Kimberly

 Pecoraro  

MTH  386  

August  1st,  2016  

Equity  Issues  in  Tanzanian  Schools    

  Equity  and  equality  are  two  very  similar  words  with  similar  definitions.  

However,  when  in  a  classroom,  they  mean  two  very  different  things.  Equality  means  

each  student  is  given  the  same  resources.  Equity  means  giving  each  student  access  

to  the  resources  they  need  to  learn  and  thrive.  Each  student  has  different  learning  

styles  and  approaches  situations  differently.  As  a  teacher,  it  is  our  job  to  embrace  

these  differences  and  appropriately  help  students  reach  their  learning  goals  

effectively.  Equity  in  classrooms  is  an  issue  worldwide,  but  after  visiting  Tanzania,  I  

was  able  to  see  more  of  a  dramatic  difference  in  equity  issues  there.    

  When  reflecting  on  my  time  in  the  schools  in  Tanzania,  the  first  issue  of  

equity  that  I  noticed  was  the  lack  of  resources.  To  begin  with,  the  schools  had  hardly  

any  resources,  and  what  they  did  have  was  not  equally  distributed  throughout  the  

classrooms.  Teachers  would  fight  over  the  very  little  supplies  that  were  given  to  

them,  or  have  to  purchase  their  own  supplies.  Even  finding  the  basics  of  chalk  or  

pens  to  run  class  became  issues.  Teachers  would  arrive  to  their  classes  late  because  

they  had  to  spend  time  looking  for  chalk  so  that  they  could  write  on  the  board.  

Resources  not  only  lacked  for  the  teachers,  but  the  students  as  well.  While,  there  I  

taught  Standard  2  through  Standard  6.  Standard  6  was  the  only  class  in  which  fifty  

percent  of  the  students  each  had  their  own  textbooks.  In  every  other  one  of  my  

classes,  it  was  rare  for  any  student  to  have  their  own  copy  of  the  textbook.  In  fact,  
students  often  would  ask  me  for  paper  because  they  didn’t  have  their  own  exercise  

book  or  because  they  ran  out  of  room  in  theirs.  Searching  for  pencils  and  pens  was  

an  issue  for  the  students  as  well.  Often  times  they  would  share,  along  with  rulers.  I  

quickly  realized  this  was  the  first  of  many  equity  issues  I  came  across.    

  Another  issue  I  noticed  was  that  the  teachers  that  were  working  in  the  

schools  were  not  educated  enough  to  teach  a  lot  of  the  things  they  were  teaching.  If  

they  did  not  know  the  material  fluently  themselves,  how  were  they  supposed  to  

effectively  present  it  to  the  students?  The  students  did  not  have  textbooks  to  review  

the  information  later  on,  or  attempt  to  teach  themselves  in  a  different  way  if  they  

did  not  understand  the  material  the  teacher  was  presenting.  It  does  not  take  long  or  

much  education  in  Tanzania  to  become  a  teacher.  Education  is  not  chosen  “career”  

path  for  most  people  there.  People  rarely  pursue  teaching  because  it  is  their  passion.  

Most  often,  it  is  a  place  filler  or  temporary.  People  need  to  make  money,  and  a  lot  of  

the  times,  teachers  in  Tanzania  have  a  second  job  outside  of  teaching.    

  I  also  quickly  noticed  that  language  was  an  issue  that  contributed  to  equity  

issues.  Lutheran  Tetra  Primary  was  an  English-­‐medium  school.  This  meant  that  all  

instruction  was  done  in  English.  Teachers  and  students  were  not  supposed  to  speak  

Swahili  at  any  time,  other  than  Kiswahili  class.  Many  students  in  Tanzania  grow  up  

speaking  their  mother’s  tongue,  then  Swahili,  their  national  language.  Next,  if  

students  have  the  privilege,  they  begin  pre-­‐primary  and  primary  school.  Just  like  

that,  they  are  thrown  into  speaking  English  100%  of  the  time.  Most  of  the  teachers  

do  not  speak  English  often  outside  of  school  and  their  English  is  most  often  very  

poor  and  grammatically  incorrect.  This  leads  to  many  issues.  First,  the  teachers  then  
teach  their  students  incorrect  English.  Second,  the  students  have  trouble  

communicating  with  the  teacher  effectively.  Teachers  and  students  struggle  to  

communicate  their  ideas  to  one  another.  Third,  improper  things  are  often  taught  

because  of  the  language  barrier.  Often  things  are  written  on  the  board  or  things  

being  vocalized  incorrectly  to  the  students.  Once  again,  the  students  write  down  

what  is  on  the  board  that  becomes  their  only  source  of  information  to  refer  back  to,  

since  they  do  not  have  textbooks.  Fourth,  questions  are  often  poorly  worded  for  the  

students.  With  poorly  worded  questions,  students  most  often  will  choose  the  wrong  

answer.  This  leads  to  questioning  whether  or  not  the  student  truly  does  not  

understand  the  material,  or  if  they  thought  it  was  asking  something  else.  

Throughout  my  time  there,  I  saw  this  happen  quite  frequently.  Many  times,  there  

were  questions  asked  that  could  have  more  than  one  correct  answer.  When  this  

happened,  teachers  would  pick  the  answer  they  thought  to  be  correct  and  expect  

this  answer  from  all  students.  Fifth,  language  holds  an  issue  in  the  sense  that  often  if  

a  teacher  does  not  understand  a  question  a  student  is  asking,  they  move  on  without  

addressing  it  or  trying  to  figure  it  out  and  help  them.  If  a  teacher  asks  the  class  a  

question  and  there  is  no  response,  odds  are  the  teacher  will  continue  on  with  the  

lesson  with  the  question  unanswered  and  a  gap  in  the  students’  learning.  I  truly  

believe  that  language  is  the  source  of  many  equity  issues  in  the  classroom.    

     Next,  teacher  instruction  itself  is  where  I  noticed  the  largest  equity  problem  

within  the  classroom.  As  a  result  of  the  limited  resources  and  the  fact  that  students  

don’t  have  their  own  textbooks,  teachers  believe  that  the  students  need  to  receive  

that  information.  Which  I  agree  with,  however,  copying  the  textbook  onto  the  board  
and  having  the  students  copy  that  into  their  exercise  books  is  not  teaching.  Yes,  they  

need  to  get  the  material  in  their  books,  but  they  also  need  instruction  and  

explanation.  Often,  there  is  no  group  or  class  discussion;  there  is  no  checking  to  see  

if  the  students  understand.  Teachers  believe  that  is  what  their  homework  is  for.  And  

once  again,  homework  questions  from  the  book  are  copied  on  the  board  for  students  

to  do,  which  are  often  poorly  worded  and  not  an  effective  way  to  check  for  

understanding.  This  becomes  a  vicious  cycle.  Throughout  instruction,  students  are  

often  scared  of  being  wrong.  In  Tanzanian  schools,  it  is  not  socially  acceptable  for  

students  to  attempt  to  answer  questions  or  think  “outside  of  the  box”.  There  is  a  

constant  fear  of  being  wrong  or  disappointment.  This  is  in  part  because  this  is  the  

way  the  school  environment  was  when  teachers  were  growing  up  and  going  through  

school,  so  today’s  teachers  don’t  know  any  differently.  Education  is  very  cut  and  dry.  

You  either  know  it,  or  you  don’t.  There  is  no  asking  questions  or  clarifications.  You  

copy  down  what  is  on  the  board,  you  do  your  homework,  and  you  stay  quiet.  This  is  

also  a  sign  of  respect  for  your  elders,  but  as  you  can  imagine,  this  really  inhibits  the  

students’  learning.    

When  I  stepped  foot  into  the  classroom,  I  quickly  realized  I  had  to  make  my  

own  “classroom  expectations”  for  the  students.  This  list  of  expectations  included  

things  like  don’t  be  afraid  to  try,  don’t  laugh  at  your  classmates,  ask  questions,  be  

quiet  and  respectful  when  someone  else  is  talking.  It  took  a  few  class  sessions  for  

my  students  to  begin  opening  up  and  feeling  comfortable.  These  ideas  were  

awkward  and  foreign  to  them  at  first,  which  is  understandable.  But  the  method  of  
instruction  is  clearly  an  issue  that  is  present  in  almost  all  classrooms  that  I  observed  

in  Tanzania.    

   As  I  stated  earlier,  teachers  in  Tanzania  most  often  do  not  pursue  teaching  as  

a  passion.  Therefore,  they  are  typically  there  to  “get  the  job  done”  before  they  move  

onto  their  next  job.  When  asking  teachers  if  they  enjoyed  their  work  or  working  

with  children,  most  of  them  laughed  under  their  breath.  It  was  pretty  astonishing  to  

me.  Because  of  this,  teachers  do  not  take  the  time  to  personally  get  to  know  their  

students.  I  even  sat  in  on  classes  where  the  teacher  did  not  know  their  students  

names.  This  blew  my  mind,  because  even  as  a  college  student  in  classes  with  over  50  

students,  my  professors  take  the  time  to  get  to  know  my  name  and  some  simple  

things  about  me.  Due  to  this  lack  of  connection  with  their  students,  teachers  do  not  

truly  know  their  students.  If  you  don’t  know  your  students  on  a  personal  level,  it  is  

hard  to  know  them  as  a  learner.  Background  knowledge  and  home  life  greatly  affect  

the  way  students  learn  and  how  they  process  information.  Without  knowing  your  

students,  it  becomes  nearly  impossible  to  tailor  your  instruction  to  their  needs.  

Equity  is  lacking  in  the  sense  that  teachers  do  not  go  out  of  their  way  to  help  or  get  

to  know  their  students.  They  do  to  not  reach  out  to  make  sure  they  understand,  they  

do  not  go  above  and  beyond  to  adjust  their  instruction  for  their  students  learning  

types.  All  students  are  instructed  the  same  way,  and  if  you  do  not  understand  the  

material,  you  should  try  harder.    

  Thus  far,  I  have  shared  about  my  personal  experiences  and  observations  I  

made  while  I  was  in  Tanzanian  schools  for  four  weeks  this  past  summer.  I  would  
now  like  to  turn  to  research  done  by  others  in  order  to  learn  more  about  equity  in  

schools  and  to  compare  how  my  observations  and  ideas  align  with  theirs.    

  The  first  article  I  read  was  “Equity  Vs.  Equality:  6  Steps  towards  Equity”.  This  

article  helped  me  to  further  understand  the  difference  between  equity  and  equality.  

It  helped  me  gain  a  different  perspective  on  these  ideas,  one  from  an  American  

classroom.  I  think  that  it  is  important  to  not  focus  only  on  my  time  in  Tanzania,  but  

on  classrooms  in  the  United  States  as  well  since  this  is  where  I  will  be  working  and  

these  are  issues  present  in  both  places.  This  article  highlights  six  ways  to  transition  

to  equity  in  a  classroom.  They  believe  that  it  is  important  for  classroom  teachers  to  

know  every  child,  become  a  warm  demander,  practice  in-­‐learn  assessment,  to  flex  

your  routines,  make  it  safe  to  fail,  and  to  view  culture  as  a  resource.  Just  by  reading  

this  suggested  list,  it  is  confirmed  to  me  that  equity  is  not  currently  sustained  in  

Tanzanian  schools.  Not  one  of  these  six  things  were  being  actively  practiced  or  

demonstrated  in  any  of  the  classrooms  that  I  visited.    

Second,  the  article  “A  Complete  Education?  Observations  about  the  State  of  

Primary  Education  in  Tanzania  in  2005”  written  by  John  Benson.  This  article  focused  

on  Education  in  Primary  Schools  in  Tanzania.  Observations  were  done  by  John  

Benson  in  a  vast  variety  of  schools  and  regions  of  Tanzania.  His  main  focus  of  

research  was  done  on  what  those  thought  about  education  today  and  education  in  

the  past.  Benson  was  especially  interested  in  this  research  because  he  himself  

pursued  education  as  a  career  and  because  he  grew  up  in  Tanzania.  Throughout  his  

journey,  he  focused  on  asking  two  main  questions:  was  a  primary  education  a  

complete  enough  education  for  the  nation’s  adults?  And,  will  a  primary  education  be  
enough  for  Tanzania’s  children?  As  a  result,  he  found  that  primary  education  was  

never  enough  for  Tanzania’s  people.  Now,  people  view  primary  education  as  

nothing  more  than  providing  a  foundation  for  Secondary  School  and  beyond,  not  to  

life.  The  curriculum  focuses  much  more  on  how  to  get  into  secondary  school,  rather  

than  offering  a  complete  education  and  caring  about  the  students  learning  or  

progress.  Motivated  and  supported  teachers  are  lacking,  along  with  proper  

resources  to  teach  effectively.  Although  in  some  places  facilities  are  improving,  

students  still  share  desks  and  most  often,  do  not  have  their  own  textbooks.  Visual  

aids  and  supplies  are  needed  to  teach  skills  necessary  for  life  are  not  readily  

available  in  classrooms.  In  this  article,  it  is  clear  that  Benson  saw  things  very  similar  

to  what  I  saw.  He  noted  the  lack  of  resources,  and  how  important  these  items  can  be  

in  instruction.  He  also  noted  the  fact  that  motivated  teachers  are  far  and  few  

between,  once  again  reinforcing  the  idea  that  teaching  is  not  seen  as  a  career  or  

passion  there,  it  is  a  job  to  provide  money.      

  The  next  article  I  chose  was,  “Do  Children  with  Disabilities  Have  Equal  Access  

to  Education”.  This  article  discussed  quantitative  and  qualitative  research  done  on  

whether  or  not  students  with  disabilities  have  equal  access  to  education  in  

Tanzanian  schools.  Special  needs  education  in  Tanzania  refers  to  education  

provided  to  children  with  disabilities.  Six  categories  of  disabilities  have  been  

recognized:  visual  impairment,  hearing  impairment,  intellectual  impairment,  

physical  disability,  autism,  and  the  deaf  blind.  Although  Tanzania  has  adopted  many  

acts,  including  the  philosophy  of  education  for  all,  it  is  not  clear  how  the  educational  

needs  of  different  learners,  including  those  with  special  learning  needs,  is  being  
addressed.  The  amount  of  children  enrolled  in  schools  with  special  needs  is  very  low  

compared  to  the  overall  ratio  of  primary  school  enrollment.  This  is  believed  true  for  

many  reasons  including:  poor  physical  infrastructure,  lack  of  teachers’  training  in  

teaching  students  with  special  needs,  lack  of  teaching  and  learning  facilities  for  

children  with  disabilities,  and  lack  of  political  will  for  policy  makers.  And  those  with  

disabilities  who  are  enrolled  in  Primary  Schools  face  many  struggles,  including:  lack  

of  transport,  stigma,  lack  of  support  from  teachers,  and  lack  of  learning  materials.  To  

begin  improving  lives  and  education  for  special  needs  children,  there  needs  to  be  a  

push  for  educating  teachers  and  the  community  on  the  issue  and  how  to  deal  with  it.  

Accessibility  for  those  with  special  needs  also  needs  to  be  increased.  This  

information  gave  me  a  look  into  the  special  education  world,  one  that  I  am  not  too  

familiar  with.  However,  after  listening  to  those  who  were  at  the  special  education  

school  when  we  were  in  Tanzania,  the  ideas  sound  very  similar.  Equity  is  a  big  issue  

when  it  comes  to  the  treatment  of  students,  and  those  who  have  special  needs  serve  

as  a  great  example  as  to  how  instruction  is  not  tailored  to  the  students.    

  The  fourth  article  I  read  was  “Education  Equity  and  Quality:  What  UNICEF  is  

doing”.  This  article  was  great  in  the  sense  that  it  was  informative  on  steps  that  they  

are  currently  taking  in  Tanzania  to  improve  education  quality  and  equity.  The  

United  Nations  Children’s  Emergency  Fund,  UNICEF,  is  taking  steps  to  support  

education  in  Tanzania.  They  are  focusing  hard  on  the  development  of  quality  pre-­‐

primary  education,  improving  the  quality  of  education  through  support  for  in-­‐serve  

and  pre-­‐service  teacher  training  programs  at  pre-­‐primary  and  primary  level,  

promoting  Whole  School  Development  Planning,  WSDP,  at  district  and  school  levels,  
and  supporting  inclusive,  child-­‐centered,  and  gender  responsive  education  policy  

and  strategy  development  at  the  national  level.  The  UNICEF’s  education  goal  in  

Tanzania  is  to  ensure  that  all  children  have  access  to  quality  primary  schooling.  In  

their  eyes,  this  means  that  they  would  have  students  ready  to  learn,  teachers  

prepared  to  teach,  and  school  systems  capable  of  managing  the  education  process.  

They  are  really  trying  to  instill  the  importance  of  a  child  friendly  approach  stressing  

the  importance  of  providing  an  encouraging  environment  for  learning  in  school,  

safety  and  protection  from  violence,  access  to  clean  water  and  sanitation,  and  

effective  teaching  and  learning  processes.  In  all  its  efforts,  UNICEF  also  is  supporting  

reducing  gender  gaps,  the  importance  of  catering  for  children  with  disabilities,  and  

the  teaching  of  life  skills.  I  believe  that  the  UNICEF  has  great  visions  for  Tanzanian  

education,  the  question  now  becomes,  how  to  make  these  visions  attainable  and  

sustainable.  All  of  the  improvements  and  changes  they  hope  to  make  are  all  very  

much  needed.  Addressing  these  issues  would  undoubtedly  lead  to  increased  equity.    

  In  another  article,  “Education  Equity  and  Quality:  Overview”  they  discuss  the  

challenged  to  achieving  a  quality  education.  There  has  definitely  been  an  expansion  

in  education  enrollment  in  Tanzania,  which  is  great.  However,  the  schools  do  not  

have  the  facilities  or  resources  to  support  the  students.  In  2011,  studies  found  that  

in  each  government  primary  school,  there  were  an  average  of  sixty-­‐six  students.  In  

lower  grade  levels  they  found  some  classrooms  to  have  two  hundred  students.  

These  numbers  absolutely  blow  my  mind!  Classroom  sizes  in  the  United  States  are  

getting  out  of  hand,  and  they  are  not  anywhere  near  these  numbers.  How  can  you  

know  your  students  and  tailor  your  instructions  to  your  students  learning  styles  and  
needs  if  you  have  sixty-­‐six  students  in  one  class.  It  becomes  nearly  impossible.  In  

return,  teaching  methods  are  often  gender-­‐biased  and  many  teachers  exceed  the  

legal  limits  of  officially  sanctioned  corporal  punishment.  Due  to  high  enrollment  

levels,  resources  are  scarcer  for  students.  At  the  primary  level,  the  pupil-­‐textbook  

ratio  is  5:1.  This  is  nothing  short  of  what  I  saw  while  in  Tanzania,  in  fact,  I  was  lucky  

to  see  one  book  for  every  group  of  five  students.  The  quality  and  equity  of  education  

is  lacking  due  to  under  qualified  teachers  and  high  classroom  sizes.  I  believe  that  

addressing  these  two  issues  will  be  Tanzania’s  first  major  steps  in  en  effective  

educational  system.      

  Achieving  a  quality  education  with  equity  is  a  long  process  and  is  something  

we  are  still  striving  to  attain  in  a  first  world  country.  It  is  no  surprise  that  it  is  a  long  

and  winding  road  with  many  challenges  and  obstacles  to  overcome,  but  I  choose  to  

believe  that  in  time,  Tanzania  will  get  there,  along  with  many  other  African  

countries.  This  experience  has  been  truly  indescribable.  It  has  been  extremely  eye  

opening  and  taught  me  so  many  things  about  myself  not  only  as  an  educator,  but  

also  as  a  person.  I  will  take  all  of  this  newfound  knowledge  and  apply  it  to  my  future  

classroom  and  all  of  my  future  endeavors.    

 
 Additional  Resources  

Education  equity  and  quality:  Overview.  (n.d.).  Retrieved  July  29,  2016,  from  

http://www.unicef.org/tanzania/6911.html    

Education  equity  and  quality:  What  UNICEF  is  doing.  (n.d.).  Retrieved  July  29,  2016,  

from  http://www.unicef.org/tanzania/6911.html    

Equity  vs.  Equality:  6  Steps  Toward  Equity.  (2016).  Retrieved  July  29,  2016,  from  

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/equity-­‐vs-­‐equality-­‐shane-­‐safir