Access to Higher Education in Tanzania: Experiences from Students Who Are Not Beneficiaries of Higher Education Loans

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of students who do not benefit from higher education loans in their education. Although the government declared free education for primary and ordinary secondary education, yet the majority of the students who complete secondary education find it difficult to access higher education. The government through her scheme of loans has supported some students through Higher Education Students’ Loans Board (HESLB). This Board has the objective of assisting needy and eligible Tanzania students to access loans and grants for higher education. Because of tough eligibility criteria, there are many students who secure chance for Higher Education, and yet they are not qualified for loans. Some of these students get to the university with the support of their parents or guardians. This study was particularly geared to explore their experiences in the university life and to compare their performance with those who are the beneficiaries of the loans. This study used parallel concurrent triangulation design, targeting university students and university loan officers. The findings indicate that students who are not beneficiaries of the loans experience various challenges such as failure to register as students, social isolation, stress, stigma, prostitution, pregnancy and others. The findings also indicate that students who are the beneficiaries of loans perform better than none beneficiaries of the loans. This study suggests that the government should find ways to allocate more funds for students who qualify to access higher education and find other ways of supporting students who qualify for higher education

ASSESSMENT OF THE ADEQUACY OF RESOURCES AND FACILITIES TO ENHANCE LEARNER CENTRED PEDAGOGY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KILIMANJARO REGION, TANZANIA

This study was to assess the perception of teachers and students on adequacy of resources and facilities for the implementation of Learner Centred Pedagogy (LCP) in secondary schools in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. Learner centred pedagogy was introduced in Tanzania curriculum since 2009. Learner centred pedagogy emphasizes the active role of learners in the process of learning to enhance creativity and critical thinking in acquiring knowledge, skills, and competences. This study was guided by the following research questions: To what extent secondary schools in Kilimanjaro region are equipped with adequate resources and facilities to implement LCP? To what extent the government supports schools with resources and facilities for the Implementation of Learner Centred Pedagogy? What are the bottlenecks in equipping secondary schools in Kilimanjaro region with adequate resources and facilities for LCP? What can be done to equip secondary schools with adequate resources for implementation of LCP? The researcher adopted mixed research methods for data collection and analysis. Specifically the researcher used triangulation design. This study sampled 580 students, 115 teachers, 6 heads of secondary schools and one education inspector. Data collection instruments were questionnaires for students and teachers, in-depth interview guides for heads of school and educational inspector, observation guide and document analysis guides. The study found that teaching and learning resources are inadequate in schools. The government commit in supporting secondary schools is also lagging behind the required standards. Despite the fact that the government supports public secondary schools, yet private schools are far better in terms of resources and application of LCP. The government has to provide adequate resources for schools, training more teachers and change of mind set and attitude of teachers who maintain teacher centred pedagogy.  Article visualizations

ASSESSMENT PRACTICES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KILIMANJARO REGION, TANZANIA; A GAP BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE

Assessment as a process of determining the extent to which teaching and learning objectives have been achieved, is popular and used by teachers at different levels. However, the adoption of new approaches in teaching and learning such as learner centered approach based on social constructivism, possess a big challenge to teachers to align assessment practices with the theory. Many teachers belief that assessment is solely dictated by the teacher and the learner has nothing contribute in the process of setting and the administration of assessments. The theory of constructivism emphasizes on the role of learner in both learning and assessment procedures and the need for authentic assessment which incorporates diversity of objectives from both cognitive psychomotor and affective domains. This study focused on the assessment practices in secondary schools in Kilimanjaro and to determine how they align with the learner centered approaches. This study also assessed the attitudes of teachers and students and challenges encountered in assessment practices. The researcher adopted mixed research methods for data collection and analysis. This study sampled 580 students, 115 teachers, 6 heads of secondary schools, one education inspectors and one National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA) official. Data collection instruments were questionnaires, in-depth interview guides and document analysis guide. The findings indicated that there was a gap between theory and practice in assessment. A good number of teachers use teacher centered approach in both teaching and assessment procedures. It was also found that teachers and students had negative attitude towards the assessment procedures of learner centered approach, with several challenges. The researcher recommends the need for in- service training to empower teachers on how to set authentic assessment tests and exams which are more realistic in assessing students in secondary schools in Tanzania

Learning about teaching: a collaborative research exploration of learner-centered pedagogy in Tanzania

The revision of the national curriculum in Tanzania in 2005 marked a significant policy shift from lecture-based instruction emphasizing rote memorization to learner-centered pedagogy (LCP) encouraging the development of critical thinking. This shift posed substantial challenges to teachers and students at various levels-including primary schools, secondary schools, and higher education institutions-because most teachers and students had never experienced this pedagogical approach in a school. In response to this policy change, a burgeoning higher education institution (HEI), Mwenge Catholic University (MWECAU), launched a professional development workshop for secondary school teachers that focused on methods for introducing LCP into secondary schools. This week-long workshop occurred each year between 2007-2009 and was co-facilitated by faculty from MWECAU and institutions in the United States. However, little was known about its impact on the pedagogical practices of secondary school teachers when they returned to their schools after the workshop

International collaboration

International collaborations are becoming more common in the field of education, and throughout the academy, as the ease of travel and communication have made it easier to work across national boundaries. In addition, many academic institutions are seeking to internationalize their campuses through expanded study abroad offerings and additional incentives for faculty to develop research programs beyond national borders. The same time-space compression characteristic of globalization in other fields greatly affects higher education, as universities are becoming multinational institutions with campuses in two or more countries and faculty and students engaged in cross-border instruction and knowledge production. Finally, some scholars are committed to efforts to better integrate local expertise and knowledge as they attempt to decolonize or, at a minimum, democratize forms of social research. However, those who have engaged in research that brings together scholars and practitioners from multiple countries are well aware of the obstacles and tensions that frequently emerge as myriad differences in access to resources, demands on faculty time, and discursive conventions become apparent