Tanzania Institute of Adult Education (IAE) Council has been tasked to redefine the institution’s position as the country undergoes reforms in the education sector.
Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adolf Mkenda directed the council over the weekend when he visited the Institute’s headquarters in Dar es Salaam saying the Ministry has finished the task of revising education curriculum.
He advised IAE to make publicity of its activities for the public to understand its responsibilities.
On her part, the docket’s Permanent Secretary, Professor Carolyne Nombo, who was in the Ministry’s tour quoted the 2022 National Population and Housing Census (PHC) report, saying there a lot of people who have no foundation skills namely reading and writing.
She said development is subject to educated people hence the Institute has the role of addressing the illiteracy in the country through extramural education.
On the other hand, Director of IAE, Professor Michael Ng’umbi said the Institute is currently working on the programme to prepare teachers for technical education.
IAE was established in the early 1960s, as part of what is now University of Dar es Salaam, just before independence from British rule.
It was established during the times when literacy rates among adults were cited as low as 15 percent, when the educated populace consisted of only 480 secondary school graduates, and less than 100 university graduates; and when the majority of the population lived in rural poverty, with little access to quality education.
The Institute of Adult Education Act number 12 of 1975 established this institution as an autonomous government organisation responsible for adult education, under the ministry responsible for education.
The role of IAE then was to provide education opportunities to adults to enable them to get knowledge and skills necessary for their active participation in the process of social and economic development.
In the words of Mwalimu Nyerere, the country needed to ‘begin by educating adults’ since investing in adult education was more effective than depending on the children’s education.
