A number of Curriculum Developers have served
the Government through the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) which started
in 1964 at the University Hill as part of the University College, Dar es
Salaam. It started with the name, Institute
of Education (IE) and occupied the Sisal House, now the homestead for the
School of Education, formally known as the Faculty of Education, University of
Dar es Salaam. Lecturers working at the Institute were given the post of
co-ordinator for relevant subjects.
After the Presidential Commission
for Education of 1982 (Jackson Makwetta’s Commission), IE was renamed Institute of Curriculum Development (ICD). In the early nineties it changed again
and acquired the present name of TIE.
Those who know the History of the Institute will wish to know the fate of the
curriculum developers who shaped the Institute which is regarded as ‘the heart of the nation’. Many will
recall the rigorous activities that the Institute used to conduct in order to put
in place good curriculum for the country through teacher training and the
inspectorate. There were seminars conducted monthly and sometimes fortnightly.
When the Institute became a
parastatal under the Ministry of Education in 1975, the lecturers/co-ordinators
acquired a new name called Curriculum Developers
(CDs). The curriculum developers were given the responsibility of doing
curriculum development for the nation as well as conducting research and
evaluation in particular subjects as it was deemed necessary. They were also
charged with the task of conducting seminars for teachers regarding changes in
syllabuses and books caused by innovations and globalization. They were also
given the mandate to advise the Government through subject panels which
included members from various government sectors.
The curriculum developers worked cooperatively
during the seminars, workshops and meetings. New curriculum developers learned a lot from
the experienced ones. Some of the curriculum developers had undergone training
in Ibadan, Nigeria, conducted by the African Curriculum Organization (ACO).
Moreover, the curriculum developers got the opportunity to attend a curriculum
development conference hosted by the Institute and supported by UNESCO and ACO
in 1978.
We know that we have lost a
number of curriculum developers through death, retirement, exit for greener
pastures and repatriation to Government and other organizations. We cannot
recover the dead, but we can utilize what they left behind. To what extent do
we do that? Have their work been documented for future reference? Can we count
on TIE’s Resource Centre? Anyway do we use it? Our Fourth Phase President, Dr
Jakaya Kikwete once questioned whether some historical events and documents are
preserved for the future generations. Some of these works were published in the
Tanzania Educational Journal (TEJ) and Studies in Education. Do people read
them? Has its regular production been maintained?
We are still in memories of the
following that made the Institute famous, but have lost their lives:
Mr Anza amen
Lema, the first Tanzania Director of IE. He was once the Headmaster for Ilboru
Secondary School.
.Mr Conrad Gunze, the former
Curriculum Developer for Biology and also former Head of Department for the
School Equipment Development Unit (SEDU).
.Mr Mgema, Curriculum Developer for Biology
and custodian of the defunct Unified Science.
.Steven Mbogo, the former Curriculum
Developer for Technical Education, also the pioneer of modular approach method
of teaching in Tanzania schools.
. Mr Mbega, former Curriculum
Developer for Engineering Science.
. Mr Samuel Kapinga, former Curriculum
Developer for Music.
.Mr Hillary Chowo, the former
Curriculum Developer for Pre-School.
. Mr Joram Matulu, the former
Primary Science Curriculum Developer.
.John Evarist Massawe, the former
teacher Education Coordinator and Chemistry expert.
. Mr Charles Kalugula former Head
of Department for Publications and later became the Director for Policy and Planning
of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MOEVT).
. Mr Laurent Masota, the former Curriculum
Developer for Primary School Mathematics.
.Mrs Mary Isaria Kimambo who was one of the
pioneers of IE in charge of Home Economics and retired to start KAPSEL Educational
Publishers. She died 0n 26th October, 2012.
We pay tribute to all of them and
hope their effort to educate the country will be remembered for ever. Someone has
to take the trouble of excavating what they left behind and avail it to the
public for present and future generations.
We know that the following are
still serving the nation in various education circles:
. Mr Elibariki Moshi left the Institute
to start the Children’s Book Project (CBP) for Tanzania and later establish a
company known as Mture Educational Publishers Ltd.
. Professor Agnes Njabili left
the Institute to teach in Botswana and Namibia. She worked briefly at NECTA and
is now lecturing at UDSM.
. Dr Sydney Mkuchu, Dr Edith Mhehe and Dr
Peter Pembe joined the Open University of Tanzania (OUT).
. Mr Lauren Sago retired at TIE
and later joined UDSM.
.Dr Frida Tungaraza left TIE for
PhD studies and joined UDSM upon return.
.Mr Valentine Bukozo, the former
Physics Curriculum Developer, left TIE to teach in a teachers’ college in
Botswana.
.Mr Fred Sichizya has retired
from Government service and started a consultant firm called Ed=Improvement Agency.
.Mr Alinanini Mwambogela retired
from TIE and started a school in Mbeya.
.Dr Naomi Katunzi, one of the
former directors of TIE and founder of the Complementary Basic Education in
Tanzania (COBET), left TIE to become Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Education and Vocational Training and later served as PS for the Ministry of Science,
Technology and Higher Education. She is now a consultant and lecturing at St
John University in DSM.
. MR William Sabaya, the former
Director of TIE in the early nineties, was recalled to MOEVT and later worked
in TCU.
.Mr Ismail Nkya who left IE in
the late eighties and joined MANTEP in Bagamoyo. He is now at Sebastian Kolowa
Memorial University.
.Mrs Dorothy Mbilinyi retied at
TIE and joined the Tanzania Gender Network Programme (TGNP).
. Dr Emmanuel Nkumbi joined NECTA
as Executive Secretary and later retired at the Ministry of Education and
Vocational Training to start a secondary school in Boko Basihaya.
.Mrs Beatrice Omari, former
History Curriculum Developer joined the Oxford University Press office in
Tanzania and has ever since worked as a consultant in various educational
supporters including Ireland AID and CIDA .
.Mr Peter Kopwe, now in Scotland
left TIE and joined MOEVT to strengthen the capacity of EMAC in the Policy and
Planning department.
The list is far from complete.
Many more have done something but space does not allow us to describe their
contribution. However, we would like to know the fate of a few renowned past
curriculum developers such as Mrs Maria Chipa, Mrs Febronia Mlekwa, Mrs
Illuminata Mosha, Mr Joshua Meena, Mr Raphael Kiyao, Mrs Lydia Mzaba, Mrs
Winiel Mweta, Mr Theobald Mvungi, Mrs Alice Rugumyamheto, and Mr Samuel
Kisanga.
Other prominent CDs are: Dr Bayona, Mrs
Happiness Kaduma, Mr Stephen Katende, Dr Halima Mwinshehe, Mr Ferdinand
Lutatenekwa, Mr T. Kamwela, Mr Steven Mwinuka, Mr Alois Mbunda, Dr Halima Mwinshehe,
Mr Zakayo Msengi, Elly Makundi and Victor Msinde. Even our former Ambassador, Honourable
Gertrude Mongela served briefly at IE before joining higher Government posts.
It might be that some of these
past curriculum developers are still struggling individually to make ends meet.
No genuine efforts have been directed to help them resurface. Maybe they should
blow their own trumpets, shouldn’t they? Mr Benjamin Mkapa said recently in
Dodoma that some of the retirees have been neglected or forgotten by the
society. The former Director General of
TIE, Dr PSD Mushi ( who resigned recently from TIE), in his article published
in the Tanzania Educational Journal (TEJ Vol. 3 of 2011) pointed out
‘Curriculum Development does not form one of the 10 ISCO-88 professional
occupations’. No doubt that it is not given prominence.
Some of us insist that they
should be helped since their contribution is still needed. We should use some
extra energy to find where they are. It was a bit disappointing to note that
out of the lot; only Dr Frida Tungaraza attended the ESACO conference held at
the Millennium Tower Hotel, Kijitonyama in 2008. Many more could have been
invited. They need to be in sighted. Maybe some of them would have come up to
participate in the current issue regarding National Curriculum debated
unsuccessfully in the January 2013 parliamentary session. The would have
explained that before they revise syllabuses, they review the curriculum. But where
are they?
If for example, we could succeed in putting
them in a specifically arranged conference or symposium, what a collection of
intellectuals that would be! I once mentioned this idea to a few present
educators and they agreed with me. Let us try it.
Please note that I have not been
able to describe exactly the position of some of the people mentioned. I
apologise for any inconvenience caused. The purpose is to learn more where
applicable and this forum remains open for extra information.
END: The author is a retired Chief Curriculum Developer of TIE and can
be reached by phone 0784498893.
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