Community Engagement and Action

The Community Engagement and Action (CEA)  Unit is intended to facilitate a diverse group of citizens and Friends of Education to access information, demand for transparency and good governance, monitor implementation of policy, organise for active participation and in the process,  to bring about sustainable change in education and democracy. 

Recruiting Friends of Education and Information Dissemination

The Friends of Education movement is a national network of citizens (individuals of various ages, abilities, gender and background, as well as organisations) concerned about the state of education in Tanzania and who want to make a difference by improving education performance within communities and at national level. The movement is facilitated by HakiElimu through the CEA Unit, which promotes networking and learning among Friends and other local citizens’ groups. It also recruits and provides new Friends with kits containing basic information on education and related issues in order to raise their level of awareness on those issues. In collaboration with the Media and Advocacy Unit, CEAensures Friends receives current materials and publications by mail every four months.The unit encourages the Friends to provide feedbacks on what is going on at the grassroots. This is dione through various ways such as  through written messages , sms, e-mails, telephone calls  and even  face to face discussions. All mails received are timely responded to, and at the end of each year, the unit analyzes the received mails to for informing future plans.

HakiElimu’s Library and Community Library Management

CEA Unit runs the day to day management of HakiElimu library, hosted within the organisation building at Upanga in Dar es Salaam. Currently the library provides  technical support and some  reading materials to more than 35 extant community libraries across the country.  It is envisaged that these  libraries will be used tostimulate  adult education programmes to support government’s efforts to fight ignorance, reduce illiteracy rate, and improve social well being of people at community level.  

Citizens Monitoring, Organising and Taking Action

Friends are encouraged to organise, reflect, debate and take action to improve education in their communities. However, in order to accomplish this monitoring of policy and practice is essential . To this end, CEA unit helps Friends networks, youth/students clubs, and school committees to acquire the necessary skills and tools to  conduct effective monitoring. Through these agents for change, CEA in collaboration with partner organisations has been promoting social accountability monitoring as a fundamental mechanism to build a transparent and just society.  HakiElimu also provides limited support to certain Friends’ initiatives in order to bring about change in education and democracy in their communities. The aim is  to make the movement work more effectively. CEA also organises Friends meetings at different levels in order to allow the movement get more organised, allow the Friends to share experiences and learn from each other to improve their capacity of engaging.This is also an opportunity for participants  to learn more about the idea behind the movement and other skills for engagement. 

Communicating Views and Lessons

HakiElimu receives a lot of valuable information, opinions and stories of experiences from Friends. In collaboration with the Media and Advocacy unit, every year, Friends who have been active in improving education and democracy in their communities are profiled and their case studies published to inspire others to take similar action. Similarly, CEA collects inspiring stories, documents and shares them with Friends, other organisations and networks through various HakiElimu publications such as SautiElimu, the Friends’ booklet, and other media such as newspapers, TV and radio. More importantly, in collaboration with Media and Advocacy unit, CEA Unit  provides space for Friends and other citizens to communicate their voices to influence decisions both at local and national levels, using the existing national and regional radio and televisions stations.

Research and Policy Analysis

Research and Policy Analysis, where HakiElimu will use the research findings, analyze the policy to better improve education. Another component will be Resource Transparency and Accountability which focuses on issues of greater transparency and accountability in the allocation and use of public resources; this is achieved by conducting budget analysis, tracking public expenditure. Monitoring Government policy and decisions is the third component where RPA will review education programs and provide citizens capacity to monitor policy implementation and government promises. RPA unit will also conduct vigorous evaluations in education issues and advocate for best practices that will contribute into improvement of learning. These evaluations will focus on identifying models/approaches, process and strategies that have proved to contribute into learning outcomes and quality, good governance and transparency in education and democracy.

 RPA will critically raise issues that will contribute towards improving the quality of education.  Research will be vigorous and more deeply conducted in order to improve learning and provide evidence to influence change.  The strategy will generate knowledge and information to promote broader debate.  Budget analysis and public expenditure tracking will be conducted which with a focus on greater transparency and accountability in the allocation and use of public resources. HakiElimu will continue monitoring Government policies and decisions to provide citizens information and the capacity to monitor policy implementation and Government promises.

 The outcomes for the RPA unit include the following: Citizens using information from research, budget and policy analysis to make a difference in education; An increased level of consultations and transparency between CSOs, MoEVT, MoFEA, LGAs and other related institutions; MPs and executives are responsive to citizens’ needs and demands; Schools and other related institutions are adopting effective approaches to improve learning; and Enhanced and strategic assessment of the teaching and learning processes exists at the school level.

 The proposed outputs to realize the above outcomes include the following: Research, policy and budget analysis conducted and disseminated; Enhanced capacity of Friends of Education and partners in policy and budget analysis; Budget work conducted and strategically engaged with specific ministries; Evaluation and analysis of gender equity; Training and strategic dialogues with MPs on key issues facilitated; Government promises and implementation monitored; and Demonstrated experiences that contribute to improved learning outcomes documented.

 For the 2012 – 2016 strategy, RPA activities are centered on the following:

 1.1.  Research, evaluation and analysis

RAP will conduct in-depth research studies in various districts on topics related to quality education and human rights and continue to develop annual policy position papers on key education issues. Along with in-depth research studies and position papers, desk and library research will be conducted to evaluate the performance of the implementation of policies and programs such as the Primary Education Development Program (PEDP) and the Secondary Education Development Program (SEDP). Evaluations will be conducted, policies and budgets of the education sector will be analyzed, and what works will be documented and disseminated.  Findings from research and review of the implementation of these key national programs will be shared with the wider community at the grassroots and national levels to stimulate discussion, debate and raise awareness among citizens and thus enable them to take action in their own areas so as to hold policy makers and the Government to account in order to improve education.

 1.2. Resource transparency and accountability

RAP will conduct budget analyses of the education sector, public expenditure tracking surveys (PETS), trainings to councilors on budget issues and analyses of CAG reports to produce simplified briefs. All of these reports and briefs will be disseminated to the public and used for HakiElimu advocacy work to strive for greater transparency and accountability in the use of public resources.

 1.3. Monitoring governance

RAP will systematically monitor promises and directives made by top Government officials on education, human rights, budgets and governance-related issues. The promises will be analyzed and shared with wider public. In addition, promises and commitments made by ministers in Parliament will be monitored through Parliamentary Hansards and shared with  the wider community. To measure to what extent the government implements its promises, RAP will monitor the implementation of government promises in relevant districts. The reports from these monitoring activities will be shared with citizens to enable them to hold the Government to account for its promises and decisions.

Finance and Administration

HakiElimu’s performance and success depends heavily on its personnel, effective and well designed policies and procedures, excellent and smooth and communication systems which support the organization to achieve its objectives. HakiElimu will continue to improve and adhere to already existing user-friendly administrative and financial systems that are functional and efficient in support of smooth implementation of HakiElimu’s program. HakiElimu will continue to observe principles of accountability, transparency and stewardship of financial resources entrusted to the organization by using financial systems, policies and procedures that are aligned with International Financial Reporting Standards. FAM will work to see an effective and smooth implementation of HakiElimu’s Strategic Program.

To realize the above goal the unit has set two outcomes: Finance and administration policies, information systems and procedures will be adhered to; and HakiElimu will demonstrate a high level of accountability and credibility. The outputs for this unit include: Financial regulations; Human resources management and administration policies improved; Physical and social well-being of HakiElimu staff promoted; Staff demonstrate competency and professionalism; Supportive working environment; Procurement, stores and assets effectively managed; and Functional and efficient communication outside and within the organization.

1.1.  Human resource management

HakiElimu staff, commitment, professionalism, dedication and teamwork are critical to achieve the program strategy. HakiElimu will recruit people based on their experience and competence using in-depth interviews which will include on-job interviews. New staff will undergo orientation on vision, mission, core values, objectives and program outcomes. The competent manpower will then be deployed and provided with necessary working tools. Each staff will receive a job description and detailed expected performance criteria, and their performance will be supported to implement HakiElimu’s program. Staff appraisals will be conducted to facilitate staff to identify their achievements, areas for growth and individual development. Staff welfare will be undertaken by HakiElimu as per administrative regulations and their capacity improved. The staffing levels and structure which appear in the annex were approved by the Boards of Directors. The overall principle guiding the review of the staff structure and package was to strike a balance between protecting the sustainability of the organization and boosting staff morale. Future staff will be promoted through self-learning, training and participation in challenging processes. This will be done through mentoring, coaching, reading books and attending short and long courses and exchange visits. Learning needs will be identified through the appraisal process. HakiElimu will continue engaging interns and international resource persons. Interns will be provided with an opportunity to work alongside experienced staff in analysis, program development, writing, activism, etc and will participate in all meetings open to staff. HakiElimu benefits from their contribution and staff learn from interaction with them, thus making this engagement mutually beneficial. International resource persons represent an opportunity for intellectual and cultural exchange. HakiElimu staff learnskills through interaction with the resource people who are usually strong in writing and presentation skills and in turn the volunteers return better informed about the Global South and motivated to make a difference.

1.2. Office Environment Management

The function of this component under administration is to ensure that HakiElimu’s office is provided with reliable utilities such as water and electricity and housed in a cleaned, maintained, safe and welcoming environment for staff.  Office assets and services will be procured and managed effectively. Building renovation, when necessary, will be undertaken to provide sufficient space for all employees. Repair of working tools and equipment will likewise be done accordingly.

1.3. Procurement and Asset Management

The procurement and logistics’ function is to ensure that office equipment is procured and used efficiently and maintained in good working condition at all times. The process involves identification of vendors who will provide services and supplies to the organization. The unit is also responsible for preparing of a list of materials and items to be purchased. Another task is to seek quotes and assess them as per policies and procure goods and services to facilitate implementation of activities.

1.4. Communication and document management

Communication and document management functions as a face of HakiElimu since the function is to receive visitors and answer telephones. It ensures that faxes, emails and other documents are coded, registered, distributed and properly filed. The key duties lie therefore in receiving visitors and directing them to the relevant staff. It will also be responsible for ensuring that contacts are organized for reliable communication for maintaining contacts and filing of documents.

 1.5. HakiElimu Information  and Communication Management

FAM will promote and manage a high quality, informative and interactive website with interesting and relevant and up to date information on HakiElimu and education issues. HakiElimu will manage and provide high quality, functional and reliable information technology systems for effective work and communication.

 1.6. Accountability and stewardship

HakiElimu will continue to observe principles of accountability, transparency and stewardship of financial resources entrusted to the organization by using financial systems, policy and procedures that are in alignment with International Financial Reporting Standards. The unit is also tasked to ensure that HakiElimu’s assets are well managed and resources are solicited, disbursed and reported according to plans and contractual agreements. In order to assess financial integrity, HakiElimu accounts are audited annually by an internationally recognized external firm appointed by the members of HakiElimu upon board recommendation. The audited financial statements are scrutinized by the board of directors and approved by members at the annual general meeting before being forwarded to partners and donor partners and posted to HakiElimu’s website. FAM also ensures that budgets are developed as per the program strategy and expenditures managed as per financial regulations. The unit facilitates other units to produce accurate, cost-effective and realistic annual and quarterly budgets with timely approval by the ED, always with value for money as a foundational principle.

Strategic and Direction Leadership