SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME: OBJECTIVES, PRIORITIES, STRATEGIES AND TARGETS

Introduction

Education Sector Development Programme is an attempt to realize the objectives of Education Sector policies It was formulated to address critical issues and problems facing the education and training sector in general. The Programme is a comprehensive and complex undertaking entailing many fundamental changes including Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) as well as the participation of many and varied actors in education and training. These interventions are focused primarily on the learner, the teacher and the teaching/learning environment, ultimately intending to improve the academic achievements and competences of the learner.

Programme Objectives, Strategies and Targets

Objectives

In view of the critical policy issues and problems currently experienced, the Education Sector Programme main objectives include:

Strategies

The Government’s commitment to education development as a bridge to broader social development objectives will be achieved through the following strategies:

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Targets

On the basis of the broad program objectives, the main targets during the plan period are to:

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Education Sector Development Programme Reform Initiatives

In the endeavour to address the challenges facing the education sector, the following reforms have been initiated:

Sector wide approach to education development

Experience has shown that the project approach to education development has often resulted in serious vertical and horizontal dislocations in the education system. Consequently, inequities have emerged in access and quality between districts, schools, gender and disadvantaged groups that are inherent in the approach. Worse still, the project approach leads to inordinate loss of time of executives to spend on separate consultations with several individual donors, individual project leaders, consultants and other persons. This has increased inefficiency and reduced the impact of development initiatives and resources both financial and human.

The sector wide approach to education development has been initiated to redress the problem of fragmented interventions. Inherent in this approach is the pooling together of resources (human, financial and materials) through the involvement of all key stakeholders in education planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

The sector wide development approach, however, requires a new relationship between the Government and development partners. The main emphasis in this relationship is the enhancement of partnership, coordination, cooperation and collaboration among all stakeholders in the provision of education and training at all levels. The endeavour to enhance coordination, collaboration, synchronization and focus in education service delivery, sub-sector master plans has been initiated.

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Decentralization of the management of education and training institutions

Experience has shown that highly centralized planning is non-participatory and tends to ignore the peculiarities of various localities in the development process. In the Education and Training Policy it is noted that the powers and decision making in the management and administration of education and training institutions have remained heavily concentrated at the ministerial level. Attempts to involve regions, districts and communities in the management and administration of education and training institutions in their areas of jurisdiction are wanting, yet effective management of education and training institutions necessitates community involvement.

In this regard the education sector has initiated regulatory changes and interventions to support the decentralization process to lower organs. Among the notable interventions in support of the decentralization process include:

All basic education based interventions are gradually being realigned to correspond with the Local Government Reform Programme which places emphasis on improved service delivery, autonomy in decision making, transparency, accountability and good governance. The new Local Government system is based on political devolution, decentralization of functions and finances within the framework of a unitary state. The Local Governments will be holistic i.e. multi sectoral government units with a legal status. They have the responsibility for social development and public service provision within their jurisdiction ,facilitation of maintenance of law and order and issues of national importance such as education, health, water, roads and agriculture. To facilitate these, financial reforms, regulations for governing the utilization of block grants and basket funds have been issued, service regulations for local Authorities employees have been approved and the platinum system is being introduced in all local authorities. Attendant with such developments, MOEC/MSTHE/MRALG have specified education sector specific performance indicators and minimum standards for service delivery.

The Education Act No. 25 of 1978 (amended by Act No. 10 of 1995) was to accommodate the policy changes.

The 1994 Vocational and Training Act requires that the system of vocational education and training is decentralized to the regions to ensure maximum utilization of resources and relevance of training programme. Regional BET Boards have been formed and the system has been decentralized. Under the Strategic Action Plan (2000 – 2004) the decentralization will be consolidated.

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New approach to education planning

Traditionally, education planning has been highly centralized. Plans were and have continued to be conceived, initiated and developed by the central authority at the national level. Thereafter, developed plans were disseminated to lower organs for adoption and implementation. Hence, the grassroots have contributed little, if any, to the development of plans for implementation by the same.

The top-down planning process was originally justifiable because the Government structure was still centralized. The decentralization process is however in the initial stages of development and the requisite capacity is in the process of being developed. The means and instruments to enable lower organs to initiate and develop their own plans based on concrete assessment of potentials and problems faced as well as the developmental needs of the local community in a participatory approach also are in the process of being provided through the adoption of Planning and Management guide for Regional Secretariats prepared under the Local Government Reform Programme. PO-RALG is also leading the formulation of a National framework for participatory District Planning to be in place by March 2001.

In response to the planning reform requirements a number of initiatives have been put in place to set the new system in motion. The planning reform initiatives include school mapping and micro planning of the whole school development programme and ward based education management programme.

In the planning reform process (bottom-up vs top-down), the school is the lowest and the initial planning unit. Each school and each education institution is required to prepare its own education development plan. The next planning unit is the ward. The ward education development plan should be a synthesis of school development plans in that ward. The district is the next planning unit. The district education development plan should be the synthesis of ward education development plans in the district. The bottom-up hierarchical planning process continues to the national level but in line with National guidelines aimed to match grassroot development with National interests. This is also a caution that sometimes and in some cases top down planning will be required in order to address a national crisis, disaster or epidemic etc.

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Education Management Information System (EMIS)

The demand for quantitative and qualitative information has been growing as the Government recognizes that well managed and responsive education information systems facilitate policy formulation and efficient operation of the education system. However, most data available are unprocessed and unreliable to allow proper and timely decision making. The speed for collecting data and information does not suffice the growing demand for accurate and timely information on educational issues. Consequently, the gap between the demand and supply of education related information is increasingly widening.

In the sector wide development approach, the issue of coordination and information sharing shall be strengthened. Currently, information tends to be confined to people within particular units or departments. Even within the same institution, information on the performance of one department may not be readily available to another department. Thus, seeking for education information from various institutions become a tedious task. Missing data due to non-collection, crude storage, or late response characterizes most of data collection, storage and retrieval system in this country. There are also concerns on the accuracy and relevancy of some education data collected. All these need to be addressed in the education sector development programme reform initiative.

EMIS was conceived to address the issue of information management to effectively manage the envisaged change. It involves the setting up of a computerized database that maintains a number of important education indicators as well as outside the education system but relevant to it. Such a database would necessitate training of personnel in data analysis and information management.

The education sector in Tanzania is managed by several ministries. At the central level it is divided into two ministries, namely Education and Culture, and Science, Technology and Higher Education. However, the management and administration of the primary education sub-sector is the responsibility of the Local Authorities under the President Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG). This makes the management and administration of the education sector as a whole to be a shared responsibility among the three ministries (MOEC, MSTHE & PO-RALG). Other Ministries and parastatals, which have direct influence on the sector include the President Office, Planning and Privatization, the Ministry of Finance, the Civil Service Department, the Ministry of Community Development, Women Affairs and Children, and the Ministry of Labour Youth Development and Sports.

Currently, mechanism for linking the ministries and various institutions are not fully developed. The initiative to introduce EMIS is intended, among others, to provide the requisite information link among all the stakeholders in the education sector. EMIS will allow all users to generate data that will facilitate informed decision-making, support monitoring and evaluation of the education sector and promote a culture of information sharing in an organized way.

It is envisaged that the national education database be established at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education which has higher comparative advantages. Thereafter sub-databases will established at other Ministries regional and district levels. Later on databases will be established to cater for Ward Education level and ultimately to individual education and training institutions. The database network is the ultimate goal of the EMIS. However, the education sector database network must also be linked to the macro level databases of the President Office, Planning and Privatization, Civil Service Department and the Ministry of Finance. The computerized system will enhance accuracy, speed of transmission and above all, the relevancy of their input to top management of the sector in arriving at informed decisions for future formulation of policies and strategies.

As part of strategies in implementing its plan, the Government will build on the positive elements, which already exist. At the central level and in the districts there are Government officials who are dealing with data collection and transmission on daily basis. It will be imperative in any development plan that these officials have the opportunity to upgrade their skills and build their capacity in handling computerized information system. The sustainability of EMIS highly depends on how well local experts will be empowered to handle such a system. Provision of adequate training to people who will be handling the system will be given top priority in the EMIS development including purchase of ICT facilities. This is the area where the higher education sector will be involved in setting up and monitoring the implementation of the EMIS.

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Core Institutions

The Education Sector Development Programme as a sector-wide approach calls for collection planning with the core institutions, which play a role in the provision of education. These core institutions namely, Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE), the National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA), The Tanzania Library Services (TLS), the Institute of Adult Education (IAE), the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Management Administration Training Education Personnel Institute (MANTEP) should also to undergo major reforms in terms of personnel audit, improving efficiency and effectiveness through capacity building, human resource development and provision of requisite support facilities and equipment.

In order to attain high level credibility within the education system, these core institutions need be strengthen so that they could achieve their core functions such as curriculum development, professional development, research development, accreditation processes, library services as well as provision of non-formal education to children and adults.

Others Institutions

Apparently, institutions such as Science and Technology Commission, HEAC, VETA, NAT, Community Based Organizations (CBO), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), donor agencies and educational institutions like Universities, Colleges and Schools are also involved in the education Sector in Tanzania . Through the growing realization of these institutions in the provision of education, there is need to give greater attention to the principles of participation and democratization so as to enable these institutions also play their role in the ESDP reform pro cess.

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The Education and Training Sector Development Programme Priorities

The programme priorities are derived from the Education sub Sectors and policy objectives and they constitute the overall programmes for implementation of the Medium Term Plan 2000/01-2004/05. These priorities form the basis upon which further improvements.

In future will hinge on. In setting these priorities, consideration has also been put on the international commitments that were made by the World Social Summit of 1995 in Copenhagen which were reaffirmed during the World Social summit held in Geneva in June, 2000. Among the ten commitments made, commitment No.5 centered on giving new momentum to promote equality and equity between women and men by closing the gender gap in primary and secondary education by the year 2005; ensuring that there is compulsory universal primary education for boys and girls by 2015; increasing women’s and girls’ access to all levels and forms of education and achieving a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women. Thus, the focus for the Medium Term Plan will be to:

Priority 1

In accordance with the Education and Training Policy, the current trend in education is for central planning to accommodate the liberalization and privatization of the provision of public services. This may lead to denial of the right to basic education to some citizens as well as affect quality of the education being delivered. In this regard the goal of the Education and Training Sector Development Programme would be to promote access and equity through measures of expanding equitable provision of education at all levels with priority to basic education. Minimum standards and monitoring indicators have been developed as means for controlling the quality of education. However, encouraging private organizations and individuals to participate will enhance partnership in provision of education and training. Access to quality adult literacy and non-formal education to adults and out of school children and youth will be guaranteed through reorganizing the education system, promoting it, strengthening, coordinating and integrating it with formal education and training system.

The adult literacy rates have been decreasing from well over 90 percent in the 1970s to 84 percent and now to an estimated 71 percent. The following factors accounted for the decline in the provisions of adult education:

As part of adult literacy, the establishment of Folk Development Colleges in 1975 under the department of Adult Education, Ministry of Education and Culture was aimed at preparing adults by imparting knowledge and skills essential to deal effectively with their environment in order to liberate themselves from poverty, ignorance, disease and hence to bring about socio economic development.

In order to realise the main objectives of eradicating abject poverty and building awareness on environment care, the Ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children’s is involved in mobilizing the people, directing resources, planning and making follow-ups to the implementation of the programmes for the betterment of the people.

Hence, in order to attract full utilization of these institutions, there is need to modernize its facilities and enhance the capabilities of its personnel with a view to making the FDC a better place for adults to learn.

Physical facilities needs for the provision of education in Tanzania are enormous. The participation rates in primary education, secondary education, Folk Development Education, Vocational, Tertiary and Higher Education are very low. The gross enrolment for primary education is about 79 percent and the net enrolment is at 57percent, suggesting that there are many school-going age children who are not in school, hence a dire need to raise enrolment. Major factors leading to low enrollment include:

In addition, the system needs to improve its capacity to address the out-of- school children and youth who have not accessed primary education so that they may get functional primary education out of the formal school system e.g. Complimentary Basic Education in Tanzania (COBET). At secondary education level the gross enrolment ratio is 5 percent only. It is the intention of the government that the net enrolment ratio at primary education level to be raised to 70 percent and that of secondary education to 15 percent and 0.2 percent for tertiary and higher education by the end of 2004/5. These are the broad parameters of the needs for physical facilities school system in the country.

The Tertiary and Higher Education sub-sector has grown to 170 institutions since 1961, which are spread all over different ministries and parastatal organizations. In recent years the sub-sector has suffered from under-funding resulting in inability to acquire learning inputs, high operational costs and underutilized institutions, uncoordinated courses, lack of quality control and monitoring, and inadequate curriculum.

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Pre-Primary Education

Considering that early years of life are critical for the development of a child’s mental and other potentials through community involvement and cooperation, the Government has systematized and formalizing pre-primary education for the 5–6 years old children. In the formalization process each primary school is required to establish a pre school unit. Professional teachers will run the pre-school. Curriculum development and syllabuses, school inspection will be guided by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Strategies

The strategies for enhancing access, equity and quality education are:

Basic Education

In the Tanzanian context Basic Education includes: Pre-primary, primary, secondary, Teacher Education, Adult and Non Formal Education.

Secondary Education

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Teacher Education

Technical Education

Priority 2

At present there exists no institutional mechanism to promote coordinated allocation of resources, utilization of existing education and training facilities or harmonization of training programmes and awards among the sub-sectors. In this sector wide development approach, emphasis will be placed in promoting coordination, cooperation and collaboration among stakeholders in the provision of education at all levels. The establishment of an education and training sector management organ will facilitate to promote as well as have in place a consultative system involving all stakeholders.

The ultimate goal of any education and training system is to provide relevant and high quality education and training services to a broad range of clients in the most equitable, effective and efficient ways. This entails building the management capacity at all levels in the education sector. The Sector operates under difficult conditions characterized by under-funding, fragmentation and high internal and external inefficiency. Hence, major components of the capacity building programme, will entail addressing the following: -

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Strategies

The strategies to strengthen management capacity include the following:

Basic Education

Secondary Education

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Teacher Education

Technical Education

National Level

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Priority 3

A major concern lies on the reliability of available data. Most of the information given from schools and institutions of higher learning is presented in raw form without being analyzed. Some officials fill information using estimates rather than the actual figures. Thus there is need to initiate change that will lead to the promotion of culture of information management system at all levels of the organization. In order to achieve these special studies will be carried out in order to generate comprehensive and reliable data in the following:

The main data collecting institutions are:

Strategies

The following strategies will be applied to achieve the set objective:

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Basic Education

- School Mapping Exercise.

- Teacher Audit Exercise.

Tertiary and Higher Education

-Conducting tracers studies.

-Carrying out academic audit

-Carrying out evaluation for quality control.

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Other Levels

Priority 4

Lack of knowledge, life skills and information on inherent risks and preventive measures has led youth both in school and out-of-school to be the most vulnerable group to HIV/AIDS/STI. Ignorance manifested by this group has led to irresponsible sexual behaviour. These youths form 65% of the Tanzania population. According to the NACP HIV/AIDS/STI Surveillance Report No. 14 of 1999, the epidemic has rapidly spread in various population groups. The sexually reproductive age group between 20 – 49 years and 15 –44 years for male and females respectively are the most affected. This group comprises the most energetic and productive which in the education sector are students, teachers, lecturers, executive senior staff, middle levels managers and key staff.

The HIV/AIDS/STI effect to education sector is now very vivid. The impact is serious and is likely to worsen the next few years. Consider that:

(i) There will be increased illness and a growing death rate among teachers and school administrators representing a human loss and an economic loss of skilled people in short supply in the education sector.

In summary, HIV/AIDS places the education system at risk of demographic, economic and equity problems due to higher teacher turnover, loss of experienced teachers at a higher rate, more orphans with special needs, fewer resources and problems of ostracism in the classroom. AIDS education is an essential aspect of teacher education and re-training as well as a critical issue to be taught in all Tanzania 's classrooms.

It is therefore of utmost importance and urgency that steps are taken to arrest the situation

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Strategies

To achieve the objective of controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS/STI, the following strategies are proposed.

Basic and Secondary Education