Dar es Salaam. The mass failure in last year’s national Form Four exams has been blamed on four problem areas–a shortage of teachers, inadequate books and classrooms, meagre budget and the location of schools far away from residential areas.
Six of every 10 students who sat the contentious exams failed, sending the country into a frenzy of soul-searching.
Prof Sifuni Mchome, chairman of the committee appointed by Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda to investigate poor results in the exam, told reporters yesterday that the entire exam process was also clouded by a shortage of invigilators and weaknesses in supervision.
“These reasons were cited by the majority of citizens we spoke with in the city,” he added, “and they include opinions from both private and public schools since they all require adequate teachers and other support materials.”
A total of 397,126 students sat the 2012 National Form Four exams and 240,903 of them failed. Only 23,520 students scored divisions one, two and three--which is equivalent to 5.92 per cent of those who sat the exams.
Some 53.37 per cent of the students scored Division Zero, a sharp rise from 31.94 per cent in 2011.
The committee has so far met with the Tanzania Association of Managers and Owners of the Non-Government Schools and Colleges (Tamongsco) and visited some schools in the city.
“We also had preliminary discussions with the National Examinations Council of Tanzania and the Tanzania Education Authority, during which we demanded materials from them to help us in our investigations,” Prof Mchome added.
The commission has requested the syllabus, curriculum and details of books in use from the Education Materials Approval Committee in the Ministry of Education and Vocation Training. “We want to be sure about the source of the problem,” he added. “That’s why we are trying to involve every education stakeholder.”
He and his team will also hold discussions with a broad cross-section of education officers.
The commission has received about 300 phone messages trying to nail down the problem and 200 guests have visited the commission’s website.
Prof Mchome is urging the public to continue calling, sending messages and visiting the commission’s website. “Please get involved as this is the only way of securing sustainable solutions to our education problems,” noted the chairman, who is also urging the public to turn out en masse to meet the commission members when they visit venues near them.
The commission has requested parliament to give it a copy of Parliament’s Hansard report that lists ideas from Nominated MP James Mbatia. “Although he turned down an invitation to join us,” Prof Mchome said, “we can access his ideas through the Hansard as he earlier spoke wisely about this problem.”
The challenges highlighted can only be solved, the chairman said, if the entire nation unites and works at strengthening the education framework.
“This should go hand in hand with checking ourselves, our ethics, contributions to the sector as workers, students or institutions–whether government or privately owned,” Prof Mchome added.
The Form Four examinations results released mid-February indicate that about 62 per cent of the candidates failed the examinations held in October last year.
http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/component/content/article/37-tanzania-top-news-story/29823-excuses-excuses-pinda-team-blames-appalling-form-4-results-on-dearth-of-teachers-scant-budget-.html
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