The constitution and the right to education.

Currently a special Constitution Review committee is making round across the country to collect citizen’s opinions which will be used to suggest appropriate amendments or review of the current constitution, to enable it obtain a national consensus status which focus on addressing emerging socio-economic and political issues in our country and worldwide…

The Constitution is mainly termed as the “mother law” as it provides a framework in which all laws, acts and legislations of the land are drawn and revolve from it.

Therefore, the Constitution incorporates a wide range of issues and rights which a specific society deem un compromised, such as right to life, right to freedom of speech, right to affiliations (political and social), right to start a family, right to health services as well as right to quality education just to mention a few.

Among many basic right to citizens, education is among the most important rights which the Constitution need to stipulate clearly.

The ability to produce and use knowledge has become a major factor in development. In fact, this ability is critical to a nation’s comparative advantage. Information and Knowledge based economy is a kind of economy based solely on the production, distribution and the use of information and knowledge. In short, it means that the most important thing in the coming economy model will be knowledge and skills, not the material products.

The current literacy situation in Tanzania is shocking. By the mid-1880s, Tanzania was one of the countries with the highest literacy rates in Africa, reaching 98 percent.

Tanzania has experienced a 20 per cent drop in literacy rate for the past 30 years, a situation that is deeply worrying education stakeholders in the country. In the 1980s Tanzania had a literacy rate of over 90percent but recent studies as compiled by a UN agency showed that this had dropped to 72 percent (UNESCO, 2012)

The current literacy rate of people ages 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life is 72.9 (UNESCO, 2009). Children at age 13 complete primary education without adequate reading and writing skills, e.g. about 5,200 children who had been selected to join secondary education in 2012 were found they could not read or write (MoEVT, 2012).

Research findings about reading situation in primary education in Tanzania, from a national survey with children who had completed standard 7 (Uwezo, 2010) show low performance especially in reading and writing skills as follows:

(a) One in five primary school leavers cannot read standard 2 level Kiswahili;

(b) Only 3 in 10 standard 3 pupils can read basic Kiswahili story;

(c) Only 1 in 10 standard 3 pupils can read basic English story;

(d) Only 3 in 10 standard 3 pupils can do basic Mathematics;

(e) Only 50 percent of the children involved in the study could read the words correctly;

(f) About 30 percent of them did not write any of the words in the test instrument correctly;

(g) About 45 percent of the children identified less than four out of ten sounds in the test instrument.

With such levels of illiteracy, the poverty levels of people will continue to increase, as literacy is a tool in fighting against poverty. These illiteracy levels have increased due to poor education programmes and lack of right-based emphasis from the “mother law”.

Article 11 in the current constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania (URT), provide information on education. It stipulates that “every citizen has a right to acquire education”.

Simple translation of this section is that the government has shunned away from the responsibility of providing education to its citizens. As education is very crucial in socio-economic development, the government cannot shun away from such a responsibility taking into consideration that majority of its citizens are living below poverty line, such that they do not have adequate resources to afford household needs.

In order to do away with building social classes this section need to be amended as it does not show clearly that the government has the major responsibility of ensuring that its citizens obtain quality education.

The Constitution should clearly stipulate that “the government has a responsibility of providing quality education to every citizen”, basic on the current socio-economic and political situation, whereby the government is giving more opportunities for the market to run most of social and economic activities including education, many citizens do not have economic means or ability to access education. This denies them their basic right.

Right to education can also be given more weight in the Constitution by providing it under human rights as we know that currently most of jobs demand a certain level of skills and knowledge. It is inevitable fact that Literacy is a vital ingredient in the fight against poverty. Reading, writing and numeracy skills are increasingly required for even the simplest jobs.

Being under human rights, it will give citizens power to demand for quality education and hold responsible those who violate this right. We have observed many sudden changes in our education curriculum which affected performance of our children and general quality of education.

Most of these changes were a result of just a bunch of people who did not feel obliged to consult the stakeholders (citizens) whether they approve such changes or not. The new constitution should clearly stipulate that such changes in the education system should be agreed by citizens through a national forum on education changes.

Many countries worldwide have articles in their constitutions which deal with education matters. For example, the Constitution of Ireland has a number of articles that are relevant to the law on education. Article 42 of the Constitution deals with education. Other articles also have a bearing on education law, in particular the articles dealing with the family and religion (Articles 41 and 44).

It is my hope that citizens will continue to debate on this and reach a consensus on how should education issues appear in the new constitution.

katiba na haki ya kupata elimu.

Hivi sasa maalum Katiba Review kamati ni maamuzi ya pande zote nchi nzima kukusanya maoni ya wananchi ambazo zitatumika kwa kupendekeza marekebisho sahihi au mapitio ya katiba ya sasa, ili kuiwezesha kupata kitaifa makubaliano hali ambayo lengo kushughulikia masuala yanayojitokeza ya kiuchumi na kijamii na kisiasa katika nchi yetu na duniani kote ...

Katiba ni hasa wanaiita kama "sheria ya mama" kwa kutoa mfumo ambamo wote sheria vitendo, na sheria ya ardhi ni inayotolewa na revolve kutoka humo.

Kwa hiyo, Katiba inashirikisha mbalimbali ya masuala na haki ambayo jamii maalum wanadhani un kuathirika, kama vile haki ya kuishi, haki ya uhuru wa kujieleza, haki ya kampuni tanzu (kisiasa na kijamii), haki ya kuanza familia, haki ya afya huduma kama vile haki ya elimu bora tu kutaja wachache.

Miongoni mwa haki za msingi kwa wananchi wengi, elimu ni miongoni mwa haki muhimu ambayo Katiba haja kutaja wazi.

uwezo wa kuzalisha na kutumia maarifa imekuwa sababu kubwa katika maendeleo. Kwa kweli, uwezo huu ni muhimu kwa faida ya taifa ya kulinganisha. Habari na Maarifa makao uchumi ni aina ya uchumi msingi tu juu ya uzalishaji, usambazaji na matumizi ya habari na maarifa. Kwa kifupi, ina maana kwamba jambo muhimu katika mfano kuja uchumi itakuwa maarifa na ujuzi, si bidhaa nyenzo.

sasa kusoma hali katika Tanzania ni kushtua. Hadi katikati mwa miaka ya 1880, Tanzania ilikuwa moja ya nchi zenye viwango vya juu zaidi kusoma na kuandika katika Afrika, na kufikia asilimia 98.

Tanzania ina uzoefu kushuka kwa asilimia 20 katika kiwango cha kujua kusoma na kuandika kwa kipindi cha miaka 30, hali ambayo ni undani wasiwasi wadau wa elimu nchini. Katika miaka ya 1980 Tanzania ilikuwa na kiwango cha elimu ya juu ya masomo 90percent lakini hivi karibuni kama ulioandaliwa na shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa ilionyesha kuwa hii imeshuka hadi asilimia 72 (UNESCO, 2012)

sasa wanaojua kusoma na kuandika ya watu wa umri 15 na juu ambao wanaweza, kwa kuelewa, kusoma na kuandika mfupi, rahisi taarifa juu ya maisha yao ya kila siku ni 72.9 (UNESCO, 2009). Watoto katika umri wa miaka 13 kamili ya elimu ya msingi bila kusoma kutosha na ujuzi kuandika, km kuhusu watoto 5,200 ambao walikuwa kujiunga elimu ya sekondari katika 2012 walikutwa hawakuweza kusoma au kuandika (MoEVT, 2012).

Matokeo ya utafiti kuhusu kusoma hali katika elimu ya msingi katika Tanzania, kutoka utafiti wa kitaifa pamoja na watoto ambao walikuwa kukamilika kiwango 7 (Uwezo, 2010) kuonyesha utendaji chini hasa katika kusoma na kuandika ujuzi kama ifuatavyo:

(A) Moja katika tano wanaomaliza shule ya msingi hawawezi kusoma kiwango 2 ngazi ya Kiswahili;

(B) 3 tu katika wanafunzi 10 kiwango 3 unaweza kusoma msingi Kiswahili hadithi;

(C) 1 tu katika wanafunzi 10 kiwango 3 unaweza kusoma hadithi msingi ya Kiingereza;

(D) 3 tu katika wanafunzi 10 kiwango 3 anaweza kufanya Hisabati za msingi;

(E) Ni asilimia 50 ya watoto kushiriki katika utafiti inaweza kusoma maneno kwa usahihi;

(F) Kuhusu asilimia 30 ya yao hawakuwa kuandika maneno yoyote katika chombo mtihani kwa usahihi;

(G) Kuhusu asilimia 45 ya watoto kutambuliwa chini ya nne kati ya kumi sauti katika chombo mtihani.

Kwa viwango hivi vya ujinga, viwango vya umaskini wa watu itaendelea kuongeza, kama kusoma na kuandika ni chombo katika kupambana dhidi ya umaskini. Ngazi ujinga hizi kuongezeka kutokana na mipango duni ya elimu na ukosefu wa haki makao msisitizo kutoka "sheria mama".

Ibara ya 11 katika katiba ya sasa ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania (URT), kutoa taarifa juu ya elimu. Ni kinasema kuwa "kila mwananchi ana haki ya kupata elimu".

Wikipedia tafsiri ya sehemu hii ni kwamba serikali imekuwa shunned mbali na wajibu wa kutoa elimu kwa wananchi wake. Kama elimu ni muhimu sana katika maendeleo ya kiuchumi na kijamii, serikali haiwezi waachane mbali na wajibu vile kuzingatia kuwa wengi wa raia wake wanaishi chini ya mstari wa umaskini, kama kwamba hawana rasilimali za kutosha kumudu mahitaji ya kaya.

Ili kufanya mbali na kujenga madarasa ya kijamii sehemu hii zinahitaji kufanyiwa marekebisho kama haionyeshi wazi kwamba serikali ina wajibu mkubwa wa kuhakikisha kwamba wananchi wake kupata elimu bora.

Katiba inapaswa wazi inasema kuwa "Serikali ina wajibu wa kutoa elimu bora kwa kila raia", msingi juu ya hali ya sasa ya kiuchumi na kijamii na kisiasa, ambapo serikali ni kutoa fursa zaidi kwa ajili ya soko na kukimbia wengi wa shughuli za kijamii na kiuchumi ikiwa ni pamoja na elimu, wananchi wengi hawana njia za kiuchumi au uwezo wa kupata elimu. Hii anakanusha yao ya msingi yao...