Education

2017

The current education curriculum applied is that of the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is taught in French in line with the Tanzania refugee policy emphasis on education for repatriation. The absence of mainstreaming refugee education into the national curriculum of Tanzania has posed limitations to access to national tertiary education, and other benefits of integrated school system. Entry into national colleges through the DAFI scholarship program has been suspended since 2013 after the Tanzanian Admission Board questioned the grading system of Congolese examination.  The pupil/teacher ratio for the Congolese schools stands at 1:60 outside the optimal 1:40 standard. The lack of teachers across all grades, and the absence of motivation due to low wages, yield poor examination results. The recruitment of additional teachers in pre-schools and primary schools will improve the teacher/student ratio, increase the quality of classroom interactions and the potential for uptake of more students towards optimal school enrolment. 77 dilapidated secondary school classrooms require urgent rehabilitation while 24 additional classrooms are needed for pre-schools. The distribution of over 3,800 desks to primary and secondary schools improved the ratio child/desk to 1:3 in 2015. However 185 additional desks in Primary schools, 225 in secondary schools and 428 in early childhood development (ECD) centres are still required.
 
Past assessments noted that most WASH facilities in schools are in very poor conditions. There is a need to construct 108 pupil toilets in secondary schools, 318 in primary schools and 62 in ECD centres. Books for all subjects at various levels will also need to be provided. Scholastic material support to students and teachers remained low, and the last uniform distribution was in 2013 by UNICEF. The retention of girls within the protective education system remains a key priority, and robust school and community-based programs will be pursued to mitigate against root causes underpinning school drop-out including, early marriages, child labour, and teenage pregnancies all of which undermine girls’ education. Targeted support aiming to improve the retention of girls in schools will continue to be necessary and it will be important to prioritize inclusive timely and sufficient distribution of sanitary materials and to create safe girl-friendly spaces in schools.
 
Tertiary and vocational education will be enhanced to encompass approaches of self-reliance and durable solutions. Past assessments have revealed that feeding program at all school levels and improved support to vulnerable children would improve school attendance, particularly the retention of children forced to engage in child labour in order to support their elderly or sick caregivers and families. While a parent-teacher association (PTA) system is in place to infuse a community-based approach in support of the education sector, enhanced community mobilization and empowerment towards back-to school campaigns and optimal school enrolment remain key priorities. School-based programs will be used as tools to disseminate and entrench life-saving and key protection messages on safety, gender equity, child participation, disease prevention and hygiene promotion.
 
 At the policy level UNHCR is developing an advocacy strategy in partnership with UNICEF to shift from country of origin (CoO) to country of asylum (CoA) curriculum for all refugees as a first step, pending further discussion with the authorities on more flexibility regarding the encampment policy which would allow discussions on progressive integration of refugees into the national education system. UNHCR will also work with the Ministries of Education and Home Affairs to ensure that refugee educational credentials are recognized in Tanzania. UNHCR will enhance its involvement with the national dialogue structure on education in Tanzania, including through strengthened cooperation with the Ministry of Education, UNICEF and UNESCO.