Govt’s option to address acute shortage of educators  

The teachers’ volunteering guideline manual that came out last week describes the modality of how volunteering teachers shall be obtained, their job description and payment arrangements.

The manual is not confined to addressing shortage of teachers in secondary schools but also in pre-primary and primary schools and in Folk Development Colleges (FDCs) at large.

The guideline came out when current data by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology show that as of March 2022, there were 14,853,242 learners in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools and in FDCs.

The data further show that of the total number, there were 2,530,651registered pupils in secondary schools, a total of 1,433,779 pupils in pre-primary schools, 10,873,782 in primary schools and 15,030 students in FDCs.

However, in the same schools and FDCs, there were only 270,614 teachers. Of these teachers, 89,500 are in secondary schools, 10,134 in pre-primary schools, 170,730 in primary schools and 250 in FDCs.

This is the case although the National Education Policy 2014 on teacher-student ratio requires 1:25 in pre-primary schools, 1:45 in primary schools, 1:45 in secondary schools and 1:20 in FDCs.

The guideline manual is designed with the intention of ensuring that the stipulated teacher-student ratio is realized by the end of 2025 as per the National Development Vision 2025.

Data also show that the total requirement of teachers in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools and in FDCs stands at 538,060 while the current availability teachers are 270,614.

That is to say, the total teacher shortage stands at 267,446 which is equivalent with 49.7 percent. The shortage of teachers’ bites as data shows that student’s enrollment has been exceeding targets since 2020.

For instance, pre-primary school enrollment topped 103.52 percent in 2022 compared to 86.07 percent in 2020. In primary schools, enrollment increased to 108 percent in 2021 compared to 97.49 percent in 2020. In secondary schools, enrollment topped 88.60 percent in 2021 compared to 87.69 percent in 2020.

Margaret Musai, Assistant Director of Education in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said when more classrooms were built in 2016 and 2017 following the introduction of the fee-free education policy, the number of pupils increased gradually as years passed by.

“The initiative was a success and now we have encountered shortage of teachers,” she said.

“Towards bridging the gap on teacher shortage, the government has decided to engage graduates who are willing to volunteer to teach in our schools,” reads part of the guideline manual.

Angellah Kairuki, Minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government) in April this year announced new 13,130 teaching posts in primary schools for graduates to apply.

Prof Adolf Mkenda, Minister for Education, Science and Technology defended the move, saying that the engagement of volunteer teachers is inevitable due to the current deficit that according to him, might take years to fix.

“Due to the noticeable contribution of volunteer teachers in the country’s education system, the ministry decided to develop a guidelines manual that will facilitate the process of obtaining them and monitoring of their daily duties,” he said.

Data further show that as of July 2022, there were 17,237 volunteer teachers of which 10,373 were in primary schools, 6,542 in secondary schools and 322 in FDCs.

According to the guidelines, the employer of the volunteer teachers will be primary school committees and secondary school boards who will negotiate monthly allowances for volunteers.

Recruitment adverts will be plotted on district commissioners offices, village and ward offices for the willing teachers to apply. The adverts will also be available at FDCs across the country.

Applications shall be filed and addressed to the district executive directors. Every selected volunteer shall sign three copies of contract to be submitted to the district executive director, the headmaster and the volunteer teacher shall keep copy.

Teachers will work in their respective areas of residence to avoid relocation costs. Financial resources will be mobilized from districts or council revenue sources, education stakeholders and parents.There will be routine capacity building workshops from mentor teachers with reasonable experience in teaching.

Richard Mabala, education commentator and HakiElimu Board Chairperson said that a lot of research has been done so far proposing different approaches towards improving the quality of education and it is time to align them with policy development and amendments.

Debating estimates of the 2023/24 budget for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in the National Assembly last month before it was approved, members of parliament expressed unhappiness with the shortage of teachers in both primary and secondary schools.

Their concern was built on the argument that despite the steady increase in the education budget in the past three consecutive financial years, education quality keeps on deteriorating.

The next financial year's education budget has increased by 18 percent to 1.67trn/- from the 1.50trn/- allocated in the just ending 2022/23 budget. Legislators demanded that the government comes up with an urgent action plan to address the crisis.

Husna Sekiboko, Special Seats legislator said the acute shortage of teachers in public schools impedes effectiveness of teaching and learning.

“The shortage of teachers in primary and secondary schools causes mass failure of students in national exams,” she said.

Neema Lugangira, Special Seats MP was of the view that improving provision of education should go abreast with school feeding especially in pre-primary and primary schools. She argued that spending a whole day without food affects children’s learning ability.

“Members of Parliament contribute to the problem of perennial mass failure by not instituting legislation on school feeding,” she said.

Education is one of the fundamental duties of the government to be delivered to people as a basic right as stipulated in the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania of 1977.

Article 11(3) of the mother law states that: “The government shall make efforts to ensure that all persons are afforded equal and sufficient opportunity to pursue education and vocational training in all levels of schools and other institutions of learning.”

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) there is a worldwide deficit of 69 million teachers as of this year.

The shortage of teachers is most acute in Africa and Southern Asia, where enrollment numbers are soaring as a result of demographic change and the efforts to promote greater equality which means that more girls and women are pursuing education.

In addressing the challenge the UN agency is leading the Secretariat of the International Teacher Task Force for Education 2030 (TTF). Created in 2008 as part of the Oslo Declaration, the TTF is a global independent alliance of over 150 country members working to narrow the gap in terms of the quality of teachers and the quality of teaching practice.

On the other hand, the 2021 United Indian School (UIS) annual report states that the chronic shortage of trained teachers in Africa jeopardizes progress towards Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 on education.

“Before the Covid-19 pandemic, only 64 percent of African teachers were trained at the primary level and 58 percent at the lower secondary level,” reads the report in part.

“In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, less than three-quarters of pre-primary and half or upper secondary school teachers are trained.”