CROSSROADS : Form 4 Results: What next for the failed?

Academic success for an individual is many times celebrated by collectively while failure, more often than not, is narrowed down as an individual behavior.

After the 2016 Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (CSEE) results were released there were public celebrations for candidates that passed and private shame and tears for the “failures.”

It’s unfortunate that only less than 75,000 candidates (27 per cent) out of 277,283 candidates who passed the exams qualified for admission into the Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education (A-Level), as indicated by simple analysis of the results released by National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA).

Those qualified candidates (to A-Level) deserve our kudos. Their determination, discipline, hardwork and passion paid off. They should also had the support needed from teachers and parents, among other factors.

However, that number methinks is very low. Even if all of them after two years qualify to join university (which is almost impossible) they may not be able to fill up all the private and public university slots. This does not augur well for education sector where in the last ten years there has been a great expansion of the university institutions, with enrolment greatly increased.

Note that the Central Admission System (CAS) has a list of 71 participating Institutions for the 2016/2017 academic year. Those institutions admit applicants with Form Six and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) qualifications. This means the future does not look bright in terms of full capacity enrollments for higher learning institutions; unless, candidates with equivalent qualifications (diploma candidates) makes it to fill the expected gaps.

From the released Form four exam results, we also have those who got Division 4, and zero. As a nation, we need to guide them accordingly. It is very unfortunate our education system does not prepare the young people with knowledge and skills to enable them become active participants in development for their future. This means we have failed Mwalimu Nyerere’s philosophy on education. To him education was for self reliance or as a liberating tool that brings positive social change.

It’s also unfortunate that some of those who have failed don’t get the necessary guidance, which is vital to help them move forward. Some may get confused and their hapless parents cheated by business people who run substandard colleges, which are not accredited anywhere.

Some of those who got Division 4 can be encouraged to reseat. To those who scored zero, they too are sons and daughters of Tanzania. Life offers a second chance and new opportunities.

The public schools did not do well. Many reasons have been advanced in the past- shortage of teachers, shortage of teaching and learning materials, difficult teaching and learning environment, lack of motivation for both teachers and students, among many others. For how long shall we sing the same song?

What are we missing in our education system? When will our education bring economic freedom for majority Tanzanians? This is only possible if we invest more seriously in the education sector and address most of the challenges that overwhelm it! There is no need to witch-hunt about the poor performance. The challenges that need to be addressed are an open secret.

For example, this year some schools have been reported to be running without text books since opening. This is a bad start in the implementation of the new education policy of 2014. If that is how we run our schools should we expect miracles in the national exams?

It’s very unfortunate that, for teacher, success is measured through students’ performance! But if those teachers don’t have working tools, what can they do? How about government, students, and parents roles? When the Necta recently released Form Two National Exams Results, some head teachers in Mtwara were demoted due to students’ poor performance. Oh, Poor teachers!

Saumu Jumanne is an assistant lecturer, Dar es Salaam University College of Education.