EDITORIAL: WHY WE SHOULD ADOPT INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
We recently published a report on Tanzania’s education policy which emphasizes inclusive education. Very briefly, inclusive education means that children of all backgrounds, social status, physical abilities and whatever are given the chance to learn and grow together, to the benefit of them all.
But, experts stress that an inclusive education system requires drastic changes. This means that the society should contribute to making this type of learning possible – always bearing in mind that the goal of inclusive education is to provide all pupils with the most appropriate learning environment and opportunities for them to excel and achieve their full potential.
Society must ensure that pupils are accorded every opportunity to give of their best through quality teaching and ready access to the requisite enabling/facilitative resources.
But, the reality on the ground is that there still are a myriad challenges to inclusive education – particularly in rural areas, where the involvement of local communities is more often than not minimal.
The situation is even more complicated for children with disabilities who may find the learning environment unfriendly – or who have difficulty with school enrolment or routinely attending classes.
This is wherein come policy makers, education specialists, local government authorities, parents and guardians to collaborate on creating an enabling environment every which way – doing so where necessary through positive/transformative change.
It is not good enough to have proposed changes on paper; they must be functionally translated into action on the ground if they are to be worth the time, effort, energy and other resourceful inputs.
Stakeholders are generally agree that inclusive education is good for the Tanzanian society – if only because it is anti-oppressive, anti-bias, multi-cultural, tackles inequality, teaches social justice and emphasizes humanitarianism.
It is the obligation of every Tanzanian and the country’s well-wishers to ensure that inclusive education works. It can be done; JUST GET IT DONE!
RURAL YOUTH NEED NEW SKILLS
Hundreds of thousands of young Tanzanians are leaving rural areas annually to seek employment in cities and towns. The migration is rapid, taking into consideration the fact that poverty is more widespread in rural areas than urban centres.
It is estimated that Dar es Salaam’s population is increasing by over 200,000 annually, with the authorities struggling to provide adequate social services and amenities such as infrastructure. It is generally acknowledged that about three-quarters of the city’s dwellers are squatters. Other urban areas are also finding it difficult to cope with the influx of immigrants. It is small wonder that crime levels are high and epidemics frequently break out in crowded urban areas.
Equipping rural youngsters with the right agricultural skills, knowledge and inputs will go a long way in ensuring that they don’t simply pack their bags and leave for urban areas. However, it is essential to build strong and adequate infrastructure to store crops and ease transportation to marketplaces.
Farmers should also be kept abreast of market trends, prices and competition to survive and prosper. In so doing, the tide of rural-urban migration will be checked or even reversed.
