Tanzania NGO Report

Tanzania NGO Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child
NGO Report on Tanzania

to the Committee on the
Convention on the Rights of the
Child
November 15, 2000
Introduction
1. This brief report has been prepared by some of the leading NGOs
active in the area of child rights in Tanzania. These include the
kuleana center for child rights, The National Network of Organisations
working with Children (NNOC), the Youth Culture and Information
Center (YCIC) , PLAN International and Save the Children (SC-UK).1
The preparation of the report has been supported by the UNICEF
Tanzania country office.
2. The report is not intended to be comprehensive or cover all matters of
relevance to children in the country. Rather its main purpose is to
complement the official State Party report by highlighting, in the view
of participating NGOs, key concerns and priority recommendations to
achieving child rights in Tanzania that require urgent, concerted and
spirited attention. It is written in the hope that it will stimulate honest
and open dialogue between the government, NGOs, donor partners
and the public at large, including children, on how best the
government can fulfill its obligation to achieve the full enjoyment of
child rights in Tanzania.2 The report is organized in three sections as
follows: i) major achievements, ii) key concerns, and iii) priority
recommendations.
Major Achievements
3. Tanzania has experienced a few important improvements in relation to
child rights since 1993. The Mkapa administration has focused its
efforts on achieving macro-economic stability, including reducing
excessive government expenditure, increasing revenue intake
NNOC is a national network of over 20 child serving organizations in Tanzania. This
report has been researched and written by Rakesh Rajani, co-founder and first
executive director of kuleana (1993-1998) on behalf of the participating NGOs.
1
The bulk of the data presented herein is derived from official government reports, and
is generally consistent with the information presented in the 1998 State Party Report.
What differs, in some aspects, is the interpretation of the data, the distribution of
emphasis and the implications for policy.
2
(taxation) and lowering inflation. These are said to provide the

necessary basis for more effective government. However, the effects
of macro-stability have yet to include the delivery of reasonable social
services.
4. The government is also undertaking a vast array of reforms, including
most notably of local government, and of the education and health
sectors. In part the reforms are intended to decentralize and
democratize both governance and critical service delivery areas. If
the reforms succeed in devolving power and in involving broad based
public participation, a positive environment for realizing child rights
will have been attained. However, the fruits of these reforms in
terms of practical benefit to children and their families are still to be
seen, and the involvement of children in governance remains to be
conceptualized and integrated in national plans.
5. Since the government currently spends close to 40% of its budget on
servicing external debt, its recent qualification for debt relief under
the enhanced the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative
is one important milestone. However, there are two potential
problems here. First, while the final amounts are not clear, it appears
that the level of debt relief granted to Tanzania is unlikely to be
adequate to allow it to meet its human development goals. Much
deeper relief is required. Secondly, a Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper (PRSP) has been prepared to guide the use of HIPC funds, and
it appropriately prioritizes improvements in the social sectors.
However, the PRSP is overly quantitative in its focus and does not
adequately reflect key provisions of the CRC, including the notion of
best interests and participation, as well as an appreciation of what
child rights based schooling or health services would look like.
Additional resources need to be used in a manner that reach the
community level and actually improve the quality of services as
2
experienced by all children, including especially those who have been

historically marginalized (such as the very poor and those with
disabilities). Our concern is that unless explicit measures are taken to
ensure this, children will not enjoy their fair share of benefits from
debt relief.
6. The number of organizations and programs working on child
rights and well-being has increased significantly since 1993. There is
now greater awareness of several child rights issues, including the
need to listen to childrens views, and concern about violence against
children, the sorry state of schooling and the impact of national
resource allocation on children. A large number of activities have been
held to create public awareness, innovative materials have been
published and good use made of the print and electronic media by
NGOs. A number of important actors, including district level planners,
teacher trainers, magistrates, police officers and journalists have been
trained to reflect a child rights perspective in their work by NGOs.
But without effective public engagement and strong government
backing for change and resources to match, such initiatives have had
limited impact (see Rajani and Petren, 2000).
7. The Ministry of Community Development, Womens Affairs and
Children (MCDWAC) has encouraged the work of NGOs in promoting
child rights, and has been generally cooperative. As a result, many
NGOs are regularly invited to participate in government processes,
including the preparation of the State Party report on the
implementation of the CRC. However, overall MCDWACs capacity to
achieve change on the ground has been compromised by limited
resources and resulting lack political influence, and there is a real
concern about its ability to influence major government policy-making
and practice in the interests of children.
3
8. Finally, in terms of specific initiatives for children the national

vaccination (at 83%) and salt iodization programs have recorded
steady levels of success (URT, 1998) in comparison to several
neighboring countries.
Key Concerns
9. Widespread poverty in Tanzania (half the population lives on less than
$1 per day) underlies the failure to realize child rights in the country.
As noted above, achieving macro-economic stability is one important
aspect of reducing poverty in the country. However, we are concerned
that the poverty reduction agenda is being pursued too narrowly.
Specific concerns include:
an unrealistic over-reliance on the private sector to be the

engine for growth
a visible increase in income disparities in the country and the

creation of a marginalized underclass
an inadequate articulation of the importance to national

development of the provision of accessible, quality education
and primary health care for all
the process, mechanisms and actors involved do not enable real

community participation and empowerment
If child rights are to be realized in Tanzania, the development agenda

and government practice must reflect a balance between macroeconomic stability and growth on one side with investment in
equitable and qualitative human development on the other.
10.
Recent indicators of human development are disturbing.
Between 1980 and 1998 gross primary school enrollment declined

from 98% to 76% and net enrollment fell from 68% to 58% (BEST,
various years).3 Only 6% of Tanzanias children have access to

secondary school - one of the lowest rates in the world. Gender parity
has been achieved in primary school enrollment, but not at higher
levels, and the quality of education is poor for both males and females.
The infant and under-5 mortality rates are 91 and 142 respectively,
well above the agreed targets of 50 and 80 (UNDP, 2000). Only 38%
have access to safe water, thus water borne diseases are a major child
killer (URT, 1998). These data reflect a reversal of progress in the
period under review in the State Party report, so much so that a
recent internal document of a respected UN agency characterizes the
1990s as a lost decade for children in Tanzania.
Access to Schooling
Out of every 100 children of primary school age, only 56
enroll in school
Of those 56 children enrolled in school, only 38 complete
primary school
Of the 38 who complete primary school, only 6 proceed
to secondary school
Source UNICEF Tanzania Briefing Note, 1997
11.
In the period under consideration for the State Party report, access
to basic social services has been further compromised due to the

introduction of user fees in health and education. In effect, this
signals the end of the commitment to provide free and universal
access to basic education and primary health care, implied in the
countrys Constitution and explicitly indicated in several international
agreements. One study undertaken after the introduction of user fees
in health shows attendance at government clinics fell by 50%
(Hussein, in Bangser, 2000). Numerous reports have shown, as will be
discussed further below, that the collection of mandatory fees and
contributions in education have led to enormous declines in school
Gross primary enrollment (GER) is defined as the total number of children in primary
school divided by the number of all children of primary school age (7-13 years). Net
enrollment (NER) is defined as the total number of children aged 7-13 in school divided
by all children of primary school age.
3
enrollment and attendance. Safety nets meant to be in place to protect

the poor, such as exemptions for health costs, simply do not work on
the ground. The net effect is clear: the poor and disenfranchised, the
majority of whom are children, are increasingly disenfranchised from
the basic services that are vital to their survival and development.
12.
Local government reform, if done well, represents a crucial
opportunity to democratize decision-making, ensure resources are

made available at the community level and strengthen accountability.
However, as currently envisaged, people aged under 18 years are
completely excluded from the processes and structures of governance.
Children are not involved in the consultations and planning of the
reform the process. Consequently, it is no surprise that children are
not seen to have any role in the new vision of democratic governance.
For instance, we find no mention of child or youth representation in
village or district government, or even in school committees.4 Neither
are there mechanisms in place to ensure that the allocation of
resources to local levels will be more equitably used in the interests of
children. The meaningful involvement of children in governance poses
special challenges, but leaving out children out of the process is
tantamount to disenfranchising half the citizenry of the country.
13.
Sector Reform is a complicated and difficult business and requires
the energies of government and donors to be directed towards the

overall improvement of services. In this, many donors have abandoned
their individual vertical programmes with ministries and have agreed
to support the reform process as a whole, often through a donation to
a common fund held by the ministry concerned. This move is a positive
one.
While it is still to be implemented, the education sector development plan does call for
the representation of two children (1 girl, 1 boy) in school committees, but their
participation is likely to be tokenistic and overwhelmed by the much larger majority of
adult members.
6
4
The arrangements for this new style of development co-operation have

not been easy. There has been a great deal of energy diverted into
making sure that the administrative arrangements, both within the
government and between the government and donors are in place.
This has been a challenge, as individual donors tend to have their own
views on conditionalities and administration. This has diverted
attention away from getting on with the reform process.
The reform processes are being driven from the center, but if reforms
are going to deliver accountable and locally based services people
who actually use the services need to be involved. The idea is to get
locally based ownership, accountability and relevance. This is unlikely
to be delivered by central decisions mediated, very often, by donor
concerns.
There lack of stimulation of the demand for services to be improved
and accountable is a significant gap in the sector reform process. In
this NGOs have a large role to play, a role that has not been fully
recognized by donors and government and a challenge that NGOs in
Tanzania have yet to take up with sufficient energy. NGOs,
government and donors need to work harder at making reforms truly
accountable to the Tanzanian public.
14.
On the legal front, despite the governments clear obligation to do
so, there has been no significant attempt to amend national

legislation, including the Constitution, to see that it is consistent with
the CRC. While a complete overhaul of legislation in the last decade is
unrealistic, we see no reason why there has been a complete lack of
progress so far.5 Some of the problems with current laws include
For instance the Nyalali Commission, appointed by the President in 1991 and headed
by the then Chief Justice, identified 40 bad laws (including the Education Act of 1978
and others relevant to children) as oppressive and needing urgent repeal or reform.
5
loopholes that allow children to be imprisoned with adults, to be

beaten in school and in the community, and an almost total absence of
child representation in matters affecting them.6 There has also been
no identifiable progress in relation to establishing a childrens ombud
or a powerful Human Rights Commission that has explicit provisions
for child rights.
15.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic is one of the most serious challenges to
Tanzanias development, and disproportionately affects young people.

The highest rates of new infections occur in the 15-24 year group.
Several studies have shown that by age 15, about half of all girls and
boys have already experienced sex, much of which is unprotected and
often coerced (see DHS and TANESA data in kuleana, 1999). Despite
this, efforts to support effective action by children and young people
to deal with the epidemic are rather weak. Open dialogue of sexual
relations, feelings and concerns are discouraged in school, where an
effective life-skills curriculum is still to be implemented. At schools,
health centers and in the community young people do not have ready
access to condoms. Throughout, adults such as teachers and health
workers treat young peoples sexuality with derision and preach
complete abstinence, despite the known limits of this message.
Overall, there is little non-government actors can do to combat the
spread of HIV/AIDS in the absence of a high profile, vigorous
campaign spearheaded by senior government leaders. The HIV/AIDS
epidemic needs to be tackled now. For too many it is already too late.
Unfortunately, there has been virtually no action on the Commissions recommendations

to date.
The Sexual Offenses Act of 1998 is often cited as representing progress in that it
mandates stiff penalties for those who sexually abuse children. While increased
attention on this problem is welcome, it is not clear whether the overly punitive nature
of the law actually promotes the best interests of the child, especially since the vast
majority of offenders are likely to be family and other persons close to the child.
Moreover, the law also allows for rather draconian punishment of children themselves
when they commit sexual offenses.
6
16.
Recent lessons learned demonstrate that it is difficult for young
people to protect themselves from HIV when they are unable to secure
their own livelihoods. Young women often report the need to engage
in unwanted sex to secure money or other needs, and both sexes often
lack the motivation to protect their futures when their future
prospects are so bleak. Both children who never went to school and
those who have completed primary education are usually unable to
secure jobs of any kind, let alone ones that offer reasonable wages and
dignity. According to recent data, only 10% of the approximately
600,000 primary school graduates each year are able to find
employment in the formal sector. Opportunities to secure viable
livelihoods in agriculture are similarly limited for young people, who
lack support in terms of extension input, access to resources or
markets. Despite these deep challenges, the government does not
appear to have an achievable strategy to address the issue of youth
livelihoods. Access to micro-credit may be relevant to some young
people, but the few youth schemes in place neither address the crisis
nor go to scale. Moreover, young people who try to eke out a living on
their own through street trading, for instance, are reported to be
frequently harassed by the police.
17.
Children estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands, especially
girls, end up as child domestic workers or house-girls. These

children are typically made to work up to15 hours a day 7 days a
week, are isolated and cannot play, are vulnerable to physical/sexual
abuse, and are paid about US $8 per month or less. Their situation
has been described by one NGO as possibly the leading human rights
challenge in Tanzania today. But while a new code of conduct has
been signed by the Ministry of Labor and Youth Development, it is not
widely promoted nor enforced. The government-ILO program on child
labor has recognized abuse of child domestic workers as a key
concern. However, their strategies to date have failed to have any
9
demonstrable impact in either reducing the need for child domestic

work, in creating viable alternatives or in engaging the public to
promote safer and better working conditions for children.
18.
Basic education has been identified in several processes7 as the
most urgent priority for both the development of children and the
country as a whole, and the foundation to achieving the realization of
sustainable poverty reduction, human rights, democratization and
good governance. For this reason, the remainder of this section will
focus on aspects of education.8 Nonetheless, the state of education in
Tanzania has declined significantly in the last two decades and is
presently in a shambles. About 2.5 million children are out of school.
After achieving a gross enrollment rate of 93% in the late 1970s,
matters have deteriorated such that about half of all Tanzanian
children do not complete primary schooling today. Acute disparities
exist across different regions of the country. In 1999, for instance,
Dar es Salaam region had a net enrollment (NER) of 78% compared to
44% for Kagera (BEST 1995-1999). Overall, resource allocations to
education have failed to keep up with population growth, and lag
behind in both absolute terms and as a percentage of GDP in
comparison to neighboring states. The budget is so squeezed that low
staff salaries take up 93% of the budget, leaving only 7% for
everything else (kuleana, 1999 and UNDP, 2000).
The quality of education is so poor that most children who complete
schooling have few skills or ability to engage with the world. Poor
For instance in preparing the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) 60 of the 62
groups consulted identified education as a key priority for poverty reduction. The
Tanzania Vision 2025 and the Tanzania Assistance Strategy (TAS) documents also
recognize education as crucial to achieving development in Tanzania.
7
For more detailed information on education including statistical charts and tables see
the accompanying documents The State of Education in Tanzania: Crisis and
Opportunity (kuleana, September 1999) and the updated Basic Education Statistics in
Tanzania-BEST 1995-1999 National Data (Ministry of Education and Culture, June
2000).
10
8
children are disproportionately impacted by the deterioration of public

education. In contrast, the children of the affluent and more powerful
elite are increasingly enrolled in private schools in the capital or study
abroad. Consequently, Tanzania is witnessing the emergence of a twotiered educational system that may further erode solidarity and social
cohesion in the future.
19.
User fees in basic education have had a disastrous impact.
Numerous studies have reported that incessant demands for school

fees and more insidious contributions are the most significant factor
in lowering enrollments. Because government resources at school
level are virtually non-existent, parents are constantly asked to make
contributions. There is no regular schedule for doing so or
transparency in accounting for how funds are used (for instance,
receipts are rarely issued). Many parents refuse to pay, either
because they are unable to afford it or because they have no
confidence the funds will be used well. In these cases their children
report being harassed, humiliated and at times beaten in front of their
peers, and then sent home and told not to return until they come back
with money. As a result, actual attendance rates are often much
worse than indicated by already low enrollment figures.9 Other
reported problems with user fees include teachers spending
inordinate amounts of time collecting funds and female children
needing to provide sexual favors to secure money for fees.
Given these high costs, it is especially absurd that none of the
purported gains of user fees have been realized. The national total of
user fees collected is estimated to be about a paltry US $10 million
(this amount can be easily offset by additional central government and
Enrollment simply indicates that the name of the child is placed on the school register,
which is normally done once a year. Attendance is the term used to indicate whether
the child is actually physically present in school. Unfortunately, the Ministry of
Education does not compile attendance data for national use, but several schoolmapping exercises show that non-attendance is a major problem in Tanzania.
11
9
donor support). There has been no discernible improvement in quality

of schooling, and there is no evidence that ownership or accountability
has increased.
One Primary Schools Experience of User Fees

Uhuru Primary School in Shinyanga town has 962 pupils enrolled, and there are
10 classrooms. Stella Mandina is the head teacher at Uhuru, and in her view the
school is desperately under-resourced. We dont have enough classrooms for
all those who want to come. We have to turn some parents away, on a first come,
first served basisThe school fee is Tshs 1,000 for the year, with Tshs 1,000 for
sportsOn first enrolling in Standard 1, parents should also pay Tshs 6,000
towards the price of a desk though some parents cant pay it all at onceWe
just have to remind the parents, we have to remind them and remind them.
Much of Stellas work is spent on administration, in particular collecting school
fees. The Town Director is really putting on pressure. We have to follow the
962 children. We have to go into classrooms and read out the names of those
who are to be sent home. If I dont take money to the Town Director, he stops
my salaryEven last month (January 1998) my salary was delayed a week. The
same thing is happening everywhere. We waste so much time on this.
One parent who has children at the school is Mwanga. She has four children,
and one of them, Ramdwa, goes to Uhuru. Another child, Sada, goes to Jomu
School because Uhuru was full, and Mwajuma and Saidi are still too young for
school. Educating Ramdwa and Sada is not easy. It is difficult for me to pay the
school costs. It is expensive at enrollmentRamdwa needed a new uniform this
year. That was Tshs 5,000, without shoes, they are expensiveSadas uniform is
almost as much. Mwange also has to pay school construction fees of Tshs 2,000
for Uhuru and Tshs 3,000 for Jomu, and this is along with enrollment fees, desk
costs and so on. The school sends Sada home because I havent paidFor that
day, in fact it was two days, she just stayed at home. The head teacher said she
had to go back with Tshs 1,000, and it took me two days to collect it. Sadas very
keen on school, so she was disappointed for those two days. She wants to be at
school. Ramdwa was sent home too, one morning. She stayed home for three
days, and went back with Tshs 1,000, like Sada. They have to return with the
moneyIt would be much easier for the parents if the government would pay for
primary education, so that all the children could go without worrying.
Source: Excerpted from Oxfam International, Debt Relief for Tanzania: An
Opportunity for a Better Future, 1998
20.
In terms of the CRC, the continued use of corporal punishment
and other forms of humiliation in schools is an especially pressing

concern. Several studies10 have proven that throughout the country
The most comprehensive survey of school discipline was conducted in 1997 in six
different regions of Tanzania by researchers from the University of Dar es Salaam,
National Institute of Medical Research, the POFLEP department of the Ministry of
Community Development, Womens Affairs and Children, kuleana and an independent
group. For full references see kuleana (1999).
10
12
children are regularly beaten (often for minor or unspecified offenses)

with sticks, hands and other implements, thrown against the wall,
made to stand in painful body positions in the hot sun and humiliated
in manifold other ways. In a few instances, students have died as a
result of excessive beating.11 Some studies find that the fear of being
beaten leads to lower attendance and in many cases eventual drop
out. The continued use of corporal punishment is a clear violation of
the CRC and the countrys own Constitution that forbids inhumane
and degrading treatment of people. Tanzanias Education Act of 1978
allows for the use of corporal punishment in school, but with several
limiting provisions in place as follows:
corporal punishment may only be used as a last resort and only

for grave offenses
its use must be authorized in writing by the Head-teacher
no more than six strokes (with a light, flexible stick) are allowed
only female teachers may punish female students
all punishments and reasons for it must be recorded in a special

book
None of these provisions are adhered to. To many observers it is clear

that rampant, unregulated beating is inevitable if corporal punishment
is allowed, and that the only solution is to ban it altogether.
21.
Teacher-student relations in school are generally extremely
hierarchical and characterized by fear and violence rather than caring

and mutual respect. The dominant method of teaching includes rote,
the copying of notes off the blackboard (where one is available) and
harsh instruction. There is little room for interaction, for students to
be inquisitive or to construct their own knowledge. Challenging
teachers is usually met with punishment. As a result, creativity and
For instance, student Dina Evarist of Rukwa Region died as a result of excessive
beating by a teacher (The Guardian, 23.03.1998)
11
13
critical thinking is stifled. Students learn that the best way to get by
is to remain passive and quiet, never to question and to accept
absolute authority at all costs.12 Clearly this sort of education violates
child rights and leaves them ill prepared to function as vital citizens in
a globalizing economy. Teachers are hardly in a position to be more
effective due to their own autocratic training, lack of tools in the
classroom and poor working conditions. Changing the quality of
education and the way in which it is delivered is a central indicator of
the improvement of the educator sector. NGOs can play an important
part in supporting this process, but the impetus must come from
strategic, imaginative and coherent government leadership.
22.
The quality of learning is further compromised by deterioration of
school infrastructure and lack of textbooks. There is a serious

shortage of classrooms, desks and especially toilets, as can be seen in
the table below. Classrooms are often overcrowded, and in some
areas class sizes are reported to be as high as 200. As is well known,
the lack of toilets is of particular concern to girls, especially when
they are menstruating. Here too there are great disparities across the
country. For instance, Shinyanga schools only have 6% of their toilet
requirements, in contrast to Iringa, which has 61% (BEST, 1997). The
situation of textbooks is worse still, with actual reality being well short
of the targeted one textbook per subject per child. School libraries
are virtually non-functional. Ironically, studies show that the shortage
of textbooks leads some head-teachers to lock up the few books that
are available in order to safeguard them (Cooksey, et al in kuleana,
1999). As a result, it is possible for some Tanzanian children to
complete primary education without having had a single textbook.
One student put it succinctly: a teacher is always right not because he is right but
because he is the teacher.
12
14
Primary School Buildings and Furniture, Required vs.

Actual, 1996
Type of
Building/Furnit
Required
Number
Actual
Number
Number
of
Shortage
Classrooms
92,539
54,417
38,122
Actual as
%
of
Required
59%
Staff houses
111,581
24,404
87,177
22%
ure
Toilets
153,114
46,319
106,795
30%
Desks
1,666,420
815,530
851,290
51%
Tables
189,613
69,734
119,879
37%
Chairs
206,593
71,370
135,223
35%
Cupboards
120.295
29,355
90,940
24%
Source: Ministry of Education and Culture, BEST National Data 1997:21
23.
It is no surprise, then, that educational achievement is extremely
low. According to the latest available data from 199913, in the best
performing region (Dar es Salaam) only 35% passed the primary
school leaving exam. In an astounding 90% (18 out of 20) of the
countrys regions, less than a quarter (25%) of students passed their
national examinations. The basic implication is clear: the education
system in Tanzania is failing to educate students. Gender disparities
are particularly pronounced in examination performance. In Mara
and Kigoma regions, for instance, of all students sitting exams, three
times as many males passed as females, and in most other regions
males performed twice as well as females. This shows that while
there is parity in terms of primary school enrollment, gender
discrimination in terms of equal opportunity to learn and succeed is
rife.
24.
The lack of equity in education is a concern in other regards as
well. Contrary to its commitment to provide universal education for

all children, girls who become pregnant in school, often due to
circumstances that they do not control, are automatically expelled.
For detailed information on performance, see MOEC (2000), pp. 15-16, and on gender
aspects, see Mabala and Kamazima (1995).
15
13
Official records put the annual number of girls who drop out due to
pregnancy at 3,000, but the actual figure is likely to be much higher
because girls often drop out before being expelled and are recorded
as truant.14 Contrary to popular belief, there is no law that calls for
the explicit expulsion of pregnant schoolgirls. The Minister of
Education had announced in Parliament in June 1996 that such girls
will be allowed to continue with their education, but subsequently the
government has backtracked and the prospects for further progress
look grim. In practice, few girls of rich or well-connected parents are
able to enjoy education by having access to abortion services
(officially still legally restricted) or opportunity to transfer to other
schools. As a result, it is the majority poor who bear the brunt of this
practice.
25.
Children with disabilities also face deep exclusion from school.
While official policy stresses mainstreaming, very few children with

disabilities enjoy schooling because of discrimination in the
community and in the school. In the entire country there are only 16
special schools out of a total of over 11,000 schools (kuleana, 1999).
Despite their small number, they lack funds and are poorly equipped.
Overall, their has been little progress in viewing children with
disabilities as equal, capable members of society with full rights and
privileges, and the school system only further reinforces this situation.
26.
Issues of bad governance lie at the heart of the education crisis in
Tanzania today. The school committee, which is meant to be the key

institution in ensuring educational quality and accountability, is
extremely weak in most cases. In practice, most committees lack real
authority and resources. They are typically dominated by a few
individuals, and do a bad job of representing the interests of the
One crude estimate (kuleana, 1999) suggests that the actual number may be closer to
39,000 expulsions per year.
16
14
majority poor. Students have no representation on the committee, and

are virtually never consulted in relation to its decision-making. Within
the school itself, children also have little role in day to day
governance, including the opportunity to form student governments15
or have a role in the administration of school discipline. In broader
terms, the division among two ministries (the Ministries of Education
and Local Government) in running schools, the high level of fiscal
fungibility at national, district and ward levels and the general lack of
organized public engagement in matters of education all seriously
impair effective governance. In short, despite pronounced intentions
to the contrary, parents, teachers and students are not able to hold to
account those who are responsible for providing education services.
Priority Recommendations for Action
27.
Action one: Ensure that big picture policy-making is consistent
with the principle of the best interests of the child. At present,

children are rarely considered in major policy making decisions and
processes, and consequently their interests are often neglected or
assigned a low priority. The government needs to elevate thinking
about children from its present charity ghetto or welfare box to
the top of government priorities. This means that the impact on
children should be a primary concern in policy-making, and that the
case for children be thoughtfully and forcefully made at the highest
levels of analysis and decision-making, including negotiations with the
Paris Club and national budget making. This perspective requires
both quantitative and qualitative indicators for child development,
including especially measures that reflect life as experienced by
children, to take center stage. Reform of legislation to be consistent
with the CRC needs to be fast-tracked. The breadth of actors involved
Sometimes the presence of student prefects or monitors is confused with student
government. However, these so called student leaders are appointed by teachers (not
elected by peers) and their primary role consists of assisting teachers to perform their
tasks (including hitting fellow pupils) rather than represent student interests.
17
15
and sorts of questions asked in major policy reform also needs to be

expanded. Operationally this implies that issues related to children
become the concern of the Presidents office and the Ministries of
Finance and Justice as well.
28.
Action two: Ensure basic education is accessible, equitable, of
decent quality and rights-based. The need for this is evident from the
discussion above, and is clearly implied in the governments own
Vision 2025 and PRSP documents, as well as its commitment to the
Dakar Education Summit Declaration. For this vision to be realized
the following actions are critical:
Increase investment in primary education to ensure that at least

20% of the education budget is made available at school level (for
non-salary items) directly related to improving educational quality.
Abolish mandatory school fees and contributions for primary

education, i.e. ensure no child is sent away from school because of
non-payment of any fee.16
Stop expulsion of pregnant schoolgirls and implement mechanisms

to allow for their continued education after childbirth.
Abolish corporal punishment and other forms of humiliation, and

support teachers to use alternative modes of creating discipline.
Improve teacher training and support to promote interactive, childcentered learning that fosters creativity and critical thinking.17
Strengthen school committees to ensure effective governance and

full democratic participation (including of children).18
Adopt and adequately fund a strategy to significantly increase

opportunity for secondary schooling from the present 6% to 15% in
the coming decade.
The shortfall can be easily met from increased government revenue, expected gains
from the HIPC Initiative and donor negotiations. Fortunately, the final version of the
PRSP document does state that the government intends to abolish primary school fees
starting FY 2001-02. It is crucial that this include all mandatory contributions too.
16
The development of independent and democratic trade unions of teachers is likely to

be a critical engine to improve teaching and involve teachers in governance.
17
The introduction of democratic student government will need to be a key aspect of

this.
18
18
29.
Stimulate widespread public engagement about the purposes of

schooling, the meaning of a well-educated student and how to
overcome current problems, especially related to governance.
Action three: Ensure the meaningful involvement of children in
local government reform and other key governance processes. Local

government reform and its promise of eventually devolving power to
local levels represents an opportunity to enable the greater realization
of child rights in Tanzania. However, for this potential to be realized,
the government needs to ensure two key aspects are in place. The
first is that decentralization needs to go beyond districts to the ward
and community level. The transfer of significant resources to
communities and the opportunity for true democratic citizen
participation is critical to its success. The second aspect involves
ensuring the meaningful participation of children in local government
structures and processes. This can be done through both direct
representation in key institutions, such as student participation in
school committees and youth members of village councils, and
through indirect representation, such as designating senior office
bearers with the responsibility of standing for childrens interests.19
In all cases, broad consultation with and feedback back to children (as
indeed with adults), done in a transparent and meaningful fashion, is
required to democratize local government.
30.
Action four: Initiate an honest, credible and strategic program to
sustain youth livelihoods. This involves young people being able to

own assets, access opportunities and resources, and be able to protect
themselves. Supporting young people to develop self-confidence,
skills and viable healthy lifestyles in the face of HIV/AIDS will be
central to this.20
For instance, in Uganda all levels of local government have a youth representative and
all vice-chairpersons are charged with the responsibility of representing the interests of
children.
19
19
Conclusion
31.
Despite commitments to the contrary, children in Tanzania are
routinely deprived of the full enjoyment of their rights. The sorry

state of education and the treatment of children within it highlighted
in this report are reflective of the marginal place of children in
broader society. The CRC promises real respect for children as full
persons, enhanced status for children as full citizens, and concerted
actions and resources to translate these commitments into practice.
Tanzania is faced with the task of achieving this vision in the context
of enormous challenges, including persistent poverty, an unjust debt
burden and an inheritance of corrupt administration. In our view the
government has taken several steps to realize child rights in Tanzania,
but the magnitude, depth and vigor of actions so far are inadequate to
the task, and in some instances the situation has actually regressed.
At current rates of progress Tanzania is not on track to achieve its
own goals, meet internationally agreed targets or fulfill its obligations
under the CRC.
For this reason, Tanzania can no longer afford to continue taking
incremental steps, both for the sake of its children who constitute
the majority of its citizens and for the development of the country as
a whole. As a minimum, the priority recommendations listed above
need to be implemented with due vigor. Given the central relevance
and magnitude of the challenge, the committed and imaginative
leadership of the newly re-elected President Mkapa and his entire
cabinet is a vital requirement. A truly developed society is one in
which all children can grow, flourish and live lives of dignity. There is
no better legacy.
These recommendations are not meant to be exhaustive in any sense. Several
important aspects relating to children with special vulnerabilities such as orphans, with
disabilities and others are not mentioned, and various key concerns such as access to
health and safe water are also not included.
20
20
References
Bangser, M. (2000), Reframing Policies for Gender Equity: Womens
Agency, Participation and Public Accountability, Harvard
Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge
Kuleana (September 1999), The State of Education in Tanzania: Crisis
and Opportunity, Mwanza
Mabala, R. and Kamazima, S.R., (1995), The Girl Child in Tanzania:
Todays Girl, Tomorrows Woman, A Research Report, UNICEF, Dar es
Salaam
Ministry of Education and Culture-MOEC (1998), Basic Education
Statistics in Tanzania (BEST) National Data 1993-1997, Dar es Salaam
Ministry of Education and Culture-MOEC (June 2000), Basic Education
Statistics in Tanzania (BEST) National Data 1995-1999, Dar es Salaam
Oxfam International (1998), Debt Relief for Tanzania: An Opportunity for
a Better Future, Oxford and Washington, DC
Rajani, R. and Petren, A. (2000), Raising Awareness for Child Rights, in
Child Rights: Turning Principles into Practice, Radda Barnen and
UNICEF, Stockholm
United Nations Childrens Fund-UNICEF (1997), Tanzania Briefing Note,
Dar es Salaam
United Nations Childrens Fund-UNICEF (1998), Children in Need of
Special Protection Measures: A Report, Dar es Salaam
United Nations Development Program-UNDP (2000), Human
Development Report 2000: Human Rights and Development, New York
United Republic of Tanzania (1998), Revised Initial Report on the
Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the
United Republic of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam.
United Republic of Tanzania (1999), Tanzania Vision 2025, Dar es Salaam
United Republic of Tanzania (October 2000), Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper (PRSP), Dar es Salaam
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Tanzania NGO Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child

NGO Report on Tanzania

November 15, 2000