EDUCATION SECTOR IN DILLEMA AFTER CONTRADICTION DONE BY THE GOVERNMENT.

Deogratias Mutungi.

        

  Currently there is a huge contradiction among of the education stakeholders and civilians at large to understand which Ministry is full authority power to control education sector since when the government of Tanzania decide to divide the duties and roles of education from Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) to another Ministry of Prime Minister’s office Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG) to supervise the same duties which before where under authority of Ministry of education, on that contradiction stakeholders and people asks a lot of questions about this contradiction.

                

   According to the potential of this issue to touch the huge interest of people who have been anxious to know why government decide the two ministry to supervise the same sector of education instead of one Ministry as it was before, during my practical training field attachment which I done in Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT), the first day and second in communication unit where I was working as a student of field attachment in Ministry of Education, I spent those days to know the truth about the decision of government to reshuffle this sector to into two ministries. Actually my first trip on this matter was to ask the some crucial and technical questions to head of communication unit as the first source to this mini research.

    

     The first question to Mr. Bunyanzu as head of unit was all about the power of Ministry of Education and vocational Training to supervise the all matters related to education sector here in Tanzania after this contradiction and replied to me “This is a hot issue now and many of Tanzanian especially student they get much trouble after that exchange because currently ministry of education deals with policy and high education and not primary or secondary education as it was before” said Bunyanzu,

   

 But the next questions was why this exchange? Bunyanzu again “Government took this measures because to sustain and growth of our quality education” In how sir, that is a next questions, and then answer this question by elaborating more “ Before this partition the Ministry of Education and Vocation Training was  having the big burden to supervise and control a lot of thing, because basic education, which means pre-primary and primary education was at supervision in this ministry, also secondary and high education was at this ministry not only that but also the ministry was dealing with policy and inspectorate of  schools, so on that matter the ministry was not able to run perfectly and accordingly those role and duties just why the government decide to take such measures, and I think our education sector will perform much better after this exchange” said Bunyanzu the head of communication unit.

     

     But I challenge the head of communication for his statement of “Dividing the roles and duties into two ministries as one measure of expectation to good performance and improvement of our quality education, this is not true at all because if the government does not change the policy of education which we have now we never succeed at all in the field of education sector.

     

   The truth is,  to improve and succeed in education sector we must have the strong policy of education and well defined and understandable curriculum for both primary and  secondary school if we need to compete with East Africa and Central Africa countries where by almost 45% of their students who graduates from universities they are employed internationally compared with our students who graduate,  it almost 13% who tried to compete internationally and among of them 6% is employed internationally this is worse at all, government should think twice on this apart from thinking that partition of duties and roles is enough solution to cure the problem faced our education sector.

       

    Even the Permanent secretary of Ministry of Education Professor Sifuni Mchome, believed that the Ministry has not have well defined policy for education and he said “ as a Ministry we are fighting by any means to introduce the education policy before the end of this year, so we are on the process to complete this soon as possible” said Mchome.  

     

  But when he was been asked to talk in brief about this contradiction of two ministries to share the same duties he said “Government is very critical and active than what people think, so the decision of government intend to improve our education level of performance and Tanzania is not the first country to have such style many of western and American use this method so don’t shock about that” said Mchome.

       

 But during the inspectorate week which held in Duce grounds the ministry of education and vocational training,  Honorable Shukru Kawambwa he quoted said that “ People are shouting about this exchange between Ministry of Education and Vocational Training duties to Prime Minister’s office Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG) to supervise some duties like, basic education, secondary education and employment of teachers who graduate from universities, “I think people they didn’t understand the intention of government, but let me tell you, the intention intend to strength our education quality and competence among of the East Africa countries” said Kawambwa.

     

 Though,  the Minister and his  Permanent secretary  elaborated more about this exchange, it is different to secretary general of CWT Ezekiel Oluoch who opposed the views and statement of Minister and  Permanent secretary  by said “ It is nothing to said so as a minister or Permanent secretary, totally it’s wrong the Tanzanian they must  know that a nation currently have a great vacuum contradiction in education sector after such transmission of duties for one to another ministry, “which is which” the problem is the political to be applied in professional that’s what I see and this is a scandal, yeah it’s scandal to me and for all Tanzanian not otherwise” said Oluoch.

     

   Also Oluoch said the CWT as Tanzania Teachers Union has already writes the documents to Ministry of education to advice professionally about this contradiction and we are waiting the response from the government, so that what I can said for now” Said Olouch. 

      

 Also the headmistress  of Mugabe secondary school appreciate as well that the government decision to separate this  duties from one ministry to the other it is the great contradiction to Tanzanian and she said “ teachers we are in dilemma because when we need service from ministry of education they told us to go Prime Minister’s office Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG), the same to this ministry they told us to turn back to ministry of education, so we don’t understand which is which, at all it is a contradiction” said Magadalena.

    

   Also Juma Habibu Nyange as a parents of seven students, he also agree by saying that this government reaction of transmitting some duties from ministry of education to another ministry is a disturbance for us as a parents, because at beginning we know all education services where under ministry of education but currently we hear other duties its under another ministry this is not fare at all” said Nyange.

         Through this issue also Tanzania Horticulture Students Association (TAHOSA), Present their doubts to ministry of education by warning the effects which can take place in future if the government can not put the all education services to one ministry as it was before this exchange. So, through this mini investigation research it seems that the majority of Tanzanians when been left in dilemma since when government decide to divide the duties from Ministry of education to another ministry, on that fact, the government should consider the views, opinion, contribution, doubts and outlook of stakeholders for the future education performance as a nation.