Provision of universal primary education in Tanzania : Selected quality issues in Kagera Region

Abstract

This study investigated the performance of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme in Kagera region between 1998 and 2008. It involved 160 participants who responded to a closed questionnaire. Items in interviews also scrutinised the extent to which the programme has achieved its objective of providing quality education. It was concluded that provision of quality primary education in Kagera is facing challenges of: low numbers of trained teachers; deficiency of pedagogical skills; and modest supply of teaching/ learning resources. Recommendations include: deployment of well trained teachers to ensure optimal provision of quality education; Ministry of Education and Vocational Training should emphasise frequent use of in-service training programmes to complement preservice training; teachers in schools should be encouraged to prepare instructional materials to mitigate book shortage; and education budget should be increased to meet the constrained desire for learning resources in schools