Opinion
Analysis
Reducing subjects not
justified
Last week the Minister for Education and Culture
announced the reduction in the number of subjects for Ordinary Level Education;
the subjects are down to eight with effect from January next year.
The eight subjects are geography, mathematics, civics, Swahili language,
physics, chemistry, biology and English language, leaving out subjects such as
bookkeeping/commerce, domestic subjects like cookery/needlework and other
languages such as French.
The move might be welcomed by those students who are fed up with many subjects
in the timetable, preferring to have few subjects when sitting for the
examinations. But they will definitely miss something very important and
subjects that are standard in other countries’ curriculum.
Take commerce/bookkeeping for example, students will now be forced to study
those subjects at higher level but without the foundation from lower levels. How
are these students going to cope if they want to pursue business studies at
higher learning institutions if they don’t know the ‘ABC’ of
commerce/bookkeeping?
Some of the Advanced Level subjects will also be disturbed; these include
Economy-Commerce-Accounts (ECA) which are the basic in a Bachelors of Commerce
at the University of Dar es Salaam.
And for those wishing to take art subjects they will be disappointed too as the
root subjects for an art combination won’t be there. History subject apart from
forming various combinations like History-Kiswahili-Literature (HKL),
History-Geography-Economy (HGE), History-Geography-Literature (HGL) and
History-Geography-Kiswahili (HGK) are important for understanding our past.
Students now have to be content with the little history they get from their
primary education system.
The Minister said the concerned teachers would not have to fear losing their
jobs as some would be relocated to libraries, others to technical departments.
But the loss is still there; teachers who love empowering students with
knowledge in the classrooms will now be confined to libraries, technical
workshops or writing academic books. Does it mean the Minister has overlooked
into all these loopholes before denouncing some of these subjects?
In an era of globalisation, we need to be prepared as President Benjamin Mkapa
said, educationally, economically and socially. Is that possible now?
A giant step so far
It looked like a sheer practical joke when Zanzibar government officials
approached the Convener of Rally Commission, Arif Ahmed asking him for the
permission to stage one of the National Rally Championships in Zanzibar at the
end of 2003.
But many have been proved wrong and Zanzibar has now joined six other regions
eligible to host National Rally Championships and has been selected as a venue
to host Tanzania’s first National Rally Championship of the year 2005.
This will not only help the Island’s sagging economy by attracting the rally
enthusiasts and everybody attracted, involved or interested in it, but will also
be a big boon for adventure tourism in the Isle. Despite the potential, this has
not been realized till now by the country and motor sport is surely one of the
major ways to attract investments. Many of the developing countries like India
have successfully tried this option – that of wooing investments by starting
motor sports, golf, scuba diving, rafting and other adventure sport.
The calendar released this week by Rally Commission of Tanzania shows the Isles
will stage their inaugural rally March 19 and 20, making a first ever rally in
the sports loving Isles.
This will help the Tanzanians, since the Isles historical background, natural
attractions and the sporting commitments of its residences, promise to make
Zanzibar one of the leading rally spots in the continent.
The Convener and his team mates, in October this year, placed a claim to
organize the 9th National Rally Championship under the organization of
Tanganyika Motor Sports Club (TMSC).
Zanzibar, since the golden era of Sultan Sayed Said and his later disciples,
Said Barghash and Sayed Majid, did better than what the Mainland and other East
African countries did to maintain the socio economical ties with the rest of the
world. It is from this living historical connection that we accept the move
since it is ideal for the Isles at this time when tourism has taken over cloves
planting as the major source of FOREX to the Isles.
But one has to be careful as well as motor sports need more than a commitment to
have it
Staged in accordance with the regulations and standard set by the World Motor
sports governing body (FIA). Sponsors need to back the competition and
volunteers are required in large numbers to do the spade work in planning and
financial management, which are vital parts to make the event successful.
The organizers should get their act together and start preparing from well in
advance. They have to remember that one successful show can put the Island back
to the world’s sports map and it is a golden opportunity to prove the commitment
to make things count. They need to cash on the opportunity, here and now.
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Cooperation key to Union’s growth
By Evarist Kagaruki
When Tanzania was under the single-party system the culture of treating the
whole question of the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar as a “sensitive
matter” was deep-rooted in our society. It was so entrenched that no one had the
stomach to question the existing structure of the Union, let alone its very
foundation.
The Nyalali Commission and the advent of multiparty politics changed all that.
The Commission engaged Tanzanians in an open and impassioned debate about the
Union and made certain radical recommendations emanating from the views of the
citizenry (from both sides of the Union).
Two of those recommendations are particularly worth noting: One was that a
Commission should be appointed to produce a draft Constitution for the United
Republic. This, the Nyalali Commission argued, would not only be in line with
what the Articles of the Union had envisaged, but would certainly be the most
effective way to address the whole issue.
The other recommendation was that the structure of the Union should be changed
to a federal set-up, i.e. a three-government structure as a “permanent way out”
of the chronic problems which arose from the present structure of the Union.
Again the government preferred to maintain the status quo. Consequently, the
“problems of the Union” have continued to exist without any solution in sight.
As I have had the occasion to point out in this column in the past, unless the
basic problem with the present structure of our Union is resolved, those
peripheral but thorny problems will stubbornly persist and remain a permanent
source of unease in the Union’s body politics. This unease was indeed reflected
by the views reportedly expressed by the Secretary General of the opposition
Civic United Front (CUF), Seif Shariff Hamad recently in an interview with a
local newspaper.
He was quoted as saying that there was no question about the existence of oil in
Zanzibar. What was required, he said, was the two governments – the Union
Government and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar – sitting together and
agreeing on what to do.
He emphasized, and this is very important to note, that it is not right to make
oil a Union matter when the gold and diamonds in Mainland Tanzania were not a
Union affair. So, Seif proposes that either oil (if found in Zanzibar) should
remain a non-Union matter or it should be made a Union matter along with the
Mainland’s diamonds and gold!
Earlier there were reports that the Zanzibar Government had barred certain
companies “invited” by the Union Government to explore oil in the Isles, until
the interests of Zanzibar were “clearly defined” These allegations have neither
been denied nor confirmed by the two governments. Seif was speaking against the
background of those reports. I think that he has a point.
Under the present Constitution, the Union Government (which is the same
government for Tanzania Mainland) has been vested with authority over
Zanzibar-based Union matters, which tend to erode Zanzibar’s autonomy. But
Zanzibar’s natural resources are not a Union affair, and this falls outside the
ambit of the authority of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania.
That notwithstanding, and despite the imperfections in the Union, the two
governments on both sides of the United Republic have a long history of
cooperating even in matters which fall outside the list of Union Affairs. It is
therefore expected that the same spirit will be espoused in the issue of oil
exploration in Zanzibar. Fortunately Tanzania Mainland has over the years
accumulated considerable experience in the exploration of oil and gas, and this
could be of great value to the oil exploration endeavours in the Isles.
In my view, the discovery of oil, diamonds, gold, tanzanite or any other mineral
on any pact of the United Republic is supposed to benefit both Tanzania and
Zanzibar in one way or another. If Zanzibaris don’t enjoy the benefit of the
existence of the Mainland’s diamonds and gold, as Maalim Seif seems to suggest,
then that is a serious fault in our Union! Perhaps the “discovery” of oil in the
Isles will iron out that problem.
Unfortunately, oil and diamonds have turned out to be a curse in most of Africa
where the two precious minerals are to be found. Instead of bringing love,
peace, stability and prosperity among the citizens, they have been the cause of
hate, animosity, chaos, war and perdition.
Here I have in mind countries like Nigeria, Sudan, Angola, Sierra Leone, Congo
(DRC) among others. The politics of insurgency or ethnic rivalry in those
countries basically revolve around the struggle for control and possession of
those rare natural resources. Tanzania, the land of peace, must welcome any
discovery of oil in Zanzibar not as a curse, but a blessing.
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