Community Learning Spaces: innovative approaches to life-long learning in Tanzania.

The singing, clapping and the dancing all made for an exciting event as two community learning centres and one community learning hub were launched in an Adult Learning and Education (ALE) pilot project funded by DVV International. “Elimu endelevu kwa watu wote Tanzania” is a slogan that means “life-long learning for all in Tanzania, and this was placed on all three Community Learning Centres and one learning hub during the official launches in 2022 and 2023.

A CLC is defined as a one-stop centre for provision of non-formal youth and adult learning and education, lifelong learning and integrated service delivery for socio-economic transformation and improved quality of life. The aim is to ensure the following:

  • To provide ALE services and provide lifelong learning opportunities.
  • To facilitate individual and community development for sustainable development and improving quality of life
  • To address local needs with tailor-made services
  • To deliver a range of services in one location
  • To promote empowerment, social, cultural, and economic transformation.

During the launch in Kisarawe District, Ms. Senkoro, the District Adult Education Officer (DAEO) gave an overview of adult learning and education in the district and shared some alarming statistics: “According to the educational census conducted using village officials, the total number of adults who are illiterate are 3,839 (1,537M) and (2,302F). Currently 652 adults have enrolled in literacy classes (117M and 435F) among them 31 (8F and 23M) are people living with disabilities. This is equal to 17% of the illiterate people in the district” Remarked Ms. Senkoro.

The concept of life-long learning still bears a certain level of stigma for adults over a certain age. An older man or woman “going to class” like their children and grandchildren sometimes holds the connotation that they are way behind in formal learning. There is a 14% adult illiteracy rate that needs to be addressed.” (The District Adult Education Officer of the newly launched Mzenga Community Learning Centre)

Insufficient human resource capital, inadequate facilities (learning centres, land) are some of the barriers to rolling out effective ALE interventions in Tanzania. Similarly, the intersectionality between basic education and ALE needs to be explored further, especially as parents are required to provide the children with learning support when the get home from school.

Technology (MoEST) and President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG). In these workshops, it was agreed to contextualize and pilot the East/ Horn of Africa CLC model in Tanzania and build a supportive system from national to micro level that supports effective, relevant and needs oriented service delivery at the CLC. In this pilot CLCs will be established in four districts of Kisarawe, Kibaha DC, Kongwa and Mpwapwa located in Coast and Dodoma regions.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology’s (MoEST’s) role is to provide revised guidelines that will be used in management and operations of Community Learning Centres (CLCs) to manage the quality of Education provided by CLCs. They would also ensure that facilitators at the learning centres are capacitated.” (Ms. Felista Mapunda, Focal person, Adult Education in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology)

In Kisarawe district, the government provided a ward office located at Mzenga to be used as a CLC. As a result, DVV complemented the government efforts by renovating the building to meet the standards of a CLC. Similarly, the building was provided with furniture to be used by the adult learners group at the centre. After the renovation, the CLC was officially launched on Thursday 23rd February 2023.

For the full article, please follow this link: https://www.mojaafrica.net/en/magazine/community-learning-spaces-innovative-approaches-to-lifelong-learning-in-tanzania 

YOU ARE LEAVING DVV INTERNATIONAL
Important notice: If you click on this link, you will leave the websites of DVV International. DVV International is not responsible for the content of third party websites that can be accessed through links. DVV International has no influence as to which personal data of yours is accessed and/or processed on those sites. For more information, please review the privacy policy of the external website provider.