THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING

SADC ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS, 2015

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat has organized the SADC students essay writing competition for year 2015. The Essay writing competition is intended to broaden knowledge of the secondary school going population on SADC activities. The competition is open to form 1 to form 6 students. The students are required to begin researching on the topic prior writing and submitting to their Heads of School. The 34th summit of Heads of State and Governments deliberated that, the topic for year 2015 be “Leveraging the Region`s Diverse Resources for sustainable Economic and Social Development through Beneficiation and Value Addition” Discuss how this would result in Sustainable Economic Development. The set of questions below are meant to guide students when responding to the question above. Thus, on answering the above question , student should answer all the questions listed below: 1.      Discuss the abundant natural resources versus economic development in the SADC Region as a whole expounding the issues of ownership, monetary values and benefits accrued from them on annual basis over the past five years? 2.      Has the SADC Region ultimately benefited from its abundance of natural resources since the complete democratization with the fall of the Apartheid regime in South Africa in 1994? 3.      Discuss Beneficiation and Value Addition with concrete proposals for SADC Region on ownership and processing of mineral/natural resources and how they benefited SADC Citizens if at all and what can be improved to maximize benefits to the SADC citizenry? 4.      How should the SADC Region go about implementing the 34th Summit Theme in order for it to benefit the whole region including some of its Member States that might not have as much natural resources as the others?  5.      What role should be played in the operationalisation of the 34th Summit Theme by the non-state actors in the SADC Region, thus, private sector, Nongovernmental Organizations, traditional authorities and local communities? 6.      As a secondary school learner, what do you think should be the education sector`s role in the operationalisation of the 34th Summit Theme to benefit the education sector in the whole region? Heads of  schools are supposed to ensure that the students adhere to the following guidelines: ·         The essay should not be longer than 2000 words and not shorter than 1000 words. ·         Where students have access to computers, they are advised to type their essays and submit both the soft and hard copies. ·         Students who will type their essays will have to sign and initial the hard copies to make sure that they have not been altered. ·         The essay shall be written in English language. ·         The front page or cover page will display the name, sex, class, school address and stamp, Headmistress/Headmaster’s email address, signature and phone no, region, country. ·          The title of the essay should be written in the cover page (students should not paraphrase the title) ·         The handwritten essays will be written on one side of the A4 paper with double margin of two centimeters. Students are expected to begin writing immediately and submit their essays to their head of school. The Head of School will then be expected to constitute a marking panel which will choose best essays of the school. The panel should go through the essays (Please do not mark the essays) and choose three essays to be submitted to The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education and Vocational Training not later than 15th April 2015. The national adjudication will take place from 02nd to 11th May 2015 in order to get three entries which will be submitted to the SADC Secretariat in Botswana. The same Information can be found on the website www.SADC.int, www.foreign.go.tz  and www.pmolarg.go.tz Wishing you and your schools best wishes.                                     PERMANENT SECRETARY

Wakaguzi wa Shule watakiwa kusimamia ubora wa Elimu nchini

Naibu Katibu Mkuu Wizara ya Elimu na Mafunzo ya Ufundi, Consolata Mgima ameitaka idara ya Ukaguzi wa Shule kusimamia ubora wa Elimu nchini, kwa kuhakikisha kuwa sera, sheria, kanuni na viwango vya elimu vilivyowekwa katika mfumo wa utoaji elimu vinazingatiwa ipasavyo kwa kuhakikisha mitaala na viwango vya elimu vilivyowekwa vinafuatwa ili kuongeza ufanisi na ubora katika elimu. 

Akizungumza katika mkutano wa viongozi wa Elimu uliofanyika mjini Morogoro hivi karibu uliokuwa ukijadili kuhusu umuhimu wa uanzishwaji wa mfumo wa Menegement ya  Habari na Mawasiliano katika Idara ya  Ukaguzi wa Shule unaotekelezwa kwa kusirikiana kati ya Wizara ya Elimu  na Mafunzo ya Ufundi na Shirika linalohudumia Watoto Duniani UNICEF, alisema Kwa kutambua hilo, wizara imekuwa ikiiwezesha ukaguzi wa shule kwa kuongeza wakaguzi wa shule, vitendea kazi na kuongeza vyombo vya usafiri.

Naibu Katibu Mkuu alisema Uanzishwaji wa mfumo wa Menejimenti ya Habari na Mawasiliano wa Idara ya Ukaguzi wa Shule, unategemewa kuwa utaleta mafanikio makubwa katika upatikanaji wa yale yaliyojiri baada ya shule kukaguliwa.  Mafanikio hayo yatawezesha wadau wengi kupata taarifa za ukaguzi kuliko ilivyo hivi sasa. 

“Aidha, ni ukweli usiopingika kuwa suala la ubora wa elimu ni la ushirikishwaji wa wadau wote katika ngazi zote ikiwemo jamii hivyo naipongeza idara ya ukaguzi wa shule pamoja na UNICEF kwa mkakati waliokuja nao wa kuanzisha vituo vya mafunzo vya jamii katika kata, kwa uhakika jamii ikishirikishwa  katika hatua  za awali  elimu itaimarika.” Alisisitiza Naibu Katibu Mkuu 

Akizungumzia Mfumo huo Kaimu Mkurugenzi wa idara ya Ukaguzi wa shule Dkt. Edicome Shirima alisema utekelezaji wa mfumo ulianza Augusti 2011 ukitekelezwa katika kata 35 zilizo katika wilaya 7 za majaribio (Pilot). Wilaya hizo ni Bagamoyo, Hai, Makete, Magu, Siha Temeke na Mtwara Vijijini.

“Lengo ni kuweka taarifa za Ukaguzi wa shule katika  kanzidata (data base) itakayoonesha shule na ubora wake (School -Level Quality Assurance Data)”. Alielezea Dkt. Shirima

Taarifa hizo zilizomo katika mfumo huo zinaweza  kuonwa na wadau wote wanaohitaji  kwa ajili ya shughuli mbalimbali. Aidha zitasaidia Tawala za Mikoa na Serikali za Mitaa  kutoa maamuzi mbalimbali yanayohusu  elimu. Baada ya kukamilika kwa  uandaaji wa mfumo wa (IMIS) utaingizwa katika Mtandao mkubwa wa   Elimu Kisekta (ESMIS)

Akifafanua jinsi data hizo zinavyokusanywa Dkt shirima alifafanua kuwa Katika  maandalizi ya IMIS,  orodha hakiki inayotumika Katika ukaguzi wa shule wa jumla huchambuliwa kwa ufasaha na  kuwekwa katika  mtirirIko mzuri utakaowezesha data zitakazokuwa zimekusanywa kupitia vyanzo mbalimbali  kama vile  sensa ya uandikishaji kwa darasa la  awali na darasa la kwanza  na  hatua za Ufundishaji (lesson observation) kupatikana na kutumika  Katika  uandikishaji na kuboresha ufundishaji. Haya yote yamefanyika kwa kuzingatia viwango vya msingi vya elimu (Basic Standard)

Kaimu Mkurugenzi wa Idara ya Ukaguzi Dkt. Shirima alisema zana  za kukusanyia taarifa imendaliwa Katika mifumo miwili ambayo ni Fomat A kwajili ya  msimamizi wa shule  na Fomati B kwa ajili ya  mkaguzi wa shule, ambayo  itaonesha  pia    hatua za Ufundishaji  darasani (lesson observation)

Orodha hakiki zote zitaonesha  kipengere  kinachohitaji marekebisho Katika utendaji

Walengwa wa Uanzishaji wa Mfumo wa Habari na Mawasiliano  umewalenga Waratibu Elimu Kata na Wakaguzi wa Shule kwa kuwa  ni wadau muhimu  Katika usimamizi wa elimu,   hivyo  wamepewa jukumu kubwa Katika kusimamia na kuhakikisha ubora wa  elimu unapatikana.

“Mratibu Elimu wa Kata kama msimamizi wa shule aliye karibu na shule akisaidiana na mwalimu mkuu ambaye ni msimamizi wa shule wa ndani.  Kwa pamoja   wana nafasi kubwa sana katika kusimamia elimu Katika maeneo yao. Kwani wataweza kutayarisha taarifa na kuzitoa kwa wadau  kwa wakati, vilevile zitawasaidia wakaguzi wa shule kufahamu mahali gani panahitaji  marekebisho au kutiliwa mkazo.” Alisisitiza Dkt. Shirima

Lengo linguine la Mfumo huu ni kuzifanya jamii zinazoizunguka shule kutambua kuwa shule ni sehemu yake na hivyo kuhusika moja kwa moja katika katika kufuatilia maendeleo ya shule. Ili kuhakikisha kuwa jamii   inashirikishwa kikamilifu.

“Ili kufikia lengo la kushirikisha jamii vimeanzishwa vituo vya mafunzo ngazi ya kata “Community Learning Centers (CLC)”.  Katika vituo hivyo, jamii inapata nafasi  kusoma taarifa za shule,  kutoa maoni  na kurekebisha mapungufu yaliyo ndani ya uwezo wao. Fursa hii itaongeza uwajibikaji wa menejimenti na   kamati  za shule  kwa jamii.” Alifafanua Dkt. Shirima