What is the initiative and where is it implemented (city or country, for example)?
Several projects have been implemented in the United Republic of Tanzania to improve the education sector, specifically to provide more opportunities for girls and women to access quality education.
One of the initiatives is Empowering Girls through Education, implemented in the Kasulu, Ngorongoro and Sengerema districts. The project is implemented with the help of the funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and secured by the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) in collaboration with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The project opens access to basic literacy courses, pre-vocational and life-skills training for adolescent girls and young women aged between 14 and 24 to provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in socio-economic activities.
Another initiative resulting from the collaborative efforts of the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) and BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania, a non-governmental development organization, is the Secondary Education for Out of School Adolescent Girls (SEOSAG) as part of the Education, Empowerment and Life Skills for Adolescent Girls and Young Children (EELAY) project. The project is funded by NORAD and aims to empower adolescent girls from marginalized groups who are at risk of dropping out of school or have failed to complete their secondary education due to circumstances related to their socio-economic background. The project’s objectives include providing girls with basic literacy skills, preparing them for further studying in case of passing national examinations, and developing social skills, thus improving their quality of life.
To use Open and Distance Learning efficiently, the Institute of Adult Education launched the Girls Inspire project with funds from the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). The project aims to inspire girls from challenging socio-economic backgrounds who do not have an opportunity to attend school to aspire to learn (IAE, n.d.a).
How was the initiative established? How was it implemented?
All initiatives were established to provide girls and young women with access to quality education through various pathways.
Firstly, the IAE assessed the learning needs of girls and women in the Kasulu, Ngorongoro and Sengerema districts. They adopted educational resources from alternative learning programmes as teaching and learning materials, such as Integrated Post Primary Education (IPPE). The project then established 15 learning centres in the districts mentioned above and distributed 13 learning modules among them. Each district was equipped with one ICT youth learning centre, in which learners had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with different programmes and acquire basic ICT skills. The subjects covered in learning modules include basic literacy, communicating in English and Swahili, basic mathematics, life skills, gender, entrepreneurship and financial management skills, environmental and civic and human rights education, sexual and reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS.
The programme participants worked on gaining and enhancing pre-vocational skills such as batik painting, soap making and food, oil and leather processing. Audio and audio-visual programmes supported the development of pre-vocational skills. Facilitators supervised the use of technology in the learning environment. Learning was conducted in phases.
Under the SEOSAG project, 35 community-based study centres were established, of which 12 are in the Korogwe district, accommodating 210 registered learners, and the remaining 23 are in the Tanga municipality. Overall, there are more than 600 learners enrolled in the centres. Most of the centres are located in primary school buildings; the usage of government infrastructures is negotiated with the leaders and communities of those areas. The IAE has conducted training workshops for facilitators who collaborate with BRAC programme organizers to supervise the activities in the study centres (IAE, n.d.b).
Which stakeholders are involved in the design and/or implementation of the initiative? Which sectors do they represent?
Both private and public sector representatives are actively involved in the project. The primary stakeholder is the IAE, which collaborated with UNESCO, Korea International Cooperation Agency, the Commonwealth of Learning and other agencies. Various non-governmental organizations are involved in the implementation of the project. Public schools support the implementation of the projects by providing facilities. Teachers, facilitators and supervisors, as well as the beneficiaries of the projects are active stakeholders as well (IAE, n.d.a).
What are the impacts of the initiative in terms of facilitating lifelong learning? Who does it benefit and how?
The initiatives for empowering girls have proved to be impactful in terms of facilitating lifelong learning. The projects provide adolescent girls with access to secondary education and pre-vocational training, which helps them obtain the qualifications required for joining vocational or higher educational institutions. The projects aim to decrease the gap between girls and boys in education and reduce social, political and legal barriers that prevent adolescent girls from receiving a quality education.
Thousands of girls and women are benefiting from the initiatives across the United Republic of Tanzania. There are around 1,000 girls participating in the programme in the Nyakitonto, Nyamnyusi, Rungwe Mpya, Titye and Heru Ushingo wards in the Kasulu district of the Kigoma region, the Samunnge, Engaresero, Oldonyosambu, Digodigo, Kirangi and Malambo wards in the Ngorongoro districts of the Arusha region and the Tabaruka, Nyampulukano, Mwabaluhi, Ibisabageni and Nyatukala wards in Sengerema districts of the Mwanza region.
More than 3,000 adolescent girls and young women, aged between 15 and 24 from the Bahi and Kongwa districts in the Dodoma region, the Kalambo and Nkasi districts in the Rukwa region and the Ruangwa and Kilwa Masoko districts in the Lindi region have been actively involved in the programme (IAE, n.d.a).
References
IAE (Institute of Adult Education). n.d.a. Projects. [Online] Available at: https://iae.ac.tz/en [Accessed 4 September 2021].
IAE. n.d.b. SEOSAG. [Online] Available at: https://iae.ac.tz/en/pages/seosag [Accessed 18 November 2021]