A new report on the findings of the Uwezo Learning Survey in Tanzania has found that literacy and numeracy in Tanzanian schools are lagging far behind expected levels. Around 85% of third graders in public schools are unable to read Kiswahili and solve grade-appropriate math problems, according to the report.
The Uwezo Learning Assessment is an initiative that aims to evaluate, report on, and make recommendations about learning capabilities among children aged six through 16 in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. According to Uwezo’s founders, the project began after education stakeholders began to suspect that often “schooling is not translating into learning.” With the release of the Uwezo Tanzania 2012 Learning Assessment Report, Uwezo have found that suspicion confirmed.
According to the report, which surveyed over 100,000 Tanzanian children, literacy in Kiswahili and English remains generally low in Tanzania. In addition to the 85% of students in grade three whose literacy was lagging, researchers found that almost a quarter of seventh graders could not read a story written at a second grade reading level.
According to Uwezo Tanzania’s country director, Zaida Mgalla, English skills were also found to be low, with 50% of seventh graders lacking a basic grasp of English.
Surveyors concluded that literacy and numeracy performance varied by students’ location, wealth, and by the type of school they attended. Wealthier students, children in urban areas, and those who attend private schools generally outperformed poorer and rural students, and those attending government-run schools.
As the Uwezo initiative is still in the evaluation stage, the organization has not yet made recommendations on improving the school system.
In the meantime, according to Mgalla, the results are clear: “We are in a society of two classes,” she says. “The privileged with more wealth or in urban areas or who can afford private schooling do much better than most people. When it comes to education, Tanzania is not one nation.”
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Written by Carla Drumhiller Smith