The ongoing efforts for political and economic integration of East Africa have constantly been filling our headlines since 1999, when the Treaty for Establishment of the East African Community (EAC) was signed.
However, it is also important to consider how the EAC is planning for social integration. An increase in the flow of goods and capital within the Community is likely to result in increased movements of people. Their movement, in turn, will affect how education is designed, imparted, and assessed in each country or in the region as a whole.
One project concerning the integration of educational systems across East Africa is the harmonization of curricula. Before 1977, during the former East African Community, curricula were centrally designed by the East African National Examination Council. But after the break-up of the Community in 1977, many of the formal structures that bound different countries’ education systems were dissolved.
Now, with the initiative to rebuild the binding structures of the EAC, the harmonization of curricula is all the more necessary due to changing labor market demands, locally and globally.
The harmonization strategy proposed by the EAC, is planned in four phases as paraphrased from the EAC website below:
- Undertaking a regional studies: What is each partner state’s education system about, and what does it need?
- Examining approaches to delivering education: How can an EAC system fill in partner states’ respective gaps?
- Development of curriculum: How can the new, EAC curriculum be applied in partner states?
- Review of structures: How can partner states reform their systems in order to harmonize with the EAC system?
Phases 1-3 were planned for 2008-2009, and the completion of phase 4 has been planned for 2014.
So what does this mean for young people? First, the integration of education in the EAC means that that the systems in which we were educated may change for the next generation of youth. Second, it means that knowledge as taught in school is changing, and there is a need to re-evaluate what is taught and how it is taught.
What does this really mean for youth? It means that what we have learned so far in our lives in school is not everything there is to know. We need to constantly be moving to educate ourselves and each other in whatever ways we can. There is no static mode in learning; it is continuous and ever-changing, and there is not much we can do except try and keep up with it such that it is relevant to us.
Considering the changes in education in East Africa, here is some food for thought:
- How can East African universities, if at all, formulate joint study/research programs across EAC partner states?
- What kinds of skills would integrated educational institutions require from employees, students, or research associates?
- Where will the work of a combined EAC academic body be most needed, and where will it be applicable?
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Nice one AK…I’d say it’s about time! Plenty of tough questions that the lawmakers are (were) supposed to have put it on paper before this very application of social and economic integration. Curricula harmonization best fitting the needs of our society is important in responding to the challenges posed by the competitive world market. However, this is not enough, not everyone will afford (or want) to go to school and not everyone that goes to school will be able to compete. We need not only young and intelligent graduates/people but being street smart is quite important. To acquire this lets wildly invest in mass education and use a simple language to bridge the gap between the ‘intellectual elite’ and laymen. Over time I’ve noticed that it becomes quite difficult for educated people to connect with normal people; this has to do with the communication barriers that build when one tries to specialize in a certain field of interest. If only we could tap our expensive and hard earned knowledge for the benefit of the whole society, not only would we make our people very aware but they’ll able to compete in the world market. What most people really want to know and exploit is their rights and where to go if they need professional expertise to circumvent some ugly ordeals in life. Otherwise, the abuse of power, democracy, human rights and technological snag will continue to haunt our societies in the years to come.
Thanks @VR, and I agree with you in terms of the discrepancy between youth who are not in school and youth who are. How can educational systems change to account for (or “accept”) learning which has taken place outside the realm of formal education?
This is a very interesting issue you guys have brought up. I personally believe (and as weird as it may sound I still subscribe to it) that the key lies in integrating “maujanja” into school curricula. I know that currently there are avenues for doing this but for the most part, they involve research projects undertaken by PhD students etc. At lower levels of education, maujanja ya street yako isolated kabisa na school curricula.
In other words, if I am a student (first degree, Diploma, A-level, O-level, primary), what I learn in class is very alien from what I live and experience mtaani. Imagine one bwana mdogo who is in O-levels and has an ear for music and has started a business producing music (anatengeneza beatz, washkaji wanavunja singo na albam zinatoka) and this is how he pays for his school fees etc. Shuleni, hamna mtaala wa sanaa ya muziki na hata walimu wakigundua anajihusisha na “uhuni” wa muziki, dogo atafukuzwa shule.
Kuubadili mfumo mzima wa elimu ili uweze kuincorporate maujanja yatakayomwezesha dogo kama huyo hapo juu kukuza kipaji chake na pia kujumuisha maujanja ya utengenezaji wa sanaa ya muziki katika masomo yake, ni ngumu mno na itachukua muda mrefu sana.
Wanafunzi wanaweza kufanya projects (na nafikiri hii ifanywe kuwa sehemy ya syllabus) ambazo zinalenga kusoma/kuchunguza, hata kama ni kwa kifupi, mambo yanayoizunguka jamii kila siku. Kupitia project kama hizi, na kwa kuwapa wanafunzi uhuru wa kutumia ubunifu wao katika kuzifanya hizi project, ndipo utaona maujanja yakitumika.
Mfano, syllabus ya kiswahili ya tangu shule ya msingi mpaka A-level ina kipengele cha mashairi. Tuna hazina kubwa sana ya mashairi kutoka malenga kama kina Shaaban Robert, Mloka, Andanenga na wengineo wengi. Lakini tukiishia hapa tu, tunakuwa tumejinyima utamu mwingi sana wa mashairi mengi tunayoyasikia redioni kila siku, ya akina Fid Q, Mrisho Mpoto, Xplastaz, Mwana FA na wengine wengine wengi (Ningewataja lakini pasingetosha hapa). Hapa kuna utajiri usiopimika wa aina ya mashairi na wanafunzi watapata fursa ya kuyachambua, kujifunza na kujadili mambo yanayoikumba jamii yao (experiences zao wakiwa nyumbani) na mambo mengine lukuki. Sisemi kwamba mashairi ya akina Shaaban Robert yaachwe. Hapana! Yatumike maana na yenyewe yana sehemu yake muhimu sana katika kujifunza ushairi.
Nimetoa mfano tu hapo juu wa somo la kiswahili lakini hii inaweza kufanyika kwa masomo yoyote yale. Ni wafundishaji kuwa wabunifu tu. Jambo lingine labda ni kutilia mkazo extra-curricula activities. Mashuleni huwa kuna club mbalimbali, kuanzia za hesabu, mazingira, sayansi, sanaa na burudani n.k. Nafikiri hizi haswa ndio sehemu yenywe ya kuanzia.
Hata hivyo, ili extra-curricular activities zipate kukubalika sawasawa kwa wanafunzi na walimu ni muhimu kukawa na incentives. Zamani kulikuwa na UMISHUMTA na UMISETA na mashindano haya yalikuwa chachu ya wanafunzi kuonyeshana umwamba wao katika fani mbalimbali, nyingi kati ya hizo zilikuwa zikihusisha maujanja ya mtaani.
Someone should start competitions like these again, and they should do so very soon!
Ili kuendeleza elimu ningependekeza uanzishwaji wa ‘clubs’ mashuleni.
Hizi clubs zinaweza kuwa za muziki, uchoraji, sports, uandishi, book club, science club na nyenginezo ambazo kwa kiasi fulani shule za private zimejitahidi kuanzisha hata hapo Tanzania.
Clubs hizi zinamfanya kwanza mwanafunzi kutojiona mpweke kwa vile atapata wenziwe wenye interests kama zake na pia kusaidiana kuendelezana vipaji vyao na ikiwezekana hata kufanya mashindano madogo dogo na shule nyengine..
Kwa vile vijana hawa bado wadogo. walimu wanaweza kuwa wasimamizi wa hizi clubs na kuweza kuendekeleza vipaji vyao kwa wakati wa baada ya masomo.
Tukifikia vyuo vikuu, katika nchi ziloendelea, hizi clubs zinatambulika rasmi kwenye mitaala ya shule na zinapatiwa pesa kutoka kwenye bajeti ya chuo pamoja na kupatiwa ofisi au hata majengo maalum kwa shughuli zake.
Sijui hili likoje katika vyuo vyetu vya Tanzania, lakini nitasikitika kusikia wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu hawaji organise na kuanzisha magazeti yao, au clubs za mirengo ya kisiasa, au innovative science.
I INSIST THAT WILL BE A GOOD IDEAL, AS MUCH AS WE CAN SEE THE PROBLEM OF UN EQUAL LABOUR MARKET IN QUALITY, QUANTITY AND SUPPLY. THE MAJOR PROBLEM IS DIFFERENT IN CURRICULA, SO THE UNIFORMITY WILL UPGRADE BOTH MEMBER STATES. WELL DONE OUR LEADERS WE APPRECIATE YOU AS MUCH AS YOU RESPECT AND BE ACCOUNTABLE TO YOU. CONGRATULATION .
Me nna maon kuhusu upatikanaji wa elimu vijijin ni mdogo sana na ndio maana hatuendelei