Education

Education

Education has lately been big news in Tanzania. Only 50% of students in Form 4 passed national exams, down from 72% the previous year. What does that mean to them? What does it mean for the future of Tanzania?

First a little background. The grade levels here is heavily influenced by the British system. Primary school is seven years (Standard 1 through 7). All subjects in public schools are taught in Swahili, except English. Swahili is often a kid’s second language, the primary one being her/his tribal language. Private schools we have visited teach in English at all levels.

The next step is Ordinary (O) level, or secondary school (Form 1 through 4). If a kid’s progress isn’t interrupted (illness, family not being able to afford the fees, etc.), then she/he would be about 17 years old when finishing Form 4. Starting in Form 1, all classes are taught in English (for most their third language), except the one class of Swahili.

At the end of Form 4 students take national exams. This determines whether they can go on with their education. If they pass, the student goes on to Advanced (A) level for two years (Form 5 and 6). “A” level is similar to our junior college system. If the student fails the Form 4 test, there is virtually no chance to continue their education. The Form 4 exam is a BIG deal, with the exam itself and the grading controversial.

For example, we’ve been told by teachers of technical classes (physics, chemistry, math) that sometimes the questions are unsolvable, such as having missing or wrong data. Teachers have said that the grading can also be a problem, with wrong answers used for grading. Sometimes “trick” English is used. Results on these national exams can defy logic. There were kids who passed chemistry but failed all their other subjects. Chemistry is hard, especially since the test is administered in English. Swahili should be much easier, yet they didn’t even get a D.

The day the test results came out, it was almost impossible for us to get onto the internet, since that is how students find out what their future education will be. We talked with Tanzanians who are outraged that so many failed. There is talk of remarking the exams. It is a terrible situation because parents often sacrifice a lot to keep their kids in school. Now they see that this may have been in vain.

The reasons for the problem are being argued here, and if we ask, everyone has an opinion. For example, we talked with a very successful Tanzanian who has remarkable English. He comes from a poor background, but early in life decided English would be critical to his future. It was his good fortune to meet people who passed on books so he could practice and learn. He studied hard, and his father sold land to allow his son to go on. Now our friend is helping his younger siblings through school.

Our conversations are with Tanzanians whose English is very good, and we haven’t talked with a broad cross section of the people, so our information may not be representative. Within that group there is a strong desire to start with English in pre-school.

This is in part because Tanzania is a member of the East African Union (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi), a group trying to come together to build their economic strength. Kenya and Uganda’s language for business and government is English. Rwanda has moved away from French and is now teaching in English. Without good English education, Tanzania could suffer.

In addition, the transition from all classes in Swahili to all classes in English starting at about age 14 is very difficult. We’ve met students whose English is at best rudimentary. And, how can they learn chemistry, biology or physics, which have a challenging vocabulary to start with?

There are other issues that will seem familiar to Americans – how to attract and develop the best into teaching, especially in hard to reach rural areas; how can school be made more affordable to the poor; how can enough quality materials be made available? We’ve been in many schools covering all ages, both public and private. Books are hardly ever seen, and those we have looked at are poorly done. Teachers don’t have proper materials. They are scheduled for 7 periods a day. Their pay is such they often seek other income opportunities to supplement their teacher’s pay, diverting their time away from the classroom.

As in the United States, there will be debates about what the best direction for education should be in Tanzania. It seems obvious that the English controversy is by no means the only issue. What seems clear to us is that Tanzanians know that eliminating the possibility for further education for half the 17 year olds here is a problem that must be addressed.

Holiday

Today (Wednesday) is Eid al-Moulid, Mohammed’s birthday, a national holiday. The eastern part of the country is predominantly Muslim, while the further west you go Christianity becomes the majority religion, with native religions scattered throughout the country. We haven’t seen or heard any evidence of religious intolerance. Politically there are splits, including between Zanzibar and the mainland, but religion doesn’t seem to be a force in that divide.

There are more than 120 tribes in Tanzania, along with religious diversity, yet we find the people friendly and very accepting.