Marafiki wa Elimu wilayani Mpwapwa chini ya uratibu wa shirika la HakiElimu wamefanya uwasilishaji wa ripoti ya ufuatiliaji wa Utekelezaji wa Mkakati wa Taifa wa Elimu Jumuishi wa mwaka 2022-2026. Ufuatiliaji huu ulilenga kuangalia hali halisi ya utekelezaji wa Mkakati wa Elimu Jumuishi katika wilaya ya Mpwapwa kuanzia mwaka 2022 hadi 2024 katika ngazi ya shule na kwamba ulifanyika katika shule 15 za msingi za Idilo, Vingh’awe, Igovu, Kisokwe, Mazae, Ilolo, Ng’onje, Kikombo, Mpwapwa, Chazungwa, Mungui, Pwaga, Idaho, Makutupa, Magungu na shule 5 za sekondari za Ihala, Mount Igovu, Mwanakyanga, Pwaga na Vingh’awe.

Akizungumza wakati wa ufunguzi wa uwasilishaji wa ripoti hii, Mwakilishi wa Mkuu wa Wilaya ya Mpwapwa ndugu Oberty Mwalyego amesema kipindi cha nyuma ilikuwa ni kawaida kusikia watoto wenye ulemavu wakifichwa majumbani na kunyimwa haki yao ya kupata elimu, ila kwasasa hali hiyo imebadilika sana na kwamba sasa watoto wenye ulemavu wanaandikishwa kwa wingi katika wilaya ya Mpwapwa na kutolea mfano wa uandikishaji katika shule ya Msingi Chazungwa.

Kwa upande wake Mwenyekiti wa Marafiki Elimu Mpwapwa ndugu Steven Noel akiwasilisha matokeo hayo alisema wamebaini ongezeko la uandikishaji wa wanafunzi wenye mahitaji maalum kutoka wanafunzi 196 (wasichana 127 na wavulana 69) kwa mwaka 2022 hadi wanafunzi 1,022 (wasichana 392 na wavulana 630) kwa mwaka 2024; na wanafunzi wenye ulemavu kutoka wanafunzi 25 (wasichana 12 na wavulana 13) kwa mwaka 2022 hadi wanafunzi 68 (wasichana 27 na wavulana 41) kwa mwaka 2024.

Akitoa ushuhuda wa namna ambavyo alipata fursa ya elimu, ndugu Kandido Mnemele mwakilishi wa Shirikisho la Watu wenye Ulemavu Mpwapwa (SHIVYAWAPWA) anasema ‘’Nakumbuka siku moja nilikuwa nacheza na rafiki zangu ambao walikuwa wamevaa sare za shule na Mwalimu mmoja alipita pale tulipokuwa tunacheza alishangaa kwanini mimi sikuwa nimevaa sare, yule Mwalimu alisimama na kuniuliza kwanini nilikuwa sijaandikishwa shuleni na akanitaka kesho yake niende shuleni kuandikishwa’’

Ushuhuda wa Kandido unaonesha namna ambavyo Walimu wanayo nafasi adhimu ya kuwasaidia watoto wenye ulemavu na wao wapate fursa ya elimu kama watoto wengine ‘’hii confidence mnayoniona nayo leo ni kwasababu Walimu walinionesha upendo, ni muhimu kuwa na watu ambao watatembea kwenye jamii na kuwatambua watoto wenye ulemavu na kuwaandikisha, Mimi pia nilitambuliwa hivyo’. aliongeza ndugu Kandido.

Akihitimisha mkutano huo wa wadau, Mwakilishi wa Mkuu wa Wilaya ndugu Oberty Mwalyego alisema ‘’Kuvaa dera sio kazi bali kazi ni kulishikilia, hivyo natoa wito kwa wadau wa elimu na wananchi kwa ujumla kuhakikisha kuwa watoto wote wenye ulemavu wanaoandishwa shuleni wanaendelea kujifunza katika mazingira wezeshi ili wafikie malengo yao ya kielimu lakini pia kuzifikia ndoto zao’’.

In June 2024, HakiElimu, in collaboration with the Friends of Education, organized a two-days training session to 60 Friends of Education from Geita, Babati, Ukerewe, Tabora, and Mpwapwa on the fundamental knowledge of Social Accountability Monitoring (SAM) and about the National Strategy for Inclusive Education (NSIE). The training aimed at broadening citizen’s understanding of critical issues in education and monitoring mechanisms so as to increase their engagement in promoting transparency and accountability particularly in the implementation of Inclusive Education at both school and community level.

Following the training, HakiElimu will facilitate the Friends of Education to carry out SAM on the implementation status of NSIE and share their findings to education stakeholders in their respective districts. This initiative is intended to foster learnings and improve the implementation (practice) and coordination of NSIE at school and community level.

Asasi ya Kiraia ya HakiElimu imezindua Ripoti ya Utafiti kuhusu hali ya upatikanaji wa elimu bora kwa watoto wanaoishi katika Makazi duni na yasiyo rasmi, Mijini ambao unatarajia kusaidia kuboresha upatikanaji wa elimu kwa watoto wanaoishi katika makazi duni nchini Tanzania.

Utafiti huo wa HakiElimu umefanywa kwa kushirikiana na Kituo cha Utafiti wa Idadi ya Watu na Afya Afrika ‘APHRC’, chenye makao yake makuu jijini Nairobi ambapo utafiti huo umefanyika mwaka 2022 katika mazingira duni ya mijini na umeifikia mikoa ya Dar es Salaam na Dodoma.

Akizungumza wakati akizindua ripoti hiyo kwa niaba ya Waziri wa Elimu, Sayansi na Teknolojia, Prof. Adolf Mkenda, Mkurugenzi Uthibiti Ubora, Wizara ya Elimu, Sayansi na Teknolojia, Ndg. Ephraim Simbeye amesema mpango wa Maendeleo ya Sekta Elimu wa Miaka Mitano 2021/22-2025/26 unagusia Elimu ya mjini.

“Mpango huu unatambua kuwa kuna idadi kubwa ya watu wanaohamia mijini kutoka vijijini hali ambayo imesababisha ongezeko kubwa la wanafunzi mijini ukilinganisha na vijijini. Kutokana na hali hii, utafiti huu unatuimiza kuanza kuitumia dhana ya Elimu ya mjini katika mipango yetu”.

Ndugu Simbeye ametoa wito kwa HakiElimu na wadau wengine kuendelea kufanya tafiti na kuziwasilisha kwa umma kwani unatoa nafasi kwa wadau mbalimbali pamoja na Serikali kutumia matokeo yake katika kufanya maamuzi ambayo yanajengwa katika Ushahidi wa Kisayansi.

Kwa upande wake Mkurugenzi wa HakiElimu Dkt John Kalage amesema HakiElimu ilisukumwa kufanya utafiti huo kwa lengo la kupata hali halisi ya upatikanaji wa elimu katika maeneo ya mijini na kuikuza dhana ya elimu ya mjini “Urban Education” kama eneo la kitaaluma na utafiti.

“Mara zote inaelezwa kuwa shule za vijijini zina changamoto kubwa kuliko za mjini na haziwavutii walimu kutokana na usafiri mbaya na huduma duni za kijamii , Pia inaelezwa kuwa utendaji wa wanafunzi vijijini upo chini ukilinganisha na mijini. Hata hivyo, mtazamo huu si sahihi sana kwani shule za mijini pia zina wanafunzi wenye utendaji wa chini. Miji ina changamoto zake zinazofanana na za vijijini” alisema Dr. Kalage

Naye Mwakilishi wa Kituo cha Utafiti wa Idadi ya Watu na Afya Afrika ‘APHRC’ Ndugu Francis Kiroro ametaja sababu za uchaguzi wa maeneo yaliyofanyika utafiti huo “Inakadiriwa kuwa ifikapo mwaka 2050, asilimia 55 ya watu Tanzania watakuwa mijini, huku Dar Es Salaam ikiongoza kwa ongezeko la watu mijini baraka Afrika, hivyo mipango madhubuti inahitajika”

Utafiti huu ulifanyika katika Jiji la Dodoma, kata ya Chang’ombe na Jiji la Dar-es-Salaam katika kata za Kipawa , kata ya Kiburugwa katika Manispaa ya Temeke na kata ya Hananasifu Manispaa ya Kinondoni, amedokeza Ndugu Francis Kiroro.

On June 4, 2024, at the Morena Hotel in Dodoma, HakiElimu, in collaboration with the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), launched a research report on Access to Quality Education for Children Living in Low-Income Urban Neighbourhoods in Tanzania. The study aims to address the following research questions:

1. What are the schooling patterns among children living in urban poor households in Tanzania, including those with special needs.
2. How do urban poor communities perceive and understand education as a right in the context of urbanization in Tanzania.
3. What available education opportunities exist for children with special needs living in poor urban households.

Read full report for findings and recommendations from this study at https://shorturl.at/BhIrt

On April 25 and May 3, 2024, HakiElimu conducted a series of successful engagements with Members of Parliament (MPs) as key stakeholders in Dodoma, Tanzania.

The objective of these strategic engagement with MPs was to empower them with knowledge and resources regarding the National Strategy for Inclusive Education (NSIE). By building their capacity on NSIE's goals and implementation plans, we aimed to facilitate their active engagement in promoting inclusive education. This included equipping them with evidence-based information, such as analyses of the education budget for FY 2024/25.

A total of 35 Members of Parliament were engaged this time around: 20 were members of the HakiElimu champion MPs (4 males and 16 females); 12 were members of the Parliamentary Education Committee, including 10 MPs and 2 secretaries (totaling 3 males and 9 females); and a total of three MPs were engaged separately during one-on-one sessions

On 25^th January 2024, HakiElimu in collaboration with the Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), 3DBear, The Vocational Educational and Training Authority (VETA), Karume Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and Centro San Viator (CSV) have launched a two-year project meant to foster employability and entrepreneurship in Vocational Education Training (VET) industry in the Tanzania. This project is co-funded by the European Union (EU).

The project seeks to increase competence of direct (teachers, teacher trainers) and indirect beneficiaries (students) in entrepreneurship, digital competences, employability, active participation in society, better understanding of interconnections between vocational education and labor market and increased opportunities for professional development.

Launching of Research report on Re-Entry - April 2024

On April 29, 2024, enters into HakiElimu’s commemorated historic days as the Organization simultaneously launched two significant research findings reports at the New Dodoma Hotel in Dodoma. These reports addressed critical topics in Tanzania's education landscape: The Study on The Political Economy of Early Childhood Development (ECD) which investigated practices and contexts surrounding Early Childhood Development (ECD) for children aged 0-8 and the Study on the Reintegration of Teenage Mothers into Formal Secondary Schools in Tanzania that examined the challenges and opportunities related to re-integrating teenage mothers into formal secondary education, aligning with the implementation of the 2022 Re-entry guideline.

Launching of National CSO Coalition for Safe Schools’ (NCCSS) - March 2024