It has become the closest thing to global conventional wisdom: A nation’s economic prosperity is intimately tied to its stock of human capital and its human capital depends on the quality of its educational system. And so, in rich countries and poor, from the suburbs of the U.S. to the crowded Asian cities, to jungle clearings in South America to the deserts of Africa, schools have quietly become an extension of economic policy. Across the world, education reform is now seen as indispensable to economic success.
If we are serious about building a modern education system that will give Tanzania a backbone for the future, then we are going to have to show it – in the budget allocation – by seriously investing in education. Sincerely investing in the teaching profession, in the schools and ultimately in our children. This means going out of the way to pay teachers what they deserve but in return teachers need to become more accountable for their performance, district education officers need to step up and supervise, evaluate and monitor teachers. The regional and district education offices need to demonstrate greater ability to rid of ineffective teachers and administrators.
Our investment in education can not end with short to mid-term efforts in the primary and secondary system. For Tanzania to become a modern knowledge-based economy we need to….
• Increase government funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
• Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
• Favor schools where independent groups receive regional authorization and funding to establish new schools.
• Increase government funds for school construction and facility maintenance.
teweli's musings 