yPublish Date: Sep 25, 2012
Heavy police deployment
By Vision Reporter
Kyadondo East MP Ibrahim Semujju Nganda has vowed to go on with his rally at Kireka despite Police heavy deployment to block it.
“I am a national leader and I need to consult my electorate on issues that affect them. As I speak to you now, am in Kireka for the final preparations. The rally will go on as planned at 2PM whether they want it to take place or not”, Semujju told the New Vision Tuesday morning.
Ibin Ssekumbi the Kampala metropolitan Police spokesperson on Monday told reporters in Kampala that they had canceled a rally over security reasons.
But the MP instead accused the Police of bias. “People who are in the Police administration are partisan. Why stop a civil legitimate meeting?”
Semujju has urged his electorate to turn up in big numbers to discuss issues that affect them. He said they will discuss the poor road network in the constituency, corruption at Kira town council and markets among other issues.
Senkumbi explained that due to more pressure exerted by the terrorist threat and taking charge of independence jubilee celebrations, it would be overstretched to cover the rally at Kireka.
“We also have information that the opposition groups and politicians want to interrupt this week’s independence jubilee celebrations and cannot allow them to distract us” he added.
Ssekumbi said Nganda met the Kampala Police chiefs who advised him to postpone his consultation rally. “We told him that the consultation must be postponed to another date.”
He said Nganda may be linked to a new political pressure group known as ‘walk to freedom’.
In the recent past residents of Kampala and the surrounding areas were disturbed by ‘walk to work’ we hope they are not resurfacing” Ssekumbi added.
He said they would not allow anything to jeopardize security as Uganda comes close to the independence jubilee celebrations this week.
Kyadondo East MP Ibrahim Semujju Nganda has vowed to go on with his rally at Kireka despite Police heavy deployment to block it.
“I am a national leader and I need to consult my electorate on issues that affect them. As I speak to you now, am in Kireka for the final preparations. The rally will go on as planned at 2PM whether they want it to take place or not”, Semujju told the New Vision Tuesday morning.
Ibin Ssekumbi the Kampala metropolitan Police spokesperson on Monday told reporters in Kampala that they had canceled a rally over security reasons.
But the MP instead accused the Police of bias. “People who are in the Police administration are partisan. Why stop a civil legitimate meeting?”
Semujju has urged his electorate to turn up in big numbers to discuss issues that affect them. He said they will discuss the poor road network in the constituency, corruption at Kira town council and markets among other issues.
Senkumbi explained that due to more pressure exerted by the terrorist threat and taking charge of independence jubilee celebrations, it would be overstretched to cover the rally at Kireka.
“We also have information that the opposition groups and politicians want to interrupt this week’s independence jubilee celebrations and cannot allow them to distract us” he added.
Ssekumbi said Nganda met the Kampala Police chiefs who advised him to postpone his consultation rally. “We told him that the consultation must be postponed to another date.”
He said Nganda may be linked to a new political pressure group known as ‘walk to freedom’.
In the recent past residents of Kampala and the surrounding areas were disturbed by ‘walk to work’ we hope they are not resurfacing” Ssekumbi added.
He said they would not allow anything to jeopardize security as Uganda comes close to the independence jubilee celebrations this week.
Leaders of Sudan and South Sudan met on late on Sunday to try reach a deal to end hostilities and restart oil exports but there was still no breakthrough on a key security accord after two weeks of talks in Ethiopia, officials said.
South Sudan said it expected Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his southern counterpart, Salva Kiir, to reach an deal on Monday, after a U.N. Security Council deadline was unofficially extended.
The armies of both nations fought for weeks in April along the unmarked and disputed border after a row escalated over how much South Sudan should pay to use northern oil pipelines.
Highlighting the deep mistrust between the neighbours, South Sudan accused Sudan of parachuting weapons at the weekend to rebels in the new African nation, which split off from its former civil war foe Khartoum in July 2011.
South Sudan's cabinet affairs minister Deng Alor said Kiir and Bashir would reach an agreement by Monday.
"Tomorrow we will be finished. There will be a deal," he told reporters after the summit started, giving no details.
The presidents were chatting to each other as they left the hotel room where their meeting was held, with Kiir wearing his trademark cowboy hat with a dark suit.
The two will meet again on Monday morning, offficials said.
Badr el-Din Abdallah, spokesman for the Sudanese delegation, earlier said there were still differences: "We have agreed on many topics but there are still issues for which we don't have a deal yet, specifically the security issue."
The two countries had to reach a comprehensive peace deal by the weekend or risk incurring U.N. Security Council sanctions.
The U.N. deadline formally expired at midnight on Saturday, but the parties effectively have until the end of the African Union-led summit to reach an agreement.
Diplomats have been trying to mediate between the rivals, which have a history of signing and then not implementing deals. Both badly need the oil revenues at stake.
The two reached an interim deal in August to restart oil exports from landlocked South Sudan through Sudan to its Red Sea ports after Juba turned off wells in a row over export fees.
But Sudan insists on first reaching a security accord.
On Saturday, Sudan raised hopes of a deal by conditionally accepting an AU map for a demilitarized border zone after objecting to it for months, but Abdallah said on Sunday the issue had not yet been resolved.
Juba has already accepted the AU map.
Bashir first met Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Sunday and then like Kiir, spent much of the day with his delegation.
"The points are on the table. We are quite hopeful and optimistic that things will move forward," Ethiopia's State Foreign Minister Berhane Gebrekristos said after Bashir met Desalegn.
MISTRUST
South Sudan, where most follow Christianity and animism, seceded from the mainly Muslim north in July 2011 under a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of civil war.
Secession left a long list of issues unresolved such as marking the border, fees for southern oil fees and ending accusations of rebel support in each other's territory.
Western and African officials had hoped for broad peace accord but several rounds of talks in Addis Ababa have brought no visible progress on settling the fate of five disputed border areas. This will probably be left to a future round or possible lengthy arbitration.
South Sudan accused Sudan of parachuting eight parcels of weapons and ammunition to forces of anti-government militia leader David Yau Yau in the country's east on Friday and Saturday.
"Yesterday and today Antonov (planes) have dropped arms and ammunition around Likuangole in front of everybody, including UNMISS (the U.N. mission in South Sudan)," army spokesman Philip Aguer said.
Sudanese army spokesman al-Sawarmi Khalid denied the claim.
There was also no sign of progress in indirect talks held in Addis Ababa between Sudan and the rebel group Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) which is fighting the Sudan's army in two areas bordering South Sudan.
Khartoum accuses Juba of supporting the SPLM-North. South Sudan accuses Sudan of supporting militias in the new republic.
The two presidents are also expected to discuss a solution for the disputed border region of Abyei, where previous attempts to hold a referendum have failed because neither can agree on who is eligible to vote.
South Sudan said it expected Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his southern counterpart, Salva Kiir, to reach an deal on Monday, after a U.N. Security Council deadline was unofficially extended.
The armies of both nations fought for weeks in April along the unmarked and disputed border after a row escalated over how much South Sudan should pay to use northern oil pipelines.
Highlighting the deep mistrust between the neighbours, South Sudan accused Sudan of parachuting weapons at the weekend to rebels in the new African nation, which split off from its former civil war foe Khartoum in July 2011.
South Sudan's cabinet affairs minister Deng Alor said Kiir and Bashir would reach an agreement by Monday.
"Tomorrow we will be finished. There will be a deal," he told reporters after the summit started, giving no details.
The presidents were chatting to each other as they left the hotel room where their meeting was held, with Kiir wearing his trademark cowboy hat with a dark suit.
The two will meet again on Monday morning, offficials said.
Badr el-Din Abdallah, spokesman for the Sudanese delegation, earlier said there were still differences: "We have agreed on many topics but there are still issues for which we don't have a deal yet, specifically the security issue."
The two countries had to reach a comprehensive peace deal by the weekend or risk incurring U.N. Security Council sanctions.
The U.N. deadline formally expired at midnight on Saturday, but the parties effectively have until the end of the African Union-led summit to reach an agreement.
Diplomats have been trying to mediate between the rivals, which have a history of signing and then not implementing deals. Both badly need the oil revenues at stake.
The two reached an interim deal in August to restart oil exports from landlocked South Sudan through Sudan to its Red Sea ports after Juba turned off wells in a row over export fees.
But Sudan insists on first reaching a security accord.
On Saturday, Sudan raised hopes of a deal by conditionally accepting an AU map for a demilitarized border zone after objecting to it for months, but Abdallah said on Sunday the issue had not yet been resolved.
Juba has already accepted the AU map.
Bashir first met Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Sunday and then like Kiir, spent much of the day with his delegation.
"The points are on the table. We are quite hopeful and optimistic that things will move forward," Ethiopia's State Foreign Minister Berhane Gebrekristos said after Bashir met Desalegn.
MISTRUST
South Sudan, where most follow Christianity and animism, seceded from the mainly Muslim north in July 2011 under a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of civil war.
Secession left a long list of issues unresolved such as marking the border, fees for southern oil fees and ending accusations of rebel support in each other's territory.
Western and African officials had hoped for broad peace accord but several rounds of talks in Addis Ababa have brought no visible progress on settling the fate of five disputed border areas. This will probably be left to a future round or possible lengthy arbitration.
South Sudan accused Sudan of parachuting eight parcels of weapons and ammunition to forces of anti-government militia leader David Yau Yau in the country's east on Friday and Saturday.
"Yesterday and today Antonov (planes) have dropped arms and ammunition around Likuangole in front of everybody, including UNMISS (the U.N. mission in South Sudan)," army spokesman Philip Aguer said.
Sudanese army spokesman al-Sawarmi Khalid denied the claim.
There was also no sign of progress in indirect talks held in Addis Ababa between Sudan and the rebel group Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) which is fighting the Sudan's army in two areas bordering South Sudan.
Khartoum accuses Juba of supporting the SPLM-North. South Sudan accuses Sudan of supporting militias in the new republic.
The two presidents are also expected to discuss a solution for the disputed border region of Abyei, where previous attempts to hold a referendum have failed because neither can agree on who is eligible to vote.
Maoni ya wadau wa Elimu kuhusu Bajeti ya Elimu haya hapa. Kiswahili na Kingereza
Maoni ya Wadau wa Elimu kuhusu Bajeti ya Wizara ya Elimu na Mafunzo ya Ufundi iliosomwa Bungeni 13 Agosti, 2012 - HakiElimu, Dar es Salaam.
HakiElimu inalitazama suala la elimu kwa kila mtu kama haki ya msingi baada ya haki ya kuishi, kwetu sisi elimu ndiyo haki pekee inayoweza kumsaidia mtoto au mwanadamu yoyote aweze kupata haki zake nyingine zote. Kwa sababu hiyo, HakiElimu inaamini kuwa suala la kupambana na changamoto zinazoikabili sekta ya elimu nchini si la kufumbiwa macho na ni jukumu la kila Mtanzania.
Kama shirika linalojihusisha na utetezi wa haki ya kupata elimu, HakiElimu iliandaa na kufanya mkutano na wadau wa elimu mbalimbali uliyolenga kujadili hali ya elimu nchini, kufuatilia Bajeti ya Wizara ya Elimu na Mafunzo ya Ufundi ya 2012/2013, ikiwasilishwa Bungeni tarehe 13 Agosti, 2012 na kutoa maoni, mitazamo na ushauri juu ya bajeti hiyo na mwelekeo wa elimu kwa ujumla.
1. Katika hotuba yake Waziri hajazungumzia kabisa mgomo wa walimu uliofanyika hivi karibuni. Hii inatia shaka kama serikali ina nia ya dhati kushughulikia kero na matatizo ya walimu. Kama serikali inataka kufikia muafaka na walimu na kuboresha ufundishaji ni lazima ikubali kuwa kuna tatizo na isikwepe wala kuona aibu kulijadili suala hili kwa uwazi. Aidha, Bajeti haina mkakati maalumu wa kuongeza ubora wa walimu ambao ni muhimu katika kuleta elimu bora. Serikali imeendelea kupuuza maslahi ya walimu huku ikikataa kukubali kuwa bila kukuboresha maslahi yao hawatafanya kazi kwa moyo.
2. Waziri pia hakugusia vizuri suala la migomo ya wanafunzi vyuo vikuu ambayo mingi husababishwa na matatizo ya Bodi ya Mikopo. Ni muhimu kubadilisha mfumo wa utoaji wa mikopo; Bodi ya Mikopo iwe na matawi mikoani ili kurahisisha utoaji wa mikopo na kupunguza urasimu. Pia, katika kupunguza kero zilizopo kwa wanafunzi wasiokuwa na uwezo wa kujilipia masomo ya juu, Serikali ingekuja na mkakati wa kuwasomesha wanafunzi waliofaulu kwa kiwango cha juu. Hii ingekuwa tumaini kwa watoto wanaotoka kwenye familia masikini.
3. Bajeti hii haina tofauti yoyote na ile ya mwaka jana kwa maana ya uwezo wa kutatua changamoto za elimu na hatutegemei mapya katika utekelezekaji wake. Bajeti haizungumzii kwa kina jinsi ya kukabiliana na changamoto zilizopo katika sekta ya elimu; haina upembuzi yakinifu wa matatizo na njia za kuyatatua.
4. Bajeti bado inatoa kipaumbele katika matumizi ya kawaida na kupuuza uwekezaji wa msingi katika elimu. Mathalani, katika makadirio ya bajeti ya takribani shilingi bilioni 724, ni shilingi bilioni 92.5 tu zilizotengwa kwa ajili ya shughuli za maendeleo katika elimu. Hii ina maana kuwa ni asilimia 13 ya bajeti itaenda kwenye shugghuli za maendeleo na zaidi ya bilioni 630 (87%) zimekwenda katika matumizi ya kawaida!
5. Aidha, suala lingine lililojitokeza ni utegemezi mkubwa wa Serikali kwa fedha za wahisani katika kutekeleza miradi yake ya maendeleo. Katika Bajeti hii kati ya shilingi bilioni 92.5 zilizotengwa kwa ajili ya miradi ya maendeleo, ni shilingi bilioni 18.5 (asilimia 20) tu ndizo zitatoka katika vyanzo vya ndani wakati shilingi bilioni 74 (asilimia 80) zinatarajiwa kutoka kwa wahisani! Utegemezi kwa wahisani wa kiwango kikubwa hivi ni hatari kwa maendeleo ya nchi yetu kwani kama wahisani hao watakwama kutoa misaada yao basi mipango yetu ya maendeleo nayo itakwama
6. Tumemsikia Waziri wa Elimu na Mafunzo ya Ufundi akisema uwiano wa mwalimu kwa wanafunzi umeboreshwa kutoka 1 kwa 48 hadi 1 kwa 46. Kwa juu juu, inaonekana tumefanya vizuri, kwani lengo letu ni kufikia uwiano wa 1 kwa 45. Lakini kuna angalizo; huu ni wastani na unaficha ukweli kwamba katika maeneo mengi watoto wanaweza kuzidi 50, 60 au 70 kwa mwalimu mmoja. Bajeti ikijaa maelezo yanayojikita kwenye kutoa wastani bila ufananuzi kuhusu hali halisi ni hatari sana kwani haitoi taswira halisi ya ama kukua, kudumaa au hata kudorora kwa elimu nchini.
7. Waziri ameahidi kwamba katika kipindi cha 2012/13, Wizara yake itaifanyia kazi sera mpya ya elimu; lakini, hajasema ni lini sera hiyo itakuwa tayari. Tunasistiza umuhimu wa kutimiza ahadi hii mapema kwani sera hii ndiyo itaongoza utoaji wa elimu Tanzania. Sera ya 1995 imepitwa na wakati na sasa ni serikali inapaswa ije na sera mpya inayozingatia mabadiliko ya kiuchumi na dira ya maendeleo.
8. Serikali imeendelea kutoa ahadi juu ya mpango mpya wa maendeleo ya elimu ya msingi awamu ya tatu baada ya ule wa awamu ya pili kumalizika 2010, lakini haielezi maandalizi yamefikia hatua gani na lini utakuwa tayari. Ni vema serikali ikaharakisha mpango huo ili kutoa dira kwa watekelezaji wa sera na bajeti za kila mwaka.
9. Hotuba ya Waziri imeendelea kupuuza matatizo katika shule za kata hasa suala la kutokuwa na mabweni. Kuna athari nyingi sana za kuwa na shule umbali mkubwa kutoka makazi ya wanafunzi. Hii ni pamoja na wasichana kuwa hatarini kupata mimba n.k. Serikali haijasema wala kuonesha mkakati madhubuti wa kuyafanyia kazi matatizo kama haya.
10. Alipokuwa akiongelea suala la ubora, Waziri alijikita zaidi katika kuongelea namna Wizara ilivyoboresha matokeo katika mtihani wa kuhitimu shule ya msingi, kutoka asilimia 53.5 hadi 58.3. Wakati kweli hili ni ongezeko, bado haliridhishi. Aidha, kumekuwa kuna tatizo kubwa sana kwenye ufaulu wa mtihani wa kuhitimu kidato cha nne kwani asilimia 90 ya waliofanya mtihani huu mwaka jana walipata div 4 au 0. Utoaji wa elimu bora ya sekondari utaisadia sana Tanzania kufikia malengo yake ya maendeleo kwani mwananchi anayeipata atakuwa na uwezo mkubwa wa kulinda afya yake, kujiendeleza kiuchumi na kujitambua. Hivyo, tunashangazwa na kushtushwa na ukimya wa Waziri kuhusu suala hili.
11. Wakati tunatarajia kuandaa sera mpya ya elimu ni vema pia tukatafakari kuhusu suala la lugha ya kufundishia. Wakati ni muhimu kwa Mtanzania wa karne hii kukijua Kiingereza na ufundishaji wa lugha hii lazima uboreshwe, ni muhimu zaidi kuwafundisha watoto kwa lugha ambayo wanaielewa ili wapate ujuzi.
12. Mwisho, wakati Wizara inapanga mikakati yake, ni muhimu kuwa na mpango madhubuti kuhusu wahitimu kwani kundi hili likikata tamaa kutokana na kushindwa kupata ajira n.k., linaweza kuleta mtikisiko mkubwa katika taifa.
Education stakeholders’ response to the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training budget reading on 13th August 2012 – HakiElimu, Dar es Salaam.
HakiElimu’s vision is to see an open, just and democratic Tanzania, where all people enjoy the right to education that promotes equity, creativity and critical thinking. We believe that for this to happen, people need to be involved in shaping the country’s public education system at all levels.
This is why on August 13, 2012, HakiElimu brought together various stakeholders to discuss the state of education, listen to the reading of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training 2012/2013 budget and discuss how effectively it addressed their varying concerns. The meeting was held on the premises of REPOA in Dar es Salaam and culminated in the following recommendations and concerns:
1. It was surprising that the Minister made no mention of the teacher’s strike. For many around the country, this was one of the most significant events in the education sector this year. By not speaking about it, the Ministry and Government gave the public the impression that they are not interested in improving teachers’ welfare. If the Ministry hopes to improve learner outcomes, it must be open and transparent in dealing with teachers’ concerns and these must be prioritised in the quest for quality education.
2. The minister’s budget speech failed to highlight enduring strikes by students in higher learning institutions as a challenge. These strikes are most often caused by students’ dissatisfaction with the higher learning loans system and might be significantly reduced if the system was decentralized so that the Loans Board worked through offices at regional level. Government should introduce a scholarship system so that students who distinguish themselves through their performance are assured that their studies will be paid for. This avenue would provide hope to students from poor families.
3. This budget is no different than last year’s budget in terms of how it will address current challenges in the education sector; we don’t expect anything new as a result of its implementation. The budget does not discuss at length strategies that will be used to address education sector challenges, it does not critically analyse underlining issues and concerns.
4. This year’s budget continues to privilege recurrent over development expenditures thus neglecting the opportunity, yet again, to invest in education. Out of an estimated expenditure of approximately 724 billion shillings, just 92.5 billion has been budgeted for development efforts. In contrast, over 630 billion shillings has been allocated for recurrent expenditures.
5. Another issue that emerged had to do with the Ministry’s dependency on funds from development partners in order to implement development projects. In this year’s budget, out of the 92.5 billion shillings allocated to development projects, just 18.5 billion or 20 per cent will be generated from internal or local revenue sources. The rest, which is 74 billion shillings or 80 per cent of the development budget, is expected to be financed by development partners. This level of dependency on external sources is worrying given that development partners sometimes renege on commitments to make funds available.
6. In his speech the Minister of Education and Vocational Training mentioned the improvement in teacher-pupil ratio, from 1 to 48 to 1 to 46. On the surface, it would appear we have done well in this area, given that our objective is to have at least 1 teacher to 45 pupils. But in reality, the figure given is an average and across the country there are classrooms with over 50, 60 and even 70 pupils to one teacher. The use of averages in presentations such as this one without further explanation is misleading and consequently fails to provide the public with a real picture of what is going on in education.
7. The Ministry expects to finalise the new education policy document during this financial year, although it has not said specifically when. We would like to urge the Ministry to make sure that this happens because the 1995 education and training policy is out of date. It is important that the government finally releases a new policy that takes into account changes in the economic context and development vision of the country.
8. The Government, through the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, committed itself to implementing a third phase of the primary education development programme, after the second phase came to an end in 2010. We urge the Government to ensure that this programme is ready for implementation and that it carries a vision for the positive transformation of primary education in Tanzania.
9. The budget speech continued in the tradition of underestimating the challenges that community secondary schools are facing, and particularly the lack of hostels at these schools. There are several cons to having schools located at a long distance from where learners and their communities live; it is particularly dangerous for girls and increases the incidence of schoolgirl pregnancies and other undesirable situations. The Ministry failed to clearly explain how it will work to address challenges such as these in the coming financial year.
10. When discussing the issue of education quality, the Minister focused on how the Ministry had successfully raised the primary school pass rate from 53.5 to 58.3 per cent. While this is indeed an improvement, it is still not satisfactory and more needs to be done to improve learner outcomes. This is particularly urgent at secondary school level, where in the most recent form four exams, 90 per cent of the examination candidates record a dismal performance of division four or zero. The provision of quality secondary education is fundamental to the development of this country because of its potential impact on human development and particularly in the areas of health and citizen agency. We are shocked and surprised that the Minister failed to mention this.
11. While the Ministry undertakes to finalise and release a new education policy, it is important that the issue of language of instruction is finally addressed. While it is important for Tanzania’s to become competent users of the English language, and teaching of this language in our schools must improve, our priority should lie in ensuring that learners are taught in a language that they understand and that can impart them with the skills they need.
12. Finally, as the Ministry develops its plans and strategies, it is important that it comes up with a strategy for addressing the high levels of youth unemployment as if the current situation continues unchecked, it could lead to civil disturbance and unrest.
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