NGOs to trace use of donor funds in education

PHOTO: Representatives of projects from an NGO, Twaweza, Joseph Ngwengwe speaking to journalists on Tuesday February 2, 2011, he is flanked by HakiElimu project manager Boniventura Godfrey.
Photo by Elias Mhegera

By Elias Mhegera
THREE Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have decided to trace how donor funds are utilized in secondary school as partial fulfillment of the education development program.

The NGOs namely HakiElimu, Policy Forum and Twaweza have sought to remove poor performance in primary and secondary schools by conducting a survey on whether the targeted, students receive the allocated funds, and to encourage partnership between teachers, parents, the government and other stakeholders.

So far the NGOs are operating networks of friends who will push for quality education in primary and secondary schools. The sample for the survey to be conducted soon will involve 20 schools throughout the country.

Speaking before journalists on Tuesday this week were representatives of the three NGOs namely; Joseph Ngwegwe, Tanzania’s programme manager, Twaweza, Nyanda Shuli, Manager Media Engagement HakiElimu, and Bonaventure Godfrey programme officer, policy analysis and advocacy HakiElimu.

Also present in the occasion was Pius Makomelelo, Manager, and Citizen Engagement Officer HakiElimu. They elaborated at length on how funds allocated to schools do not reach the targeted people, the students.

The NGOs have established two ways that will facilitate collection of the said information; through cellular phone number 0715723454 and an email: rafiki@hakielimu.org.

According to this arrangement an informer will have to name the district, the Governemnt school, the number of registered students, and the amount of money that has been delivered up to January 31 this year.

The Secondary Education Development Programme (SEDP) allocates the amount to be distributed in four quarters namely; January, April, July and October.

“Early surveys have discovered that in primary schools only 4000 to 6000 Tshs reached the students for the whole year and not Tsh 10,000, as required by the Primary Education Development Program (PEDP), while in Governemnt secondary schools, only Tsh 7, 634 reached the students for the whole year instead of 25,000 which is 40 percent” said Nyanda.

They were concerned that without involvement of a multifold of stakeholders who make a close follow up the quality of education will continue to dwindle. Thus the NGOs are seeking for friends of education, school Boards and other interested people to support the move.

Promising on how they are determined to face the challenges was Ngwengwe who said in any pursuit there are always difficulties but they should not be allowed to inhibit progress of the project.

“We are quite aware of the challenges, but we can not start with negative speculations, instead we anticipate achieving our goals amicably. We will conduct the exercise for three to five schools in each of the districts that have been randomly selected” he emphasized.

Although by this exercise the NGOs have a focus on the said funds, but within a very shot time they will deal with other related problems which causes the fall in education standards like school pregnancies, truancy etc.

Recently the results of the secondary schools in form four brought severe outcry from parents, educationists and other stakeholders. The ward secondary schools are seen as retrogressive in the bid to improve quality education.