EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE LEARNING EASIER, FUN

Cultivation of a reading culture has been problematic in Tanzania in recent years. Reading is seemingly on the decline due to a myriad reasons, including lack of access to books.
The majority of Tanzanians, especially young learners, have little or no access to the book variety they need to hone skills or talents in areas they develop an interest in.
Need we say more? This largely contributes to the erosion of quality education that many people crave.
However, there is a glimmer of hope that the reading culture will improve in the near future following the launch of an online library, which is available to urban and rural residents alike.
The Room to Read online library is certainly a boon for young learners, many of who are forced to share textbooks in groups of more than ten students.
With more than 1,000 textbooks available online, hopefully, even learners in rural areas where the internet is accessible can compete on an equal footing with their urban peers.
It is imperative that the reading culture is promoted again with gusto. Millions of school leavers nowadays experience huge knowledge gaps because of poor access to reading materials.
Obviously, technology is changing rapidly to the advantage of many, but marginalised groups need special attention. Awareness programmes are needed for millions of rural parents who do not see it as an opportunity.
The Education ministry and other stakeholders should ensure that reading is championed, valued, respected and encouraged at all levels.
It may certainly be a new burden for some parents, but everything is going digital, so there is no escaping this development.
Expectations are high that learning will be easier now. This means that Tanzanian education could soon catch up with leading regional countries.
The government stressed the importance of embracing technology in both primary and secondary schools during the launch of the School Direct Kids app recently. The country needs a generation that is knowledgeable. It is up to the government to walk the talk.

OFFER THE DISABLED SUPPORT

It is crying a shame that, despite global socioeconomic development and plenty of lip service to the plight of people with disabilities over the decades, precious little has been accomplished in making their lives better.

We choose instead to reward lazy people with no discernible disability—and who prefer begging instead of engaging in productive activities—and look the other way when dealing with the less fortunate in society.

We have not heard of many companies committing a significant amount of their corporate social responsibility funds to helping people with disabilities. Even when they contribute to such a cause, the funds are unlikely to be spent on equipment such as braille machines, wheelchairs and hearing aids.

Very rarely do we see equipment designed to help people with disabilities in our buildings, public transport buses, trains and others. If they were given the necessary support, the more than four million Tanzanians living with disabilities would not only live productive lives but also contribution significantly to economic development.