TIE: TZ lacks Literature curriculum

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) has confirmed that there is no curriculum for English Literature in secondary schools, confirming fears surrounding the country’s education mess.

TIE’s confirmation comes even as the government continues shelving the report of the Commission of Inquiry that investigated the massive failures in the 2012 Form Four national examinations.

The Citizen understands that the report was handed over to Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda in June, but this is yet to be released to the public. Sources privy to The Citizen, confided that the Commission had established that there was no curriculum for English Literature, which is taught in forms Three and Four in secondary schools.

Yesterday, the TIE acting director general, Dr Leonard Akwilapo, agreed that it was true there was no syllabus yet but was optimistic that they were working around the clock to develop the new curriculum immediately.

Dr Akwilapo was speaking on the sidelines of a policy dialogue on the impact of English Language in improving education quality in Tanzania held in Dar es Salaam.

“The history of English Literature is clear that the government had scrapped it and combined it with English Language. Since then, we are yet to have a new curriculum that separates literature from the core subject,’’ he said.

The revelation from a senior government official comes after concurrent exclusive stories in The Citizen this week on the report of the commission of inquiry chaired by the current PS for Education ministry, Prof Sifuni Mchome.

The commission was formed after 60 per cent of Form Four students scored division ‘0’ in their national examinations.

Yesterday, Prof Mchome was expected to attend the education dialogue organised by TIE in collaboration with The British Council. However, he later sent a representative from the ministry’s department of teachers education. It was not immediately established as to why he went missing.