IT has been a norm that every time final results are released, be they Standard Seven, Form Four or A’ Level, we cry foul, blaming each other for the failures. Each and every sector of the society will be trying very hard to exonerate itself from blame to an extent that we turn a blind eye on reality.

Though it remains true that we have made a lot of inroads in as far as our education sector is concerned, more still needs to be done.

Tanzania had almost wiped out illiteracy. Official figures put the literacy rate at 96.8 per cent in 1986 and the country was hailed worldwide as a model success for adult empowerment to read and write.

However, the story changed drastically about ten years later. In 1998, the Ministry of Education and Culture quoted literacy as standing at 77 per cent. This figure is nevertheless disputed by other agencies including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) which believes literacy in the country is much lower than that.

Even if the country's literacy rate has been subject to debate, the fact remains that Tanzania has achieved a lot when it comes to education. The country boasts of more than ten highly rated universities and a lot of colleges and schools (both private and public owned) producing an ad-infinitum number of graduates every year.

It is against this background that President Jakaya Kikwete recently described the growth in the education sector, especially at secondary level as “the most phenomenal”, pointing out that in 2000, the country had 927 secondary schools and the number reached 4, 102 last year, depicting a 400 percent increase.

“The enrollment grew from 261,896 to 1.46million students during the same period,” Kikwete was quoted saying.

These successes have created challenges related to service delivery. The country faces an acute shortage of teachers as the teacher to student ratio is currently at 1:50. The situation is said to be worse in some remote areas where some schools are either manned by very few teachers or by a single teacher.

In fact our media are awash with reports of unfavourable learning conditions for students. One such report is a shocking revelation of the price school children pay to attain education.
 
About 720 pupils at Saranga Primary School in Kinondoni Municipality are forced to endure the pain of squatting on the floor for about eight hours of learning daily as the school faces a serious shortage of desks.

As if this is not enough, the school faces an acute shortage of classrooms, with 1, 080 pupils sharing 10 classrooms. To add insult to an injury, the school has only two holes they share as toilets thereby putting their lives in danger as they risk contracting diseases such as cholera. What is more disturbing is that even teachers join their students in the scramble, pushing and shoving for a chance to use the facility.

The school also faces shortage of both learning and teaching facilities. What is more painful is that this is not only confined to this school. This is just a tip of the iceberg as we have similar or even worse conditions in some urban and rural schools.

The revelation saw the government, through the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, admitting that the situation is an embarrassment. “We are doing what we can to find a lasting solution to this problem,” Minister Jumanne Maghembe was quoted as saying.

Yes, the situation might be embarrassing as the minister said but it is important to note that these are just after effects of success, where service provision is not in tandem with the growth of the sector. The country is struggling to overcome challenges brought about by success in transformation of the education sector including shortage of teachers, textbooks, libraries and laboratories that need enormous financial resources.

The president, during his visit to US last week, pointed out that the country is in need of financial resources estimated at $1.2billion (approximately 1.6trillion/-) over a period of five years to compliment the growth in the sector. He also appealed for support.

This provides the much sought after answer as to why service provision in most schools in this country leaves a lot to be desired. It has been a tradition for the media and other sectors of the society to blame the government for failing to avail educational facilities such as books, desks and so on while they quickly turn a blind eye on the root causes of the problem.

In fact, to be frank, the government has made inroads in the education sector but more resources are needed to realise that dream. The president might have appealed for help while abroad, but the private sector in this country can do more to complement government efforts and make sure that life for students in most schools is not turned into a living hell.

Some parents still believe that it is the duty of the government to educate their children and they take a laissez-faire attitude when it comes to their children's schooling. Instead of witch-hunting every time results are out, it's better we address the root problem, by getting involved. Parents should take a proactive approach and make sure that their children get the best education they can afford.

If the school is facing shortages of textbooks, why can't parents help their students attain quality education by buying textbooks for their children. As parents, we need to set our priorities right as we lose nothing from helping our children get good education for them to have a bright future.

We are sick and tired of our media being awash with news of schools operating either with one teacher, without enough classrooms and desks, without toilets or without even a single textbook. It is everyone's duty to make sure that these problems bedeviling our education sector are dealt with.

It is high time companies that directly or indirectly benefit from the education sector do something. Though 1.6trillion/- is a lot of money it is possible to raise such an amount in cash or kind within the next five years and redeem our education.