[h=2]The Goverment of Tanzania should stop micro manage every business in the country instead they should focus on their responsibily which is to monitor quality of all education Institutions in Tanzania. Instead on trying to establish a school fees without considering expenses the Goverment should focusing on making sure all schools especially secondary schools has qualified teachers, Quality facilities and they must have a standard of passing student example 60% to qualify to be open. We both know some private schools are known for poor performance every year but the goverment is focusing on fees which should be based on market factors. Tanzanian goverment may end up pushing some of good private schools out of market and left all "private" schools to religious organisations!.
Standard fee structure for private schools coming[/h]
Education and Vocational Training deputy minister Philipo Mulugo.
It`s just a matter of time before private schools in Tanzania charge standard tuition and miscellaneous other fees, the government hinted here yesterday.
The government is preparing a circular on the trimming of the sky-high fees charged by some private schools in the country, Education and Vocational Training deputy minister Philipo Mulugo told a high-profile stakeholders meeting attended by directors from educational institutions from across the country.
He said the circular takes effect next month, adding: We (government) are convinced that the move will adequately address the problem of high school fees charged by some schools. There is a public outcry over the issue for years.
The deputy minister said before coming up with the decision to regulate the school fee structure, the government carried out a comprehensive study on the cost per pupil/student schools incur per year.
The fee structure will take into close account the actual cost for day and boarding school students alike. So the fees charged will differ from category to category it will not be uniform, he noted, adding that the next step would cover colleges and universities.
A recent survey by the ministry shows that fees charged by private secondary schools range from 1.6 to 4m/- per year, which comes to between 134, 000/- and 335,000/- per month for a modest school.
Deputy minister Mulugo meanwhile underscored the need for education stakeholders to critically think of ways to ensure the country comes up with a better curriculum that will meet the current needs and demands of students and society.
He also asked the stakeholders and education authorities to chip in with recommendations on how to find a lasting solution to the incidence of intermittent strikes in schools, colleges and universities in the country.
Some of the causes of those strikes relate to problems with the way students are taught, student population relative to school capacity, limited number of teachers, payment of students loans and exorbitant fees relative to parents incomes. So we need to come up with mechanisms or modalities that will address these challenges, he added
He was emphatic that use of force cannot effectively end strikes in institutions of learning so we must identify and aim for the root causes of the problem.
The meeting was organised by the Tanzania Commission for Universities under the theme: Towards Better Regulation of Education System in Tanzania.
In July this year, some Members of Parliament raised concern over the notorious skyrocketing of fees in private schools. Special Seats MP Christina Mughwai (Chadema) demanded that the government explain why no action taken against private school owners overcharging students and forcing parents to contribute to the construction of the school buildings contrary to the law.
Deputy minister Mulugo responded by warning the school owners to stop the forced contributions, saying the practice was unlawful.
He said Education Circular No. 19 of 2002 directed the owners of private schools to charge 380,000/- for boarding schools and 150,000/- for day schools, but most school have continue to charge much higher fees with relative impunity even when academic standards are awfully low.
Mulugo noted that even considering rises in running costs, some schools were charging unreasonably high fees they could not defend.
He added, though, that part of the problem was that some parents and students had so much preference for private primary and secondary schools that they seldom took time to consider the quality factors and cost implications.
However, it has long been understood that the ministry is about to come up with a new fee structure for both public and private schools.
Standard fee structure for private schools coming[/h]
Education and Vocational Training deputy minister Philipo Mulugo.
It`s just a matter of time before private schools in Tanzania charge standard tuition and miscellaneous other fees, the government hinted here yesterday.
The government is preparing a circular on the trimming of the sky-high fees charged by some private schools in the country, Education and Vocational Training deputy minister Philipo Mulugo told a high-profile stakeholders meeting attended by directors from educational institutions from across the country.
He said the circular takes effect next month, adding: We (government) are convinced that the move will adequately address the problem of high school fees charged by some schools. There is a public outcry over the issue for years.
The deputy minister said before coming up with the decision to regulate the school fee structure, the government carried out a comprehensive study on the cost per pupil/student schools incur per year.
The fee structure will take into close account the actual cost for day and boarding school students alike. So the fees charged will differ from category to category it will not be uniform, he noted, adding that the next step would cover colleges and universities.
A recent survey by the ministry shows that fees charged by private secondary schools range from 1.6 to 4m/- per year, which comes to between 134, 000/- and 335,000/- per month for a modest school.
Deputy minister Mulugo meanwhile underscored the need for education stakeholders to critically think of ways to ensure the country comes up with a better curriculum that will meet the current needs and demands of students and society.
He also asked the stakeholders and education authorities to chip in with recommendations on how to find a lasting solution to the incidence of intermittent strikes in schools, colleges and universities in the country.
Some of the causes of those strikes relate to problems with the way students are taught, student population relative to school capacity, limited number of teachers, payment of students loans and exorbitant fees relative to parents incomes. So we need to come up with mechanisms or modalities that will address these challenges, he added
He was emphatic that use of force cannot effectively end strikes in institutions of learning so we must identify and aim for the root causes of the problem.
The meeting was organised by the Tanzania Commission for Universities under the theme: Towards Better Regulation of Education System in Tanzania.
In July this year, some Members of Parliament raised concern over the notorious skyrocketing of fees in private schools. Special Seats MP Christina Mughwai (Chadema) demanded that the government explain why no action taken against private school owners overcharging students and forcing parents to contribute to the construction of the school buildings contrary to the law.
Deputy minister Mulugo responded by warning the school owners to stop the forced contributions, saying the practice was unlawful.
He said Education Circular No. 19 of 2002 directed the owners of private schools to charge 380,000/- for boarding schools and 150,000/- for day schools, but most school have continue to charge much higher fees with relative impunity even when academic standards are awfully low.
Mulugo noted that even considering rises in running costs, some schools were charging unreasonably high fees they could not defend.
He added, though, that part of the problem was that some parents and students had so much preference for private primary and secondary schools that they seldom took time to consider the quality factors and cost implications.
However, it has long been understood that the ministry is about to come up with a new fee structure for both public and private schools.
