Only 16 pct aware of Big Results Now

By Correspondent David

  Govt to release first report in Sept

Twaweza

Only 16 percent of Tanzanians say they have heard about the programme called Big Results Now though the government plans to release the first annual report on its implementation this September.

According to research findings by Twaweza released in Dar es Salaam yesterday only one out of seven citizens have heard about the initiative.


The report titled ‘What’s Going on in our Schools; Citizens Reflect on the State of Education’ Bases on Data from Sauti za Wananchi’ shows that only one out of every 10 citizens think that most children who finish Standard Two are able to read and do maths at Standard Two level, while three out of 10 citizens think that the children should be able to perform at the right level.

The government’s Big Results Now (BRN) initiative prioritises education as a key sector.
In a national representative mobile phone survey that polls households across Mainland Tanzania, Twaweza, also found that citizens have no expectations that the education system will actually teach children the skills it is supposed to.

It shows that despite the low expectations from the educational system, parents still play their part in promoting learning for their children even at home.

Seven out of ten pupils report that their parents review their exercise books most of the time or always, the report shows.

At last 1,442 respondents (households) were involved in the research carried out between April and May this year.

The report further says that teachers have a role to play in ensuring that pupils learn in schools, but unfortunately they do not perform as most do not enter the classes as scheduled.

Only three out of 10 pupils confirmed that their teacher attended in class for the whole previous day but four of them (38 percent) said that their teacher never attended in class at all while the remaining three pupils (28 per cent) claimed that the teacher attended the class for part of the day.

Hinting on the conditions in primary schools, the report says that 99 per cent of pupils are taught in classrooms whereas 91 per cent sit on bench or desk in school. Only 49 per cent of pupils are reported to get meals at school, according to the findings.

“Although chairs and classrooms are unlikely to impact on learning levels, when children are hungry, they will be less able to take in new knowledge and skills,” reads part of the report.

It advises on homework as a way to help pupils to remember and review the day’s lessons and to practice what they have learned at school independently as seven out of 10 (equivalent to 69 of per cent) of pupils reported that they are rarely or never given homework.

Rakesh Rajani, head of Twaweza, said that the research found out that children are in school but are not learning. “This survey also found out that a shocking two-thirds of the teachers did not teach in class for all or part of the previous day. If we continue in this way, we will have a future of under-achievement. Although initiatives like BRN seek to improve the quality of education, it is not clear that we are prioritising the key issues of the day,” Rajani said.

He said that citizens should demand credible education policies, actions and interventions to improve learning outcomes as without those there is no assurance that value for money is obtained.

Commenting on the BRN initiative, the President’s Delivery Bureau Manager of Communication strategy and monitoring, Annastazia Rugaba said the report will show the success and failure of the prioritised areas.

“During the release of the report there will be a Presidential-Ministerial-Dialogue which will require all ministers from the ministries implementing the BRN initiative to submit their reports and defend them,” she said.

Rugaba noted that there are six priority ministries implementing the BRN initiative which will be due for assessment in the dialogue on September and which the President will decide how to motivate.

“During the launch of the BRN initiative last year all ministers were sworn in to implement the programme to the highest level of success. Therefore during the report release they have to tell him and the general public what they have achieved in the one year period,” she said.

She added that any performance whether good or bad will be awarded, therefore all sectors that were prioritised in the programme must do well so that they are awarded accordingly. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN