Teachers’ role in development emphasised

TEACHERS will play their important role of bringing about development if they impart quality education to students as well as appreciate their work, the Commissioner of Education, Dr Lyabwene Mtahabwa said.

Speaking at Tanzania Education Support Programme (TESP) stakeholders meeting organised by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology over the weekend, he said a good teacher is the one who has thirsty to see all his students love to read, understand and succeed.

Mr Mtahabwa asked teachers to look for different methods of making their students develop love to reading.

He said every student is gifted with his/her own way of understanding therefore, teachers should treat them well and help them so that they can perform well in their academic endeavor and move forward.

“I would like to tell my fellow teachers bullying at various levels from primary schools to universities are killing our education in Tanzania. Abuses destroy a desire to learn, please change,” said Dr Mtahabwa.

Speaking about the TESP project, Dr Mtahabwa said the project aims to bring improvements in the teachers training in Tanzania and also to build infrastructure in teaching colleges, either will help to buy Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment and build laboratories.

“This project will also help to provide on-the job training because as you understand the initial teacher training is not the end of being a good teacher, but the one who is keen to learn every day,” said Dr Mtahabwa.

He said the project is aimed at changing teachers’ attitude and seeing teaching as a valuable job which can kill the nation if done improperly and can also lift the nation economically and socially if properly done.

TESP Coordinator, Mr Cosmas Mahenge, said the project, worth 53 million US dollars, is a collaboration between the governments of Canada and Tanzania.

Mr Mahenge said the government of Tanzania  signed a contract with the government of Canada (contribution arrangement) whereby Canada has made the huge contribution to the project.

He said the project is focused on strengthening the teaching education in the country at the level of diploma and degree in government colleges.

“The major work done by this project is to train around 1300 trainers. It focuses on professional training, gender training, and ICT training,” he explained.

He said the project has also invested in ICT equipment and has provided to all 35 colleges across the country.

“Our colleagues (government of Canada) are very sensitive to the issues of gender equality for women and men. So, in order to maintain the balance, there is a strategy developed through this project and it is being implemented in all 35 colleges,” said Mahenge.

He said the project which started in 2017 is implemented for seven years until 2025.—-