Implementation of Competence Based Curriculum in Tanzania: Perceptions, Challenges and Prospects. A Case of Secondary School Teachers in Arusha Region

This study investigated secondary school teachers' perception on the implementation of competence-based curriculum (CBC). The mixed approach study employed cross-sectional survey research and case study design involved 233 teachers who were selected randomly, 10 head of schools and five district educational officers who were selected purposively. The data were collected through questionnaires and interview schedules. The quantitative data were analysed using SPSS 21 and thematic content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The study revealed that teachers had positive perception on the shift from content-based to competence based curriculum with a mean of 4. However, majority of the teachers indicated a less capacity to implement competence-based curriculum as more than 70% didn’t attend in-services training.  More than 60% of teachers cannot prepare teaching and learning activities as required by the competence-based curriculum; also, teachers claimed that large class size and inadequate resources like books and laboratory equipment lowers the capacity to implement competence-based curriculum. The study recommends that regular training for in-service teachers should be conducted to up-to-date teaching and learning of skills, knowledge attitude and values required to implement CBC. Keywords: Secondary school teacher. Perception. Competence-based curriculum. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-19-04 Publication date:July 31st 2021

Mosquito Net Coverage and Utilisation for Malaria\ud Control in Tanzania\ud

\ud In recent years malaria parasites have developed resistance to the most commonly used antimalarial drugs in Tanzania, posing a major challenge for its control. This has led to frequent changes of malaria treatment guidelines, more recently to expensive, yet more effective arthemether/lumefantrine. The use of insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs) and long lasting nets (LLINs) in Tanzania has increased slowly over the past few years. Despite the introduction of a voucher scheme to the vulnerable groups, the proportion of households with at least an ITN/LLIN in the country has not been able to achieve the Abuja Declaration of 60% net coverage. Statistics available on the utilisation of nets do not provide a good estimate of the coverage, because of the different study design used to collect the information. This survey was carried out in 21 districts of Tanzania to determine the coverage and utilisation of insecticide treated nets to provide baseline information of the net requirement to cover every sleeping bed in the country. Specifically, this study aimed to (i) determine the ITN coverage by and its distribution in the country; and (ii) determine knowledge, attitudes and practice of the householders as regards to malaria prevention and control Twenty one districts (one from each region) of Mainland Tanzania were selected for the survey. Selection of the district was random. In each district, two wards were selected, one urban (within the district capital) and one rural or sub‐urban. Households were selected randomly using a table of random numbers. At household level, the head or any adult who represented the head of household was interviewed. A structured pre‐tested questionnaire was used to collect information on knowledge, attitude and practices in malaria control, with emphasis on mosquito net ownership and utilisation. Of the 9549 targeted households, 9166 (96%) participated in the survey. Majority of the respondents (76.8%) were from rural district.The mean household size was 3.9 persons. On average, children <5 years old accounted for 39.3% of the members of the households. Respondents with no formal education accounted for 15.8‐37.4% of the interviewees. Most of them were from Mkuranga (55%), Kigoma‐Ujiji (44.2%) and Newala (37.9%). High literate rates were observed in Arumeru and Moshi districts. The majority of the respondents knew that the mosquito is the vector of the malaria parasite (92.6‐99.4%) and infection is through a mosquito bite (92.7‐99.8%). The knowledge of respondents on malaria transmission was generally high (94.0‐99.0%). The majority of the respondents (95.2%) considered the use of mosquito nets as the most effective way of malaria prevention. However, of these, only 66.7% said to have actually used nets in their life time. Knowledge on the use of mosquito nets in the control of malaria was highest and lowest in Eastern and Central zones, respectively.\ud Seventy‐seven percent (4457/8933) agreed to have the investigator entry into their houses and verify the\ud number of nets owned. On average, 62.9% (5,785/8933) of the households had at least a mosquito net. Majority of the respondents in Northern (76.5%) and Southern (76.5%) zones owned at least a mosquito net. The lowest mosquito net ownership was observed among respondents in Western Zone (39.6%). District‐wise, net ownership was highest in Lindi (94.5%), Kyela (91.3%) Arumeru (86.1%), Ilala (83.1%)\ud and Nyamagana (80.0%). Ownership of net was very low in Kilolo (34.8%), Kigoma (36.5%) and Musoma Rural (41.3%). Of the households with nets, 74.4% were using nets all year round. A larger proportion of respondents in Kilolo (68.5%), Mpwapwa (51.9%), Songea Rural (49.2%) and Shinyanga Rural (46.3%) were only using the nets during the rainy season. Out of 9,166 households visited, 3,610 (39.3%) had at least one under five child. Of these, in 1,939 (53.7%) of the households the child slept under a mosquito net during the previous night. Use of nets in children <5 years was most common in northern zone (74%); followed by eastern (66.9%) and southern zone (61.1%). Districts with the largest proportion of <5 year children sleeping under a mosquito nets were Lindi (90.0%), Kyela (85.2%), Ilala (83.2%) and Arumeru (78.2%). Only about a quarter (27%) of the children <5% in western zone were sleeping under a mosquito net. Lowest net coverage for <5 year was in Kigoma (22.7%), Kilolo (25%) and Bukoba Rural (31.2%). A total of 5,785 (62.9%) owned at least a mosquito net. Of these, 4,219 and 1,566 were from the rural and urban districts, respectively. More households in the urban districts (73.4%) than rural districts (59.7%) owned at least a mosquito net. Likewise, there were more households (64.9%) in the urban districts with <5years children sleeping under mosquito nets than in the rural districts (50.4%). More households in urban (32.8%) than in rural districts (25.1%) had at least one insecticide treated net. The number of households with mosquito nets enough for all members of the households ranged from 18.9% (in Urambo) to 37.4% (in Hanang). Households with at least 50% or more occupants using mosquito nets ranged from 16.4% (in Urambo) to 42.8% (in Arumeru). Districts with the largest proportion of ≥50% of the household members sleeping under mosquito nets were Arumeru (46.9%) and Lindi (46.7%). In Manyoni and Lindi, 3.1% and 5% of the households were found to have more nets than the number of household occupants. Only 9% (801/9196) of the households had all occupants sleeping under a mosquito net. Kyela district had about a quarter (23.9%) of the households with all occupants sleeping under nets. Only 29% of the households had at least one insecticide treated mosquito nets. All nets in 51.4% of the households surveyed were ITNs. The largest proportion of households with ITN was observed in northern zone (40.2%), with Arumeru (46%) and Hanang (44.1%) districts having the highest ITN coverage. The lowest proportion (15.5%) of households with ITN was found in the Western Zone. Districts which had the lowest ITN coverage were Musoma Rural (12.6%), Kigoma‐Ujiji (13.2%), and Shinyanga Rural (14.4%). On average, 90.7% (8,123/8,953) of the respondents would prefer using ITN than having their house sprayed with long lasting residual insecticide. More households in urban (32.8%) than in rural districts (25.1%) had at least an ITN> A total of 1939 children underfives were sleeping under mosquito net (any type). Of these, 1140 (58.8%) were using insecticide treated nets (ITN). Overall, 31.6% of the underfives slept under an insecticide treated net during the previous night. Highest coverage was reported in Kyela (47.7%), Nyamagana (47.7%) and Arumeru (46.4%). Lowest ITN in underfives was reported in Kigoma‐Ujiji (16.0%), Musoma (17.2%) and Urambo (17.7%). In Songea more underfives children were sleeping under ITN (43.6%) than in untreated nets (40.9%). Control of bedbugs, lice, fleas, mites and cockroaches was the major added advantage of using insecticide treated nets. On average, 30.8% and 19.6% of the respondents mentioned cockroach and bedbug control as the main advantage of using ITN, respectively. The majority (52.9%) preferred blue coloured net (Northern=45.6%; Central=59.2%; Eastern=56.4%; Lake= 54.4%; Southern= 60.3%, Western= 58.5%) and Southern Highlands= 49.1%). Other colour preferences were white (29.6%), green (14.1%), black (2.1%) and pink (1.2%). A strong preference for blue mosquito nets was observed among respondents in Musoma (77.3%) and Newala (75.5%) districts. On the other hand, the weakest preference (24.7%) for blue nets was observed among respondents in Arumeru district. The majority of the respondents (82%) preferred rectangular shaped net. A larger percent (61.8%) the respondents preferred to have the map of Tanzania as a national logo to identify nets distributed in the country. On average, 62.7% and 28.8% of the households in Tanzania own at least one mosquito net (any type) and insecticide treated net, respectively. Tanzania expects that ITN coverage of under fives in 2009, after the Under Five Catch‐up Campaign is complete, to be at least 80%. If this is to be achieved, there is a need for concerted effort in scaling up the distribution and demand for long lasting nets throughout the country. Moreover, the planned use of IRS in malaria control, currently considered unpopular should be accompanied by rigorous community health education to avoid resistance from household members.\u

Unlocking Potential: The Positive Impact of In-Service Training on Science and Mathematics Teachers Teaching Strategies

This study aimed to investigate the impact of in-service training on teaching strategies among secondary school teachers who teach science and mathematics in Mwanza, Tanzania. The study utilized a quantitative and quantitative research design and collected data through an online questionnaire from a sample of 68 teachers selected through simple random sampling and interview for few selcted teachers. Thematic analysis was conducted for qualitative finding and  quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS software, and the findings indicated that in-service training had a significant positive impact on the teaching strategies of the participating teachers. The study's implications highlight the importance of investing in teacher training programs to improve the quality of education in Tanzania. Teachers who participate in in-service training can benefit from increased confidence, knowledge, and skills, which can translate into more effective and engaging teaching practices. Suggestions for further research include investigating the long-term effects of in-service training on teachers and students and exploring the most effective types of in-service training programs for different subjects and contexts. Overall, this study emphasises the importance of continuous professional development for teachers in improving the quality of education in Tanzania. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/13-16-04 Publication date:September 30th 202

Low - Cost Irrigation Technology, in the Context of Sustainable Land Management and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Kilimanjaro Region

Unsustainable land management and poor adaptation to climate change limits agricultural production in different districts in Kilimanjaro Region. The aim of this study was to train farmers on different aspects of Sustainable Land Management (SLM), improve water use efficiency (WUE) through rehabilitation of traditionally managed irrigation schemes and installation of precision irrigation systems in order to compare their performance without such systems and to assess the impact of the interventions on crop yield and water use productivity. Data were collected during land survey and farmers training in selected areas in Kilimanjaro Region using land survey and farmers training techniques. The data showed increased area under irrigation, improved crop yield, farmer income, water use efficiency and production and productivity in drip irrigation system demonstrated plots compared with furrow or gravity irrigation methods. Improved intake and main canal in Ngalachu irrigation scheme had overall all measured parameters but less compared with drip irrigation. Water saved by drip irrigation was greater by between 33 % and 50 % compared with furrow irrigation methods. The data also showed that crop yields and total revenue in drip irrigation were greater by between 25 % and 60 % and 167 % and 400 % respectively compared with the furrow irrigation methods. These results suggest that farmers using drip irrigation systems were able to realize skills and knowledge, less water loss and greater WUE, higher crop yields, higher incomes compared with places without drip irrigation systems or furrow irrigation methods. However, more time is needed to test these technologies in the field so as to have more meaningful results. It is recommended that the technologies as well as rehabilitation of traditional irrigation schemes be up scaled to a larger area and assess their impact to farmers. Targeted agronomic practices such as the choice of appropriate crop/cultivar (i.e. high value crops) for a specific environment as well as planting and harvesting times, adequate plant nutrition, soil management, and weed control should be observed by both farmers and extension staff since such agricultural practices can significantly contribute to improve WUE and farmers income through increased gross margins. Keywords: Climate change, water use efficiency, canal, total revenue, water harvesting, land, managemen

Tanzania’s Mainstream News Media Engagement with National Development

This thesis examines the ways in which Tanzania’s media report news on development issues and what accounts for the way they report, guided by social constructionist philosophy and framing theory. In terms of how they report news, the thesis draws on primary data generated from: (1) an analysis of 10,371 news stories reported by 15 Tanzanian media outlets over the course of one month, noting the general types of preferred stories and the range of news sources relied upon (which tend to be government or elite sources and male); (2) an in-depth analysis of 36 newspapers’ front-page lead stories, looking not just at the presentation and framing of these stories, but also at the omissions and elisions, using interpretive content analysis. In order to explore why the Tanzanian media cover development issues the way they do, the thesis draws on another set of primary data: semi-structured, face-to-face interviews conducted with 76 media stakeholders, where editors, journalists and media owners reflect on the constraints and opportunities – media ownership, laws used to control media autonomy, financing and professional training – facing them as media professionals trying to report on topics linked to their country’s social, economic and political challenges. There is, to date, little literature that foregrounds the views and experiences of media professionals in Tanzania or, indeed, in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and it is to this literature that this thesis primarily contributes. It concludes that from the colonial period to the current day Tanzanian media has been a contested space in which different stakeholders have diverse views about the role and functioning of the media. If the media are to play a normative, watchdog role, holding government to account and thus contributing, indirectly, to national development, then the issues of ownership, legal constraints, training and financial capacity are key

Community knowledge on HIV/AIDS and its relationship with sexual practices in Tabora and Igunga Districts, western Tanzania.

No Abstract

The Role of Tanzania Central Railway Line in Promoting Cargo Transportation

This study conducted to examine the role of central railway line in promoting cargo transportation in Tanzania. The emphasis was placed particularly on the volume of cargo transported for five years aiming to comprehend transportation needs, limiting challenges facing railway transportation and promote cargo transportation. To achieve this descriptive method of data analysis with secondary and primary data were used to reveal the level of cargo transportation in central railway. Findings from the study indicated that there is a high need for cargo transport by central railway line as it showed that only forty five percent of all cargo was transported. It was also found that there are many challenges affecting railway transport including difficulties in getting train engines which are compatible with technology, infrastructure in-capacity and ability of most railway bridges to pass heavy cargo is low. Despite of these challenges in operations, it realized that, central railway line was able to transport a total of 1.066 million tons of cargo volume in past five years (2010 – 2014). Based on the findings, it is recommended that in order to overcome the problem in promoting cargo transportation, TRL should make a plan to rebuild existing engines and purchase new engines. Engineers should receive regular training on new technology in order to meet standards. TRL should also make complete repairs of the rail road and bridges as well as develop a plan that lay down strategies to overcome competition from road trucks, including proper marketing of TRL cargo transport services. Key Words: Transportation, Railway line, Cargo Promotion, Tanzania

Therapeutic Efficacy of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine and Prevalence of Resistance Markers in Tanzania Prior to Revision of Malaria Treatment Policy: Plasmodium Falciparum Dihydrofolate Reductase and Dihydropteroate Synthase Mutations in Monitoring in Vivo Resistance.

Prior to the 2001 malarial treatment policy change in Tanzania, we conducted trials to assess the efficacy of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and the usefulness of molecular markers in monitoring resistance. A total of 383 uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria patients (between 6 and 59 months old) were treated with SP and their responses were assessed. Mutations in the P. falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (pfdhfr) and dihydropteroate synthase (pfdhps) genes in admission day blood samples were analyzed. Results indicated that 85.6% of the patients showed an adequate clinical response, 9.7% an early treatment failure, and 4.7% a late treatment failure. The quintuple mutant genotype (pfdhfr 51 Ile, 59 Arg, and 108 Asn and pfdhps 437 Gly and 540 Glu) showed an association with treatment outcome (odds ratio = 2.1; 95% confidence interval = 0.94-4.48, P = 0.045). The prevalence of the triple pfdhfr mutant genotype (51 Ile, 59 Arg, and 108 Asn) at a site of high SP resistance (23.6%) was four times higher compared with that observed at sites of moderate SP resistance (6.8-14.4%) (P = 0.000001). The genotype failure index calculated by using this marker was invariable (1.96-2.1) at sites with moderate SP resistance, but varied (3.4) at a site of high SP resistance. In conclusion, our clinical and molecular findings suggest that SP may have a short useful therapeutic life in Tanzania; thus, its adoption as an interim first-line antimalarial drug. The findings also point to the potential of the triple pfdhfr mutant genotype as an early warning tool for increasing SP resistance. These data form the baseline SP efficacy and molecular markers profile in Tanzania prior to the policy change