RESOLVE THIS REPEATING STORY IN EXAM RESULTS
On Saturday January 15, the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (Necta) announced the results of 2021 national examinations, including exams for Form IV, Form-II and Primary School Standard 4 pupils.
According to the Necta, only 92 percent of the 652,611 pupils registered as candidates for the Form II examinations last year passed the exam.
With regard to the Primary School Standard 4 examination, Necta said, about 86.30 percent of the 1,681,791 examinees qualified to continue to the next higher class, their examination results showed.
Taking into account the seemingly endless challenges that plague the Education system in the country, the foregoing figures could be described as “tolerable,” under the difficult circumstances.
However, the CSEE results tend to suggest otherwise.
According to Necta executive secretary Charles Msonda a total of 538,020 pupils were registered countrywide for the CSEE last year, including 285,010 girls and 253,014 boys.
However, only 422388 of passed the exam, with a whopping 59 percent of them scoring Division IV.
Out of the 538,024 CSEE examinees, only 98,366 boys, and75,056 girls, passed the exam in Divisionas I, II and III, making a total of 173,422 candidates who passed in those divisions.
What this means on the ground is that 364,602 of the exam candidates scored only Division IV, or Zero in the 2021 CSEE.
What all the foregoing means, is that are still far behind when it comes to the utopian concept of passing exams by 100 percent. Admittedly, we are doing relatively well in giving equal chances in education to both genders, as well as a level playing field for both public and private players.
This is something that authorities need to look into seriously.
But, we must also revisit the education sector and iron out the remaining kinks so that we continue to improve its performance.
LET’S CLEAN UP OUR MARKETS
RECENT unplanned and off-the-records inspection tour of public market for commodities in the nations’ commercial capital Dar es Salaam revealed much, much to be desired in the general hygiene stakes.
If ‘hygiene’ describes the practice and/or condition relating to cleanliness, correct sanitary practices, etc. that protect preserve and promote health all round, then none –Yes: NONE – of the open markets that were visited recently can be said to be in hygienic, spic and span state.
Almost without exception, the markets lacked clean working toilet facilities, running supply of of water that is both clean safe, drainage and related sanitary systems, as well as poor infrastructure generally.
Some of the markets seem to be perpetually surrounded by muddy puddles that result from sudden downpours or poor drainage – or both In any case this adds to the markets poor hygienic situation.
This posed danger to visiting customers – but, more so to traders and other workers at the markets who have no alternative but to work and live in the poor surroundings.
We urge the relevant authorities to look into this situation soonest, ensuring that part of the public revenue collected at the markets is usefully directed at cleaning and sprucing up the market for its workers and customers.
