By Elias Mhegera, November 2011
INVESTORS have been urged to spread the new scientific and technological advancements in the rural sector in order to improve the quality of life of Tanzanians.
The deputy minister for trade and industries Lazaro Nyalandu said that if the rural population is modernized the circulation of money will increase the national income and hence the long term benefits will go to the central Government in the form of taxes and revenues.
Nyalandu was speaking before the Japanese Ambassador to Tanzania H.E. Masaki Okada and other invitees at the latter’s residence in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday this week. He was the guest of honour in an occasion to officially handle over the Life Innovation Container (LIC) project which has been granted by Panasonic Cooperation of Japan to Mbola village in Uyui district Tabora region; this is one of the identified Millennium Village Projects.
Nyalandu said since when Tanzania joined the SEACOM Cable there have been fundamental changes in communication and the ICTs application in genera. It was at this juncture that he calls for other investors to apply science and technology in order to speed up the development of this country.
The occasion was jointly organized by the Japanese Embassy in Tanzania and the Panasonic Cooperation which has donated the LIC technology that will allow villagers to access internet, audio visual education for schools and ultimately for various income generation activities.
This occasion was also attended by other senior officials from the Government of Tanzania and from other companies originating from Japan.
LIC is a stand alone power system from Panasonic’s ‘energy creation’ and ‘energy storage’ technologies packed into the 120 ft container to provide electricity to non electrified regions all over the world for a better living and sustainable society.
The technology involves 18 solar panels (including 6 panels on then roof) and it generates about 9.9 Kwh of power a day, and 48 storage batteries inside the container enables to keep supplying electricity even if it is not sunny for three or four days.
Panasonic donated 1,000 solar powered LED lanterns to the Millennium Village in March 2011, which stores electricity that can be generated in daytime and illuminates light at night time. These lanterns are used widely in non electrified regions. They are eco-friendly products which do not produce Carbon dioxide while in use.
Tanzania is one of the special countries for Panasonic due to the long history in dry cell battery business for over 43 since 1968. The company has promised to continue supporting development initiatives of this country in order to accomplish its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in both businesses and corporate citizenship activities.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Trust vital for business success
By Elias Mhegera, November 12, 2011 (opinion)
ONE strategy for any business entity to make a break through is by turning customers in charge of affairs. This can be done through many ways, thanks to the growth of the Web.
While it is easier to invite customers during a get together party where they can give their feedbacks, it also important to allow feedbacks to flow through other channels like electronic guest books, face book, Wayn and other means which are now in common electronically.
This is easier because it can easily be done with the click of a mouse for those who are not accustomed of posting any materials in suggestion boxes located in many business like hotels, restaurants and other places which are customer oriented.
Surveys researches and proper collection of customer’s opinions and wishes are also key elements for earning their trustworthiness. Customer relationships are a companies’ most valuable asset.
Getting and keeping more customers who stay with you longer is crucial. If your customers are loyal to your business, they will be much more likely to choose you over your competitors. Loyal customers will be much more likely to tell their friends about you. Long-standing relationships only arise from trust gained over.
ONE strategy for any business entity to make a break through is by turning customers in charge of affairs. This can be done through many ways, thanks to the growth of the Web.
While it is easier to invite customers during a get together party where they can give their feedbacks, it also important to allow feedbacks to flow through other channels like electronic guest books, face book, Wayn and other means which are now in common electronically.
This is easier because it can easily be done with the click of a mouse for those who are not accustomed of posting any materials in suggestion boxes located in many business like hotels, restaurants and other places which are customer oriented.
Surveys researches and proper collection of customer’s opinions and wishes are also key elements for earning their trustworthiness. Customer relationships are a companies’ most valuable asset.
Getting and keeping more customers who stay with you longer is crucial. If your customers are loyal to your business, they will be much more likely to choose you over your competitors. Loyal customers will be much more likely to tell their friends about you. Long-standing relationships only arise from trust gained over.
Air Tanzania to flourish?
By Elias Mhegera, November 12, 2011 (opinion)
IT is good news that once again the National Flag Carrier Air Tanzania has taken to the skies after so many years of a debilitating performance.
But this is not to say that the revival of the National Airline is received without skepticism; this is because its history has always been dark ever since.
For instance it was in 1982 when then Minister for Transport and Communications Augustine Mwingira and then General Manager of Air Tanzania the late Lawrence Mmasi were sacked after their unlawful accomplice in the purchase of an air craft from one George Hallack a business tycoon of Palestine origin.
Later on all the general managers with the airline were facing severe hardships be it Bakari Mwapachu, Emmanuel Kambaine or even David Mataka, let it be suffice here to say that the chair of Air Tanzania GM is a hot chair.
Similar reports follow the once colourful Kampuni ya Mabasi ya Taifa (KAMATA) a national bus transportation that collapsed after poor management. The message here is clear, that aircraft is not the technology for us, the best way is to hire our routes to those with the ability but they should be told to advertise Tanzania through aviation.
IT is good news that once again the National Flag Carrier Air Tanzania has taken to the skies after so many years of a debilitating performance.
But this is not to say that the revival of the National Airline is received without skepticism; this is because its history has always been dark ever since.
For instance it was in 1982 when then Minister for Transport and Communications Augustine Mwingira and then General Manager of Air Tanzania the late Lawrence Mmasi were sacked after their unlawful accomplice in the purchase of an air craft from one George Hallack a business tycoon of Palestine origin.
Later on all the general managers with the airline were facing severe hardships be it Bakari Mwapachu, Emmanuel Kambaine or even David Mataka, let it be suffice here to say that the chair of Air Tanzania GM is a hot chair.
Similar reports follow the once colourful Kampuni ya Mabasi ya Taifa (KAMATA) a national bus transportation that collapsed after poor management. The message here is clear, that aircraft is not the technology for us, the best way is to hire our routes to those with the ability but they should be told to advertise Tanzania through aviation.
Domestic tourism must be enhanced in Tanzania
By Elias Mhegera, October 2011
IT is expected that the new policy in tourism in Tanzania will stimulate the coming of more tourists after so many years of stereotypes policies.
Speaking to The Express on Saturday last week, during the World Tourism Day, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Ezekiel Maige said that for a number of years Tanzania has been charging heavily in various a few tourists who manage to visit this country.
He said this is one amongst many reasons which distracted tourists in Tanzania. Instead, he said there is a need now to reduce any charges in order to attract more of theme regardless of the minor payments that they can pay.
He urged other stakeholders to contribute towards these efforts by producing quality goods that will be worth drawing the attention of buyers in the world market.
“We cannot rely on the Government alone to bring changes in the tourism industry but all stakeholders like travel agencies, tourist hotels, game reserves and national parks in their own right to contribute towards these efforts,” he said.
Charles Lupilya the CEO of the Dar es Salaam Tourism Executive Board said that tourism in this country is affected by many factors; he mentioned those as poor infrastructure, lack of qualified staff in dealing with tourism matters, and power blackouts.
He revetaled that if tourists are affected by power blackout in major city centres of this country like Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza it is easy for them to conclude that the situation is even worse in the tourist hotels located in game reserves and Tanzania National Parks.
He was also concerned that the heavy traffic jam particularly in Dar es Salaam which is already affected by warm climate could add much to the embarrassments that tourists suffers whenever they visit Tanzania.
However Lupilya said that this country could earn a lion of share its incomes once citizens are empowered to understand that tourism is not only to do with tourist hotels, because there are many avenues like cultural tourism which can be promoted through arts and other linking techniques.
“We should learn from others like Brazilians who have turned Samba into an international dance which has attracted many all over the world to visit that country for learning how to dance such a unique style.
Lupilya urged Tanzanian to capitalize on preparing quality souvenirs which is part of mechanisms to promote tourism. He lauded carvers and drawers who have managed to promote well this country through carvings and tinga tinga drawings.
On her part Ms Renata Anacleth sales officer with Afrika Sana said that some dealers in the tourism industry are a hindrance towards promotion of this country because they produce poor quality goods. She asked those who dealing in sales of tie and dye to make consultation to the companies which have been in the business for a number of years.
IT is expected that the new policy in tourism in Tanzania will stimulate the coming of more tourists after so many years of stereotypes policies.
Speaking to The Express on Saturday last week, during the World Tourism Day, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Ezekiel Maige said that for a number of years Tanzania has been charging heavily in various a few tourists who manage to visit this country.
He said this is one amongst many reasons which distracted tourists in Tanzania. Instead, he said there is a need now to reduce any charges in order to attract more of theme regardless of the minor payments that they can pay.
He urged other stakeholders to contribute towards these efforts by producing quality goods that will be worth drawing the attention of buyers in the world market.
“We cannot rely on the Government alone to bring changes in the tourism industry but all stakeholders like travel agencies, tourist hotels, game reserves and national parks in their own right to contribute towards these efforts,” he said.
Charles Lupilya the CEO of the Dar es Salaam Tourism Executive Board said that tourism in this country is affected by many factors; he mentioned those as poor infrastructure, lack of qualified staff in dealing with tourism matters, and power blackouts.
He revetaled that if tourists are affected by power blackout in major city centres of this country like Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza it is easy for them to conclude that the situation is even worse in the tourist hotels located in game reserves and Tanzania National Parks.
He was also concerned that the heavy traffic jam particularly in Dar es Salaam which is already affected by warm climate could add much to the embarrassments that tourists suffers whenever they visit Tanzania.
However Lupilya said that this country could earn a lion of share its incomes once citizens are empowered to understand that tourism is not only to do with tourist hotels, because there are many avenues like cultural tourism which can be promoted through arts and other linking techniques.
“We should learn from others like Brazilians who have turned Samba into an international dance which has attracted many all over the world to visit that country for learning how to dance such a unique style.
Lupilya urged Tanzanian to capitalize on preparing quality souvenirs which is part of mechanisms to promote tourism. He lauded carvers and drawers who have managed to promote well this country through carvings and tinga tinga drawings.
On her part Ms Renata Anacleth sales officer with Afrika Sana said that some dealers in the tourism industry are a hindrance towards promotion of this country because they produce poor quality goods. She asked those who dealing in sales of tie and dye to make consultation to the companies which have been in the business for a number of years.
The UNHCR in Tanzania taken to task
Posted November
By The Express Reporter
AT the age of 45 Fidele Sekamondo a Rwandan refugee currently living in Tanzania does not know what is either a family or his ultimate fate.
He accuses some officials at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Dar es Salaam offices for his ordeal. He does not hesitate to mention the names of these persons as being behind his failure to get resettlement due to nepotism and corruption.
It was in 1993 by then Fidele at 27 years old when he chooses to run to Tanzania for his safety, which was one year before the catastrophic genocide that ravaged the once beautiful country of Rwanda.
He found one Yacoub El Hillo as the Protection Officer in Tanzania and later the same person came back close to the end of 2006 as the United Nations Representative High Commissioner for Refugees, just to find Fidele in the same ramshackle, he later left the country and went to the Middle East to serve in the same capacity.
His timing and the fact that his escape was followed by such nihilistic killings indicates that he was chosen to survive at least during that particular moment of ethnic clashes. He is currently the chairperson of the Federation of the Human Rights for Refugees in Tanzania (FHRRT).
But currently his cry is not survival but resettlement to a new peaceful country where he could forget completely the traumas that were caused by the deaths of his parents and other close relatives whom he alleges were victims of unruly victimization.
He accuses the persons that The Express wanted to hear their voices but could not at the UNHCR namely Ms Evelyn Warioba, Deusdedit Maganya, Ms Octavian Sangali, Ms Florence Nabugale and Mathew Kisegu.
The Express asked if him if it is reasonable for him to go back to his home country after it has undergone several major social transformations he claimed that he will never go back there since this will just bring back sad memories of his beloved ones.
Probably what has caused more pain to Fidele is the fact that he has seen many refugees coming after him in this country and being relocated to various parts of the world but not him.
He claims that some UNHCR officials in Tanzania are inconsiderate to him for all these years. The Express has with it several documents to prove correspondences which unfortunately did not yield any results in his favour.
His several interviews and media coverage did not improve his situation anyhow, and he remains unabated while recapitulating what holds for him for the remaining of his life.
His ambition to become a teacher in social sciences was immediately stopped by the turbulent years in his home country; now without any profession which could warrant him get a formal employment he has remained with but only one alternative, to seek any available and immediate possible assistance.
“I am quite aware that there is a process which can facilitate for one to get a resettlement, I have attempted this process four times without success, the first time being in 2002, since then more that 900,000 have been granted with the same but not me,” he complained sadly.
He claims that a good number of those who have been successful in their applications have landed in the USA, Canada, and Australia and some in the Scandinavian countries but good luck has not been on his side.
The tireless aspiring teacher says that all attempts for relocation in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007 were quashed because of nepotism and for the fact that some officials with the UNHCR have been receiving bribes from affluent applicants.
Letters from the Muhimbili National Hospital psychiatry unit indicates that Fidele has gone beyond the post trauma stage a fact that could indicate that he understands and he can be accountable of whatever he is uttering to the media and other concerned authorities.
Moreover the Department of Refugees, Ministry of Home Affairs have also accorded him positive treatment an indication that he can be a trustworthy person, under such circumstances we at The Express have no reasons to doubt or reject his story.
An official from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Refugees Department, who preferred anonymity because he is not the spokesperson in regard to refugees in Tanzania, said that the case of the above-mentioned is a well known case in his department.
He added that at his current stage the department of refugees has nothing to do with Fidele except to facilitate his living in this country until when it will be decided otherwise with either the minister for Home Affairs or the host country who decides to accommodate new refugees.
He further clarified that it was on human grounds that the mentioned person was still in this country, he was worried that continuing staying in Tanzania while there are many opportunities back home was wastage of time.
In regard to corruption scandals he said that even if he had such information he would not have divulged it to the media because the UNHCR enjoys a diplomatic status. He further ascertained that at his current status Fidele and his colleagues will have to wait until the relevant bodies like the International Organization for Migration (IOM) decides on their fate.
Attempts to get a response from the UNHCR offices in Dar es Salaam proved futile due to the fact that questions in regard to what has caused the reported trend of events to Fidele and his colleagues did not bring immediate responses.
The letter to the UNHCR that was received on July 29, 2011 was never responded to up to the time that we were going to the print. On Tuesday this week this reported revisited the UNHCR at its Masaki offices just to be answered by the deputy spokesperson one Ms Juliana Bwire that the letter was still with the Protection Unit at the agency.
However she said that her offices work on conditions of confidentiality and there was no guarantee whatsoever that it will disclose the reasons for their actions to applicants of resettlement
By The Express Reporter
AT the age of 45 Fidele Sekamondo a Rwandan refugee currently living in Tanzania does not know what is either a family or his ultimate fate.
He accuses some officials at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Dar es Salaam offices for his ordeal. He does not hesitate to mention the names of these persons as being behind his failure to get resettlement due to nepotism and corruption.
It was in 1993 by then Fidele at 27 years old when he chooses to run to Tanzania for his safety, which was one year before the catastrophic genocide that ravaged the once beautiful country of Rwanda.
He found one Yacoub El Hillo as the Protection Officer in Tanzania and later the same person came back close to the end of 2006 as the United Nations Representative High Commissioner for Refugees, just to find Fidele in the same ramshackle, he later left the country and went to the Middle East to serve in the same capacity.
His timing and the fact that his escape was followed by such nihilistic killings indicates that he was chosen to survive at least during that particular moment of ethnic clashes. He is currently the chairperson of the Federation of the Human Rights for Refugees in Tanzania (FHRRT).
But currently his cry is not survival but resettlement to a new peaceful country where he could forget completely the traumas that were caused by the deaths of his parents and other close relatives whom he alleges were victims of unruly victimization.
He accuses the persons that The Express wanted to hear their voices but could not at the UNHCR namely Ms Evelyn Warioba, Deusdedit Maganya, Ms Octavian Sangali, Ms Florence Nabugale and Mathew Kisegu.
The Express asked if him if it is reasonable for him to go back to his home country after it has undergone several major social transformations he claimed that he will never go back there since this will just bring back sad memories of his beloved ones.
Probably what has caused more pain to Fidele is the fact that he has seen many refugees coming after him in this country and being relocated to various parts of the world but not him.
He claims that some UNHCR officials in Tanzania are inconsiderate to him for all these years. The Express has with it several documents to prove correspondences which unfortunately did not yield any results in his favour.
His several interviews and media coverage did not improve his situation anyhow, and he remains unabated while recapitulating what holds for him for the remaining of his life.
His ambition to become a teacher in social sciences was immediately stopped by the turbulent years in his home country; now without any profession which could warrant him get a formal employment he has remained with but only one alternative, to seek any available and immediate possible assistance.
“I am quite aware that there is a process which can facilitate for one to get a resettlement, I have attempted this process four times without success, the first time being in 2002, since then more that 900,000 have been granted with the same but not me,” he complained sadly.
He claims that a good number of those who have been successful in their applications have landed in the USA, Canada, and Australia and some in the Scandinavian countries but good luck has not been on his side.
The tireless aspiring teacher says that all attempts for relocation in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007 were quashed because of nepotism and for the fact that some officials with the UNHCR have been receiving bribes from affluent applicants.
Letters from the Muhimbili National Hospital psychiatry unit indicates that Fidele has gone beyond the post trauma stage a fact that could indicate that he understands and he can be accountable of whatever he is uttering to the media and other concerned authorities.
Moreover the Department of Refugees, Ministry of Home Affairs have also accorded him positive treatment an indication that he can be a trustworthy person, under such circumstances we at The Express have no reasons to doubt or reject his story.
An official from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Refugees Department, who preferred anonymity because he is not the spokesperson in regard to refugees in Tanzania, said that the case of the above-mentioned is a well known case in his department.
He added that at his current stage the department of refugees has nothing to do with Fidele except to facilitate his living in this country until when it will be decided otherwise with either the minister for Home Affairs or the host country who decides to accommodate new refugees.
He further clarified that it was on human grounds that the mentioned person was still in this country, he was worried that continuing staying in Tanzania while there are many opportunities back home was wastage of time.
In regard to corruption scandals he said that even if he had such information he would not have divulged it to the media because the UNHCR enjoys a diplomatic status. He further ascertained that at his current status Fidele and his colleagues will have to wait until the relevant bodies like the International Organization for Migration (IOM) decides on their fate.
Attempts to get a response from the UNHCR offices in Dar es Salaam proved futile due to the fact that questions in regard to what has caused the reported trend of events to Fidele and his colleagues did not bring immediate responses.
The letter to the UNHCR that was received on July 29, 2011 was never responded to up to the time that we were going to the print. On Tuesday this week this reported revisited the UNHCR at its Masaki offices just to be answered by the deputy spokesperson one Ms Juliana Bwire that the letter was still with the Protection Unit at the agency.
However she said that her offices work on conditions of confidentiality and there was no guarantee whatsoever that it will disclose the reasons for their actions to applicants of resettlement
Human Rights Defenders in Tanzania: an update of challenges and opportunities
October 18, 2011
By Elias Mhegera,
Board Member Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-TAN)
Before discussing the challenges and opportunities that human rights defenders are facing in Tanzania we must understand first our working environment.
We are in a hegemonic system whereby there is an enormous concentration of power to the centre; namely the power elites. These are determinants of so many affairs in this country; politics has become the central theme of human lives.
Politics is a tool for ascendancy and accumulation of wealth which is entirely within the hands of the minority at the expense of the majority poor
A big number of business executives are involved in politics directly of indirectly and vice versa, meaning that a big number of political heavy weights are as well involved in big businesses.
In a situation where these two elements are closely intertwined then we can deservingly claim that what we have is the business of politics whereby profit rather that service, is the ultimate goal.
It happens that a big number of the violators of human rights are either business executives or politicians. For instance land grabbing is a serious problem which to a large extent involves these two groups.
Thus human rights defenders being activists who are always in the full alert, tends to be misconstrued as agents of some opposition parties. For that matter the power oligarchy always counts the human rights activists as a political force aiming to remove the ruling party from its long term power clout.
It therefore follows that several times the HRDs in Tanzania gets the same treatment that politicians belonging to the opposition parties are accustomed to. So under such circumstances even the citizenry at large might perceive them as trouble makers.
The element of coercion and threats still persist as it vividly happened last year during the General Election when the Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA) and an independent news paper were threatened of being deregistered and banned subsequently.
Law enforces are not yet empowered to know the difference between active politics and activism, to them activism is just an extrapolation of the opposition parties albeit hidden in the form of activism.
So in summary the main challenges are as follows;
• Perceptions of the power elite, and of the ordinary citizenry.
• Scarcity of resources, both human and material.
• Lack of trust from people who can influence positive changes in our communities.
• Lack of awareness of even of what are human rights, or which kind of rights human beings are entitled to.
• Stubbornness and unwillingness of some functionaries to accept changes.
On the side of opportunities there are also reasons for jubilation, this is because of recent human rights activists have been imposing a significant impact in the working of the Government and even reaction from the civil society, academia and religious leaders.
The summary of these opportunities are as follows;
• Tanzania is undergoing tremendous social transformations.
• This coalition in the making is just a witness to this zeal whereby the CSOs, media, and other stakeholders converge to discuss pertinent issues in the human rights regime and the protection of the HRDs.
• It is also imperative here to say that where we are heading the journey will be supportive since we have realized the importance of maximum cooperation amongst ourselves.
• Recent examples are the reaction by President Jakaya Kikwete to send back to a leave Mr David Jairo the permanent secretary Ministry of Energy and Minerals after he was allegedly implicated in bribing some top officials in his ministry. The president’s reaction stems from the fact that he new that this saga has many followers and interested parties.
• The formation of a Coalition is indeed an opportunity for the HRDs to air their views in a single voice.
By Elias Mhegera,
Board Member Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-TAN)
Before discussing the challenges and opportunities that human rights defenders are facing in Tanzania we must understand first our working environment.
We are in a hegemonic system whereby there is an enormous concentration of power to the centre; namely the power elites. These are determinants of so many affairs in this country; politics has become the central theme of human lives.
Politics is a tool for ascendancy and accumulation of wealth which is entirely within the hands of the minority at the expense of the majority poor
A big number of business executives are involved in politics directly of indirectly and vice versa, meaning that a big number of political heavy weights are as well involved in big businesses.
In a situation where these two elements are closely intertwined then we can deservingly claim that what we have is the business of politics whereby profit rather that service, is the ultimate goal.
It happens that a big number of the violators of human rights are either business executives or politicians. For instance land grabbing is a serious problem which to a large extent involves these two groups.
Thus human rights defenders being activists who are always in the full alert, tends to be misconstrued as agents of some opposition parties. For that matter the power oligarchy always counts the human rights activists as a political force aiming to remove the ruling party from its long term power clout.
It therefore follows that several times the HRDs in Tanzania gets the same treatment that politicians belonging to the opposition parties are accustomed to. So under such circumstances even the citizenry at large might perceive them as trouble makers.
The element of coercion and threats still persist as it vividly happened last year during the General Election when the Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA) and an independent news paper were threatened of being deregistered and banned subsequently.
Law enforces are not yet empowered to know the difference between active politics and activism, to them activism is just an extrapolation of the opposition parties albeit hidden in the form of activism.
So in summary the main challenges are as follows;
• Perceptions of the power elite, and of the ordinary citizenry.
• Scarcity of resources, both human and material.
• Lack of trust from people who can influence positive changes in our communities.
• Lack of awareness of even of what are human rights, or which kind of rights human beings are entitled to.
• Stubbornness and unwillingness of some functionaries to accept changes.
On the side of opportunities there are also reasons for jubilation, this is because of recent human rights activists have been imposing a significant impact in the working of the Government and even reaction from the civil society, academia and religious leaders.
The summary of these opportunities are as follows;
• Tanzania is undergoing tremendous social transformations.
• This coalition in the making is just a witness to this zeal whereby the CSOs, media, and other stakeholders converge to discuss pertinent issues in the human rights regime and the protection of the HRDs.
• It is also imperative here to say that where we are heading the journey will be supportive since we have realized the importance of maximum cooperation amongst ourselves.
• Recent examples are the reaction by President Jakaya Kikwete to send back to a leave Mr David Jairo the permanent secretary Ministry of Energy and Minerals after he was allegedly implicated in bribing some top officials in his ministry. The president’s reaction stems from the fact that he new that this saga has many followers and interested parties.
• The formation of a Coalition is indeed an opportunity for the HRDs to air their views in a single voice.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Educationists in Tanzania say English is a medium of destruction in schools
November 3, 2011
By Elias Mhegera
ONCE again educationists in Tanzania have advised the Government to adopt Kiswahili as the medium of instruction in schools in order to improve the teaching-learning process.
Speaking at the British Council during the Policy Forum Breakfast on Friday last week was Richard Mabala, himself a former teacher and assistant lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam who said that this country is denying pupils and students the right to know by imposing English as the medium of instruction in schools.
Mabala is currently the executive director of an NGO which seeks for a participatory development approach based in Arusha, the Taasisi ya Maendeleo Shirikishi Arusha (TAMASHA), the topic of discussion was Contested Development: Social and Other Services Through the Eyes of Young People.
In his presentation titled: Youth for Change: Perspective on Education, Participation and Social Services, Mabala said that there are many things which can reduce the dissemination of knowledge to pupils and students. He mentioned those as scarcity of teachers, books, and desks these were quite enough to be mentioned as severe problems but added to those there are many other elements.
“I do thank that HakiElimu have been mentioning such problems in many of their researches and promos but indeed they contribute to the dismal performance in education in this country I see English as a medium of destruction and not instruction in Tanzania,” he said.
He was referring to an NGO which is dealing with equity and improved management in the education sector. He said that in many instances the youths lack a place in the community where they can inject their positive contributions through ideas and active performance.
“The health of young people is seriously affected by the environment in which they live; they are pushed in (commuter buses) ‘daladalas’ sexual harassments and domestic violence, all these have an ultimate effect in the lives of the youths.
Mabala suggested that in order to improve the dissemination of education the Government must look at the health of young people in a broader context; the efforts should start at homes, streets, and then schools and other working environment.
“A school must be defined in a technical aspect an not political one,” warned Mabala adding that of recent schools have been turned to elements of political boasts rather than maintaining the cognitive elements of what constitute of a school.
“The best way to improve education in Tanzania is through maintaining school standards, without maintaining these standards these are only buildings called schools, not schools. Kiswahili must be the medium of instruction, hardship allowances must be provided to teachers, use of computers must be encouraged, the youths must be involved as peer educators, and there must be youth centres to provide alternative education,” he concluded.
Supporting this stance was professor emeritus in education Prof. Justinian Galabawa one of the presenters who said that to a large extent the education model in Tanzania is elitist and Eurocentric. He charged that the fast developing nations of the world have been using their lingua franca and not foreign languages, he cited Japan, and Malaysia as examples to elucidate his stance.
The long term educator said that health and education are the major social capital of any country yet in Tanzania enough is not done to these sectors. For instance he was worried that poor management and overgeneralizations have led to destruction of some areas in Tanzania.
“When the colonialists termed some areas as Maasailand or Sukumaland it is because they knew that these areas have some unique qualities to be taken into consideration. For that matter education that is provided to the Maasai youths has contributed for their migration to the urban centres while they could have been maintained in their own location.
He reminded that in 1979 the Makweta Commission which was named after its chairman then minister for Education, Jackson Makweta came up with recommendations that Kiswahili should be used as the medium of instruction but the Government did not adhere to this technical advice.
As if the wave of Kiswahili supporters had no opponents the discussant in the occasion Ms Helima Mengele, coordinator of TENMET, said that the biggest part of the problems in the provision of education in Tanzania is the decentralization which does not guarantee proper monitoring in the utility of resources.
She was another supporter for the use of Kiswahili as the medium of instruction in Tanzanian schools. She advised that provision of essential services like education and health should be guided by well formulated policies and researches rather than their politicization.
“In a country which over 60 percent of its budget is obtained from development partners there is a need to have a closer monitoring of expenditures up to the village level, since there have been a lot of complaints in the local Government in the misuse of donor funds,” she said.
Contributing to the debate was Emmanuel Kamwi from Zambia who supported the use of Kiswahili by saying that even in Zambia there are efforts to transform the curriculum so that students will learn in their vernacular language after having detected that using English as a medium of instruction has created its own problems.
To close the debate was Humphrey Polepole who is the CEO of the Polepole Innovations (PI), who said that any learner centred approach teaching in Tanzania, will consider Kiswahili first before embarking to other languages due to its applicability in all spheres of life in this country.
By Elias Mhegera
ONCE again educationists in Tanzania have advised the Government to adopt Kiswahili as the medium of instruction in schools in order to improve the teaching-learning process.
Speaking at the British Council during the Policy Forum Breakfast on Friday last week was Richard Mabala, himself a former teacher and assistant lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam who said that this country is denying pupils and students the right to know by imposing English as the medium of instruction in schools.
Mabala is currently the executive director of an NGO which seeks for a participatory development approach based in Arusha, the Taasisi ya Maendeleo Shirikishi Arusha (TAMASHA), the topic of discussion was Contested Development: Social and Other Services Through the Eyes of Young People.
In his presentation titled: Youth for Change: Perspective on Education, Participation and Social Services, Mabala said that there are many things which can reduce the dissemination of knowledge to pupils and students. He mentioned those as scarcity of teachers, books, and desks these were quite enough to be mentioned as severe problems but added to those there are many other elements.
“I do thank that HakiElimu have been mentioning such problems in many of their researches and promos but indeed they contribute to the dismal performance in education in this country I see English as a medium of destruction and not instruction in Tanzania,” he said.
He was referring to an NGO which is dealing with equity and improved management in the education sector. He said that in many instances the youths lack a place in the community where they can inject their positive contributions through ideas and active performance.
“The health of young people is seriously affected by the environment in which they live; they are pushed in (commuter buses) ‘daladalas’ sexual harassments and domestic violence, all these have an ultimate effect in the lives of the youths.
Mabala suggested that in order to improve the dissemination of education the Government must look at the health of young people in a broader context; the efforts should start at homes, streets, and then schools and other working environment.
“A school must be defined in a technical aspect an not political one,” warned Mabala adding that of recent schools have been turned to elements of political boasts rather than maintaining the cognitive elements of what constitute of a school.
“The best way to improve education in Tanzania is through maintaining school standards, without maintaining these standards these are only buildings called schools, not schools. Kiswahili must be the medium of instruction, hardship allowances must be provided to teachers, use of computers must be encouraged, the youths must be involved as peer educators, and there must be youth centres to provide alternative education,” he concluded.
Supporting this stance was professor emeritus in education Prof. Justinian Galabawa one of the presenters who said that to a large extent the education model in Tanzania is elitist and Eurocentric. He charged that the fast developing nations of the world have been using their lingua franca and not foreign languages, he cited Japan, and Malaysia as examples to elucidate his stance.
The long term educator said that health and education are the major social capital of any country yet in Tanzania enough is not done to these sectors. For instance he was worried that poor management and overgeneralizations have led to destruction of some areas in Tanzania.
“When the colonialists termed some areas as Maasailand or Sukumaland it is because they knew that these areas have some unique qualities to be taken into consideration. For that matter education that is provided to the Maasai youths has contributed for their migration to the urban centres while they could have been maintained in their own location.
He reminded that in 1979 the Makweta Commission which was named after its chairman then minister for Education, Jackson Makweta came up with recommendations that Kiswahili should be used as the medium of instruction but the Government did not adhere to this technical advice.
As if the wave of Kiswahili supporters had no opponents the discussant in the occasion Ms Helima Mengele, coordinator of TENMET, said that the biggest part of the problems in the provision of education in Tanzania is the decentralization which does not guarantee proper monitoring in the utility of resources.
She was another supporter for the use of Kiswahili as the medium of instruction in Tanzanian schools. She advised that provision of essential services like education and health should be guided by well formulated policies and researches rather than their politicization.
“In a country which over 60 percent of its budget is obtained from development partners there is a need to have a closer monitoring of expenditures up to the village level, since there have been a lot of complaints in the local Government in the misuse of donor funds,” she said.
Contributing to the debate was Emmanuel Kamwi from Zambia who supported the use of Kiswahili by saying that even in Zambia there are efforts to transform the curriculum so that students will learn in their vernacular language after having detected that using English as a medium of instruction has created its own problems.
To close the debate was Humphrey Polepole who is the CEO of the Polepole Innovations (PI), who said that any learner centred approach teaching in Tanzania, will consider Kiswahili first before embarking to other languages due to its applicability in all spheres of life in this country.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)