DOCUMENT SECTION TANGANYIKA AFRICAN NATIONAL UNION PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL EXECU TIVE COMMITTEE MEETING HELD AT MUSOMA IN NOVEMBER, 1974 DIREC TIVE ON THE IMPL EMENTA TION OF "EDUCATION FOR N SEL F- RELIANCE The educational systems in different kinds of societies in the world have been, and are, very different in organisation and in content. They are different because the societies providing the education are different, and because education, whether it be formal or informal, has a purpose. - Education for Self-Reliance. IN TROnU c nON: 1. Education means training, knowledge, skills or wisdom; and by "educating a person" we mean teaching or guiding him in obtaining know- ledge or skill s, hence education is something which has got a parti- cular purpose, and this purpose, as stated in TANU's booklet entitled Education for Self- Reliance is: to transmit from one generation to the next the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of the society, and to prepare the young people for their future membership of the society and their active particiption in its maintenance or development. But such a purpose is so general that it could be uttered by any country whatsoever. Therefore, for its implementation to be successful, particularly in a developing country such as ours, it is necessary to analyse this purpose much further so that emphasis may be placed where it is most appropriate. 2. In other words we can state that the main ?urpose of education is to enable man to liberate himself. By this we mean enabling him to get rid of any such obstacles as may deprive him of his complete freedom to control his environment. 3. Two such obstacles which man needs to struggle against are his ENVIRONMENT and OPPRESSION. Hence, the type of education which is 133 suitable for a country such as ours is that which enables a person who acquires it to struggle against his environment in order to eradicate poverty, ignorance and disease, and enables him to work in collaborat- ion with others using his or other people's knowdge or any other resources available such as land or water. Likewise, education ought to enable whoever acquires it to fight against oppression, and the only way of rtunate habit of giving more esteem to someone who has high education. Up to now, for instance, for most of us any pupil who does not obtain a place in a secondary school is considered as having ;'failed", instead of acknowledging that he has successfully completed one level of education, namely primary education. And it is obvious that such thinking will remain in people's minds until we agree to change our system of employment whereby salary scales depend on a person's educational qualifications. This is one major error which we have allowed to remain uncorrected without asking ourselves why. In our employment policies, performance in the classroom has been the only yardstick. For instance, in the government and parastatals, employees' salaries are graded according to the type of certificates they possess, that is whether a person has a Form IV Certificate, a Form VI Certificate or a degree. Likewise, the University chooses her undergraduates only on the basis of their performance in the National Form VI examination. Therefore in both these cases, whether it be for purposes of employ- ment in government or for entry to the University, we have continued to judge a young man's ability only by looking at the examinations he passed. We do not bother to enquire about his commitment, general behaviour or any other such quality. 15. That being the situation in which we are, what steps can we take at the moment? In other words, what new and revolutionary methods 136 should we adopt which will enable us to achieve this fundamental objective of education for self-reliance in our country. EXPANSION OF PRIMARY EDUCATlON: 16. The 16th NationalConference of the Party held in September, 1973 expressed concern at the large number of vacant places in primary schools at that time. The Conference noted that only 48.6% of all children of school age were attending school although 55% 0f them could in fact have been enrolled if all the vacant places had. been filled. It is obvious that the situation is totally different at the moment, since the masses in the whole country have responded so well to the Party's call to live in planned villages. Consquently upon the coming together of people in planned villages, the need for school places has increaed spectacularly, every parent with a child of school age wants his child to obtain a place at the village school. Hence it is going to be extremely difficult, and indeed there will be no justification whatsoever for only a few of the children in the village to be given places while the rest are left out. Hence the National Executive Committee is duty bound to give appropriate guidance to the government on how to handle this problem. 17. Accordingly, it is hereby resolved that within a period of three years from now, that is, by November 1977, arrangE'ments must be completed which will enable every child of school age to obtain a place in a primary school. 18. It is understood, of course, that the implementation of this directi ve is not going to be an easy task. 1t requires very careful thinking and planning, and devising new teaching techniques, but Similarly it is not an undertaking that necessarily requires a lot of funds. It is something which can be implemented without involving large expenditures of money, if certain changes are made in our existing system and practice. 19. In the existing system primary school teachers are those who have completed Form IV and have had a further two years of teacher-training, (these are known as Grade A teachers), or those who completed primary education plus three years' teacher-training (these are called Grade C teachers). Within the existing system, if one was to ask what can be done to increase the number of teacher s so that more children in our villages can go to school, the reply will be that the 137 only way out is to increase the number of teacher-training colleges, so that more teachers can be trained. Such increase can only be brought about either by expanding the existing colleges or building new ones. Similarly if you ask how we can increase the number of places in our primary schools, you will be told that the only way is to increase the number of classrooms, either by building new schools or expanding the existing ones. And it is not only educational administrators who think that way, even the parents, and the people in general see this problem in this manner. Obviously, such solutions would require the use of very large sums of money. 20. But surely there must be alternative ways which would achieve similar results without necessarily involving the use of enormous funds. One way of increasing the number of pupils without building new class-rooms is to use the existing classrooms in turns: some pupils .attend classes in the morning and others in the afternoon. lt is understood that even if you managed to do that, you still would need to increase the number of teachers so that they can also teach in turns. One way of increasing the number of teachers without necessarily increasing the number of teacher-training colleges is to use some of the students in the higher classes, particularly Secondary School students to teach pupils who are in lower classes. Such an approach is not new in the education field, for it was actually tried in this country several years ago and it is in fact being practised today in some other countries, such as Cuba. 21. I t is clear that the tremendous successes which have been achieved in our adult education programmes have been brought about by the use of revolutionary techniques in the implementation of those programmes. Therefore, in order to attain our declared objective of Universal Primary Education as quickly as possible, an objective which has now become an urgent necessity because all the children are living together in planned villages, we must change the existing procedures and practices in our primary education system. EXPANSION OF SECONDARY EDUCATION: 22. In the National Development Plan which ended in June this year, the policy guidelines regarding higher education (be it secondary technical or university education) was that it should be offered only for the purpose of satisfying the demands for high level manpower needs for our development. Hence admission to secondary schools was pro- grammed in such a way that admission was offered only to that number 138 required to satisfy the manpower projections for secondary school graduates. In fact, Forms V and VI were introduced in our secondary schools for the sole purpose of preparing students for university entrance. 23. In our present situation, we need to re- examine this premise. Last year, 1973, for instance, a total of 106,000 pupils successfully completed primary education. Of these, only 18,SOO or 8% were selected for entry to secondary schools. Estimates for this year, 1974, show that only 6% will be able to obtain places in Form One. That being the real situation obtaining at the moment, it behoves the National Executive Committee to consider very seriously the need to expand secondary education so as to enable more pupils who complete primary education to obtain places in Form One and continue with secondary education. 24. The problems which arise immediately concerning the prere- quisites for implementing such a decision are similar to those already discussed in connection with the expansion of primary education, namely more teachers and more classrooms. But the solution is also the same as that proposed for primary education. We have to make use of students in the higher forms to teach those who are in the lower forms. THE NEED FOR SPECIALlSED TECHNICAL EDUCATION: 25. The 16th National Conference of the Party held in September 1973 directed that: "In order to accelerate our economic development •.• there is a need of continually modifying our education system in order to place greater emphasis on scientific and technical education". 26. The National Executive Committee is happy to note the preparat- ions already undertaken by the Government in the implementation of this directi ve, namely the introduction of a two year cOUrse in technical education for those standard seven leavers who do not obtain places in secondary schools or other training institutions. The Committee notes that the course contents will include training in technical skills, agriculture, animal husbandry, home economics and accountancy. 27. The National Executive Committee also notes that plans are a.lready in hand for enabli ng each secondary school to speciali se in 139 one or mOre of the following subjects: technical education, agricul ture, commerce and home economics. 28. The Executive Committee appl'oves of these plans and directs that they should be implemented without delay. Technical Education not only better prepares our young men and women to be self-reliant and more useful to the nation after they have completed their studies, but it can also enable our schools to earn an income which will partly satisfy their own needs, instead of relying entirely on the Government to provide for all these needs. ENTRY TO THE UNIVERSITY: 29. Under the present system, the selection of candidates for admission to the University is based entirely on the candidate's per- formance in the Form VI examination. Once the Form VI examination results become known, the candidates are arranged by computer in order of merit, according to the examination results, and the selection is made on that basis alone. 30. In the 1967 policy statement of education for self-reliance, it was categorically stated that secondary education should cease to be regarded as a pipeline to the higher levels of education, including University education. Instead, secondary education should be self-sufficient in equiping its graduates with the necessary tools for actual productive work which will contribute to national development. But it appears that we were not successful in making this objective clearly understood, and so it has not been implemented. On the contrary, at the time of writing the Second Five Year Development Plan in 1969'(that is a whole two years after adopting the policy of education for self-reliance) we were still saying that Forms V and VI in our secondary schools "exist largely to prepare individuals for University entrance", and that therefore those who do not go to the University after Form VI "represent a waste of educational investment!" 31. The National Executive Committee considers that the time is now ripe for changing this system, which is completely inappropriate and u::J.satisfactory in OUr circumstances. 32. The system must be changed so that the formal school education will aid at the secondary level (for those students who reach that level). Thereafter, all students will either go into direct employment or training for employment. 140 33. Such a system is the most relevant in our circumstances. University education is actually adult education. But the way things are at the moment, even though there is a scheme for admitting mature-age students, it remains a small scheme intended to help just a few adult persons a year, and probably the university would not regret if the scheme was discontinued. Therefore, even the university itself considers that its prime duty is to train youths who come straight from the sixth form of the secondary school. Even from the students' point of view, Form VI is not seen as a terminal point but merely as a transit stop on the way to the university. Hence, most Form VI graduates regard themselves as not being ready yet to sign up for permanent employment. Similarly on the part of employers, that is the government and the parastatals, they too regard these youths as not being available for employment yet (except perhaps on a temporary basis), since it is generally assumed that they have not yet completed their studies, that they still have to go to the university. 34. Therefore, there is first of all a need to revolutionalise our own attitudes in this regard. We have to liberate ourselves mentally. The attitude we should adopt is that once a Tanzanian student completes the final class in his secondary school, he has completed his formal school educati on, in other words, he has reached a terminal point, and he is therefore ready to start work in order to serve the nation which enabled him to attain that level. This ought to be the understanding of all students, parents as well as employers. 35. But this does not mean that the University will cease to exist, or that university education will no longer be provided; not at all. University education will continue to be given, but on a different basis. When students complete their secondary school education, they Will start working on a permanent basis. In the course of their work their behaviour, attitudes and commitment will be recorded and assessed annually by their heads of divisions, as is normal practice for all employees. Subsequently, some of them will probably apply for admission to the University. Where that happens, selection will be made on the basis not only of the applicant's performance in the Form VI examinations, but will also depend on the availability of positive reports and recommendations from the employer regarding the candidate's character and work discipline, as well as reports on him from the relevant Party Organs regarding political consciousness and commitment to National policies. 141 36. This means that selection for university entrance will no longer depend merely on the candidate's ability to read and memorise what he has been taught, but other factors will also be considered such as his good character, attitudes, industriousness etc. Hence, the passing of examinations alone will not gurantee a place at the university. In order to qualify for admission, a person will now need a combinat- ion of intellectual ability and proved commitment to serve the people. 37. It is understood that certain problems will arise in the imple- mentation of this scheme. For instance, in the first few years when students will not be joining the university directly after Form VI, there may be a shortage of students needed to fill the places available at the university, and this will mean that the government's present high-level manpower plan will be disturbed. Also, under the present arrangements, when a public servant obtains a place at the university, he continues to be paid his full salary for the whole period which he spends at the University. If that arrangement continues the cost of educating students at the university will be exorbitant, since in addition to meeting cost of a student's board and lodging, the government will also have to pay his full salary for all the years he will be at the university. All these problems are known, but they are a result of past decisions. They can be easily solved by appropriate new decisions. 38. Furthermore, the problem of not having enough candidates to fill university places will not be too serious because as a result of the Party's efforts to get people into the habit of learning more and more, the number of adults who undertake private studies right up to the level of qualifications required for entry to the university has increased in recent years. WORK TO BE PART OF EDUCATION IN ALL EDUCATIONAL INS TI TUTIONS: 39. Earlier on we reminded ourselves of the decision we made in 1967, whose aim wa s to ensure that in all our schools, work becomes part and parcel of the students' learning activities. This again is neither strange nor new in education systems, for there are countries today which are sucessfully operating that kind of system, such as Cuba. In Cuba, a student's daily timetable includes three hours of manual work and a worker's timetable includes three hour s of study. 142 In other words, work is an integral part of learning activities and study is part of work. 40. This is the most appropriate system for a country such as ours. We took a few steps in this direction when we issued instruct- ions that adult literacy classes should be conducted during normal working hours, and that they should be considered as part of normal work schedule. It is obvious that there are sound reasons for extending this arrangement to our schools and other institutions of learning so that work becomes part of their normal routine. As a nation, we have no excuse whatsoever for failing to give a chance to the thousands of our able-bodied young men and women to participate fully in the production process, particularly those who are in secondary schools and other institutions of higher learning. We have not given them an opportunity to combine theory with practice, and in so doing we have made our students believe that they have a right not to work. 41. Combining education with work is one of the important stra- tegies of hastening our country's development. But because of the persistent wrong atti1udes that a student has no obligation to work until he completes his studies, that is when he "starts" work, it often happens that even during school holidays our youths do not see the need of working, except perhaps for the purpose of obtaini ng some pocket money to be used when the students go back to school: and at the moment it appears that this attitude has permitted the whole nation - the Party, the Government, the Parents - all of whom appear to feel that this is as it should be, and so it continues to be. 42. The National Executive Committee now directs that our educational system should be restructured in such a way that everyone attending courses will have to do some work as part of his training. The Committee urges the government to formulate concrete plans for the implementation of this directive as soon as possible. We have often declared that we will get rid of our poverty through our own efforts, that means each one of us, and we surely cannot say that students are excluded from contributing to the national effort in the struggle to eliminate this poverty. 43. But this question of making work be an integral part of education has a more fundamental purpose than that of producing for the purpose of meeting part of the cost of running a school or any 143 other institution concerned. We have already stated that the basic aim of our education is the development of socialist attitudes. A socialist is a worker. Therefore, by introducing work in schools we are building socialist habits among the students. A student who refuses to sweep his room, for example, or wash his plate after a meal, puts himself in a class of masters, the class of people who live on the work of others, which is incompatible with socialism. Hence when we say that work should become part of education, we are talking about creating the socialist habit of want- ing to work. THE QUES nON OF EXAMlNA nONS: 44. That issue of combining education with work naturally leads to the closely related issue of examinations. 45. In the field of education, examinations were designed in order to measure the student's level of understanding of the subjects which he was taught. Examinations are also used a,; a tool for selecting a few out of many, whenever the need arises, so that only those with a higher level of understanding are chosen. Since what is measured is the knowledge of the subjects taught, normally examinations are set according to the content of what was taught in the classroom. A student is required to answer given questions in a specified period of time on a chosen day. In such a situation the student is, as it were, ambushed. lf we are now saying that classroom instructions must be combined with work outside the classroom and the sum total is what should constitute the education that a student will get, there is an urgent need for bringing about changes in our examination system. 46. For instance, we have already referred to the decision made in 1967, that our primary education ought to be self-contained and complete in itself, meaning that it should fully prepare Our youths so that they can live usefully in our villages and towns once they complete standard seven. But then the examination which is being set at the moment for pupils completing primary education is a purely selection process for those who will enter into secondary schools. That examination is not set in order to find out whether the pupil has actually obtained the type of education which will enable him to be useful in his village or wherever else he will be. Therefore 'if we are really serious about attaining the objective of education for self- reliance, which we set for ourselves, we -must think of a new examination structure. 144 47. We have to get rid of the ambush 1J1,)e of examinations. At the moment we are placing too much emphasis on written examinations. The purpose of examinations should not be limited to measuring a student's progress. Examinati ons should also enable us to find out whether a student has secured the 1J1,)e of education which will enable him to be of use to his village, or in whichever place he will be living after completing his studies. The National Executive Committee agrees that a student's progress has to be measured, but the existing examination system encourages interpersonal competition, whereas students' progress can be measured without necessarily involving them in. acompetition for individual excellence. The National Executive Committee therefore directs that the excessive emphasis now placed on' written examinations must be reduced, and that the student's progress in the classrooms plus his performance of other functions and the work which he will do as part of his education, must all be continually assessed and the combined result is what should constitute his success or failure. Party Headquarter s, P.O. Box 9151, DAR ES SALAAM. nd 2 November, 1974. 145