Pre-colonial education (indigenous education)
Introduction
According
to Fafanwa (1974) defines education as what each generation gives its younger
ones, which makes them to develop attitudes, abilities, skills and other
behaviors which are of positive value to the society in which they live.
Education can take place in formal, non-formal or informal settings and any
experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels or acts may
be considered education.
Mush,
(2009) defines African indigenous education as a process of passing among the
tribal members and from one generation to another the inherited knowledge
skills, cultural traditions norms and values of the tribe. Indigenous education
in Mtwara was about society in which people live based on their cultural
activities such as jando and unyago, songs and dances; economic activities such
as agriculture, fishing, mining and trade; political activities such as
preparation of younger people to be future leaders.
Indigenous
education in Mtwara region was conducted informally through economic
activities, people who lived along the coast areas practiced mining activities
such as extraction of salt for example at Mikindani, fishing activities where
by different people acquired knowledge and skills on how to fish for example
Maraba tribe were predominant in this activity while people lived away from
coastal areas were engaged in agricultural activities such as cultivation of
cassava at Newala and rooting of roots known as Ming'oko.
Through
cultural practice, ethnically Mtwara is the region consisting different tribes
such as Makua, Makonde and Maraba and both tribes shared some cultural
practices such as songs, dances as well as jando and unyago which conducted to
children with 7-10 years, through this cultural practices Yong people were
trained on how to be responsible, behave and caring their families including
marriage. This practice maintained the ethical Conduct of these societies from
one generation to another and these can be proved even now days.
Through
political activities, historically Mtwara societies were matrimonial by nature
that means all powers were under mother's domination and even names of their
children were named in mother's side, so the education conducted was intended
to prepare female children to be good leaders of their family. Examples of
these materinnial found at Mtwara are Makonde and Makua as well as Maraba.
Importance
/strengths of indigenous education by then and up to now.
The
education trained children to behave in a good manner and having discipline to
elders, this education is relevant even now days because even in families
children are taught on how to behave and respect elders in the community.
The
education given to people was both theoretical and practically. For example
Oral traditions as well as physical activities such as agriculture, mining and
fishing. This form of education still practiced in modern society since people
are engaged in agricultural activities as well as rooting of roots known as
"Ming'oko".
There
was no people with less employment, this is because each group had its own
responsibilities due to the presence of different economic activities such as
agriculture, mining, fishing and trade so these made them to be busy on
working, this education is relevant due to the fact that for the society which
still conserving such kind of education no person who cry for employment from
the government otherwise they employ themselves due to the availability of
resources that Mtwara have (land, minerals and oceans).
The
education was for every member of the society, this is due to the reason that
every person started to get education when he or she was young and each stage
of growth has its own education and every member of the society was responsible
in education through transmission of values and knowledge of the particular
society. This is related with now days education due to the reason that the
government of Tanzania /Mtwara put emphasis on every children to acquire
primary education as well as secondary education and this is proved under the
presence of free education from primary to secondary school (o-level).
It
created togetherness among members of the community, this is due to reason that
people were interacted through communal living system were members of the
society shared major means of production as well as exchange of goods(batter
system), hence this improved unity among members of the society. This education
is important /relevant now days in modern education due to the reason that
people from different areas of the region or country met together through
schools ,colleges, vocational training centre and universities hence this makes
togetherness among members of the region or country.
The
education lacked uniformity, this is due to the reason that education mainly
based on nature of environment in which people they lived. For example people
lived along the coast areas were engaged in fishing and salt making while those
who lived in rock land areas were engaged in crops cultivation and animal
keeping as well as hunting.
The
education was unstructured, that means that the education had no organized
syllabus and curriculum so brings difficult to attain understanding on which
kind of general education provided to Mtwara region.
Only
elders were the source of knowledge, due to this reason no body allowed to
challenge or argue much on the form of education provided by elders and what
decided by elders were what implemented by other members without reasoning or
challenging them.
The
education was mainly informal, due to this fact the education was orally
provided that gives difficult on attaining clear data about the education
provided and there is no documentation that show such kind of Mtwara society
and even the entire country as well as continent. Fafanwa. (1974) & Mushi.
P.A.K. (2009).
b) Formal
educational policies in Tanzania from independence until the present. Since
independence in 1961, the government of Tanzania has attempted several times to
reform the educational system to meet their development objectives different
objectives and generate desired outcomes. This thesis compares the 1967
Education for Self-Reliance policy with the most recent 1995 Education and
Training Policy by taking a historical view of the role of work-oriented
education in primary and secondary institutions by Wim Hoppers (1996), The most
significant of these changes is a shift in emphasis from rural-oriented
vocational education to technology education as the major focus of
work-oriented education, demonstrated through supplementary education policies
such as the 2007 Information and Communication Technology policy.
Education in Mtwara is provided by the public and private sectors, starting with
pre-primary education, followed by primary, secondary ordinary, secondary
advanced, and ideally, university level education. The Tanzanian government began
to emphasize the importance of education shortly after its independence in
1961. Curriculum is standardized by level, and it is the basis for the national
examinations. Achievement levels are important, yet there are various causes of
children not receiving the education that they need, including the need to help
families with work, poor accessibility, and a variety of learning disabilities.
While there is a lack of resources for special needs education, Tanzania has
committed to inclusive education and attention on disadvantaged learners, as
pointed out in the 2006 Education Sector Review AIDE-MEMORE.
Education
policies and act before independence in
Tanzania to present
Expansion of education 1961 up to
1967,
in this we can divide into three period of time such as
Nationalism,Developmentalism and Africanisation,(Mbenna,2009)
Establishment of education for
self-reliance 1968 up 1974, on 5th
February 1967 the late Mwalimu Julius.K.Nyerere announced the Arusha
decralation,the aim was to built self reliance for everybody and put emphasis on education to be provided must
serve the society to make sure that there is independent in production. This
education was to make the students to be qualified education must employ
themselves in different works without depending on government only, (Mbenna,
2009).
Universal primary Education in 1974,
originated to Musoma resolution on 1974, the government started
to ensure to be committed itself to reach Universal Primary Education (UPE).
The aim was to improve the quality of access to education and to teach
agricultural skills that will ensure efficient and self-reliance for rural
communities, during this reform. In order to achieve UPE the government made
series of changes to develop the schooling infrastructure to make sure that the
children of the 7 years up to 13 years should reach at least standard seven (7)
that is compulsory education. In Mtwara region was designed to make sure that
all children from 7 to 13 years they got education, (Mbenna,2009).
The basic education master plan
1990, the government of Tanzania recognized the central
roles of education to improve the economics of their people. In Mtwara region
had tried in several way to address the issuer of quality education and had took
measures to affirm that education is a basic right and basis for need for all.
Through UPE and Adult Literacy Campaigns, vocationalization of secondary and
expanding tertiary education (higher education).
It
was been realized that education is still facing many problems. In 1996 the
government of Tanzania undertook development the education sector development
programe to the existed challenges. The education sector development programme
to the existed challenges. The education sector development programme in Mtwara
region tried to make sure that there enough facilities equality strong
management financing education.
Education policy of 1998, Education
and training policy the major objectives was to improve quality education
process through all authorities from local level to regional level to support
financing education in Mtwara region, (Mbenna, 2009).
Education policy of 2014,
the aims of this policy was to provide quality education to compete
internationally, regionally and worldwide, education for children means that
compulsory education from standard 1 up to form IV, (Mbenna, 2009).
Conclusion
Due
to the need of the society and other societal change contributed much to the
transformation of education from one step to another basically to suit the
needs of the society. Therefore since independence up to date Tanzania passed
in various transformation and modes in order to increase efficiency and
effectiveness of the needs of the society. So, the needs of the society
contributed to changes of the education to the Tanzania of today.
REFERENCES
Mushi,
P.A.K (2009). History and Development of
Education in Tanzania. Dar es Salaam. Dar es salaam.
Fafunwa,
A.B. (1974). History of Education in
Nigeria. London: Gorge Allen & Unwin.
Mbenna, F. X. (2009).
The history of Education in Tanzania,
Dar es Salaam: Dar es Salaam University Press
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