Implementation of Primary Education Development Programme in Rural Tanzania: Voices from the Marginalized Communities

Abstract

Education is the social institution dealing with the transmission of knowledge and skills from one generation to another. It is the foundation of economic, political development and social stability in one’s country. The government of Tanzania has formulated Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP) as a means of improving primary education quantitatively and qualitatively as a sustainable strategy for achieving the Millennium Development Goals 2015 and Tanzania Development Vision 2025. Through this programme, enrolment rate in both pre- primary and primary schools increased tremendously and the number of primary schools together with qualified teachers also increased. Consequently, Tanzania received a special prize from the United Nations for excelling in enrolling an increased number of primary school pupils. This further validates that Tanzania has done an incredible job on Universal Primary Education enrolment. However,  there are still many challenges ahead related to retention, completion as well as quality education of rural communities as they are the most affected places in Tanzania. Special attention should be made by the government to ensure that pupils in the peripheral communities access quality education so that they become productive members in the future. Provision of quality education to the marginalized communities has a direct correlation with the attainment of rural development and transformation of agriculture, which is the main source of livelihood for the majority of Tanzanians and backbone of the nation’s economy.

Keywords: Primary Education, Marginalized Communities and Rural Development