Merging Technical and General Education: Past, Present, and Future in Tanzania

1. MZUMBE VET AND CULTURE NETWORK 2014:VET BEYOND EUROPEAN CONCEPTIONSAPPROACHES AND CHALLENEGS FOR EAST AFRICAN VET16TH-18THSEPTEMBER, 2014

2. Theme: Should we Merge Technical with General Education in our School System?

3. Topic Towards Merging Technical with general Education in the education system in Tanzania: The Past, The Present and the Future.

4. Emmanuel Ndikumana Senior Lecturer Human Resource Management Studies School of Public Administration and Management (SOPAM) Mzumbe University

5. Introduction • This paper sets to argue for close integration of vocational and Technical Education with the general education.

6. The achievement of a sustainable development of a country or organization is a function of the quantitative and qualitative aspects of human resources. • Brain power is developed and nurtured through the process of training and development of human resources. In this vein, the development of human resources hinges greatly on the education system in schools, business firms and society.

7. The school education is expected to provide technical knowledge as well as intellectual competence to enable the workers to cope with the tide of development challenges of a country.

8. Background • Inadequate human resource capacity • Few schools (General & Technical) • An underdeveloped human resource base to staff the new organizations or institutions (Iliffe, 1988; Itika, 2010). • A considerable gap between the requirements of the economy and the existing stock of human resources to run different organizations and institutions (Nyerere, 1968; Yambesi, 2009).

9. Senior and middle grade posts in Tanzania and indeed in the other East African countries were almost entirely occupied by foreigners (Pratt, 1976; Tobias, 1961). • A labour survey showed that only 26 % of the senior and middle grades were held by citizens (GoT, 1961).

10. Tanganyika had only 21 University graduates in all disciplines and only 11 were indigenous Tanganyikans (Luhanjo, 2006) including one woman (Legum, 1988). • Out of a population of 9 million people, only 9,300 (0.1 %) could be categorized as working in job that require training and education (Rugumyamheto, 1982). • The preceding indices necessitated rapid expansion of education and training at primary, secondary, technical and tertiary levels (Tobias, 1963).

11. From 1 University in 1963 to 51 (15 being Public) in 2014 • SUPPLY < DEMAND (1960s to 1990s • SUPPLY > DEMAND 2000s WHY? • Under utilization of Private Sector potentials

12. Africanization Policy • The policy entailed ensuring that all employment vacancies were filled by the citizens. • During the 1960s and 1970s, technical and vocational education gained currency in Tanzania following the Arusha Declaration which promulgated Education for self reliance as a key cornerstone in the education policy.

13. A retiree who completed STD. 8 in 1963 gives his experience thus: “At the level of Middle School (i.e. STD 5-8), we were taught different skills in our primary school education. Upon completion of primary school education, I was able to do carpentry works, Plumbing and Construction” Primary school leavers and graduates from different education institutions in recent years lack skills and competences required to cope with environmental challenges.

14. The prism of the labour market scenario • What kind of jobs are there in the labour market • Government? • Private Sector? • Self Employment?

15. What caliber of graduates do we have? • Do they fit in any of the employment opportunities? • If No, what went wrong?

16. Mismatch • Policy formulation Vs. Policy enforcement • Education curriculum Vs. Desired learning outcomes • Graduate caliber Vs. Job Requisite skills & competences

17. Implications Countries are plunged into Economic and Social crises: • Unemployment • Under employment • Unskilled labour force • Low productivity • Increased poverty levels

18. Despite a series of deliberate attempts to revitalize the education system, the vision of education for self reliance seems to be a distant dream. • Did education for self reliance wither in tandem with the abandonment of the Arusha Declaration Principles promulgated in 1967?

19. Privatization Policy • Since the 1990s, the role of the government as a reservoir of employment has shrunk and the private sector emerged as an engine of growth .

20. The aftermaths of Privatization • Goodbye to welfare concerns? • Few public sector Jobs against 700,000 who add to Tanzania’s Labour force each year. • State policy of mass recruitment paving way to competitive recruitment. • Investors quest for cheap but skilled labour.

21. Education Sector Supply > Labour market Demand • Increased prominence of employable skills (e.g. Entrepreneurship. How rich is our Curricula in this domain? NB: Shift from Theory to Practice

22. Dancing the tune of Globalization

23. “You have no choice, This is inevitable. These forces of change driving the future don’t stop at national boundaries, Don’t respect tradition. They wait for no one and no nation. They are universal.” - Tony Blair, British Prime Minister.

24. “Only when we are clear about the kind of society we are trying to build can we design our educational service to serve our goals”(Nyerere, 1967).

25. Globalization promotes and intensifies international competitiveness. • Some jobs have disappeared while others have come into being. These changes have led to job displacement for some categories of workers. A formidable question before us is: • Does our education system prepare learners with transferable skills demanded by such tides of changes?

26. The current primary school curriculum is overloaded with too many subjects. • Should we aim at creating students who are jacks of all traits but masters of none?.

27. Reflections on Individual Self Assessment • Given the knowledge, skills and competences I possess, what can I offer in the labour market? • Do I have anything to offer in the private sector? • Do I have the requisite skills and competences highly demanded in the rapidly growing informal sector? • I am I marketable to the potential investors?

28. Self Assessment at Country level • Given the knowledge, skills and competences demanded in the labour market, what programmes/Courses should we offer in our education system? • Have we established an enabling environment for the Public/Private/Informal sector growth?

29. As long as the answers to the preceding questions are not in the affirmative, there is a skill gap which merit immediate attention

30. How can our graduates seize opportunities arising from investments without having the requisite knowledge, skills and competences?

31. While the private sector is emerging as an engine for economic growth, graduate employability skills do not commensurate with self employment initiatives.

32. Putting the Cart before the Horse? Let graduates employ themselves. • Where are the jobs coming from? • Does our education system transform learners from job seekers to job creators? • Do our students at different education levels possess solid skills and knowledge ready to do work and earn a living?

33. Derailment of the learning outcomes? Some times our education system tend to rewards those who regurgitate the teachers’ notes rather than those who employ critical thinking.

34. Is the education system preparing the students and inculcating the right attitudes, skills, and competences to attain the envisaged goal? • Is our education system skewed towards the challenges of today and the broader development needs of our countries?

35. Unlocking the potential of VET

36. VET equips students with requisite knowledge, skills and competences which are relevant in a dynamic labour market.

37. Students can access opportunities to find their potential and hence cope with environmental challenges. • The education system can impart students with knowledge and skills necessary for being productive members of the society.

38. The linkage can impart practical skills which enhance creativity and innovation which are key to the growth and development of a nation.

39. Students with specific talents can have a chance to practice and do what they can do best. • Students can be equipped with basic occupational skills which will facilitate access to self employment and by extension, their ability to create jobs for others.

40. The education system can respond to the different training needs of learners from different socio-economic and academic backgrounds, and prepare them for gainful employment and sustainable livelihoods.

41. More practical programmes and courses can help the students to acquire employable skills which can create own jobs. As the saying goes, “What I hear, I forget; What I see, I remember; What I do, I understand” (- Chinese proverb).

42. A way Forward • Rhetoric to Action in the integration of technical and vocational education systems.

43. Teach students to fish, not how to eat fish. • Orient students to understand rather than cram. • Motivate students to think globally and act locally.

44. Produce a multi skilled workforce. • Streamlining the education system to suit the demands of the labour market. • We should not attain quantity at the expense of quality. • Intervention in skills development programmes have to be practical away from the hitherto theoretical knowledge offered by formal education.

45. Realistic Curriculum Reviews • Multi sector foci (Public and Private). • Integrate VET in the education system • Develop trainers competences. • Improved Training methods. • Supply adequate learning materials.

46. Developing countries greatly need a stock of human capital endowed with employable skills.

47. Developing countries have to unlock the potential of VET as a reservoir of employment creation.

48. Not only do the youth need high quality training and education, but they also need appropriate guidance in the process of making career choices.

49. There is no escape of educationists keeping pace with the tide of changes that affect the world of work.

50. Should the youth continue to face soaring unemployment and poverty which will undoubtedly plunge developing countries into an array of crises?. • This will undoubtedly be a gross mistake for African countries whose child population is extrapolated to swell to 1bn by 2050 (UNICEF, 2013).