towards achieving free or accessible education. It is quite convincing that the CCM government that has been in power from 1995 gave enough consideration to education. From 2001 when the government through its leader president Benjamin Mkapa announced free primary education, there has been an enormous increase on the rate of children’s enrolment to primary schools. In the present, it must be stated, more than 94 percent of all primary school aged children are enrolled to primary schools. Besides, there are specific initiatives to see to it that girl children are given the first priority at all levels of acquiring education.

The government’s first priority to education initiative should not be taken coincidental but purposeful preparation of the Tanzanians to fare well in the globalise world. It is very impressive to see that the number of the university students in the country has risen from 7785 in 1995 to 32,681 in 2005, making an increment of about 400 percents. Of course, this has been possible due to the contribution of the private sector for which the government has created conducive environment. As a matter of fact, the achievements in education is a crystal clear evidence and an indicator that we are going in the right direction towards making education once again accessible to the majority of the Tanzanians

While having as many as possible people go through tertiary education is a prerequisite for development in this era of globalisation, it should be remembered that, the Tanzanian population has increased from about 7 million people in 1960s to about 34 million people in the present, an increment of about 500 percent. In 1960s and 1970s it was quite possible to deliver free university education but today this would be an illusion of the economic position of our country.

Literary speaking, Tanzania is caught up in a situation where it needs many highly educated people but at the same time without enough resources to support its people acquire that education. This is a dilemma in which most poor countries especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa face. Although that is the real situation, we have reasons to cherish the government efforts to establish and inaugurate the Higher Learning Students’ Loans Board. Through the board, more Tanzanians will benefit as some are already doing. In that way the country will be preparing its people to be able to stand the shocks due to globalisation.

The government’s aim, we can say, is to make sure that all Tanzanians access education to the tertiary level regardless their family or parents’ economic status. The Higher Education Students Loans Board is one of the strategies to help more students get into colleges and this is vivid in the extension of the loans to students who are under private sponsorship and in private colleges both inside and outside the country. We thank the government for equally considering students of different higher learning institutions and we hope that from now on, more Tanzanians will be absorbed into the higher learning institutions.

One thing we need to put into our minds is that, the establishment of the Loans Board is one thing and its sustainability is another. It is true that the government is government is committed to see to it that education remains to be on top of the development agenda but if those who receive the money do not pay it back, the board will definitely cease to exist. It is the advice to students who receive the loan to feel responsible and pay it back because by so doing will be making the same loan available to their children and their grand children. Equally important on this matter is our advices to the recipients of the loan to feel committed and work hard on academics so that in the end they might take up the responsibility of leading this nation.

The CCM 2005 election manifesto is very impressing especially on the area of education. The target to increase the number of form one to form four students to reach 50 percents of all targeted children under the age of 14 –17, increase form five to form six students to reach 25 percent of all targeted youths under the age of 18 – 19 and the number of people who join the universities to reach 12.5 percents of the targeted group all by 2010, is to the point and comes at the right time when education is much more needed than ever before.

By

Paul Salia & Consolatha William

The Power of Argument

Abiyani- University of Dar-es-Salaam