AfCHPR President advices South Africa over continental court.

The President of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) Justice Augustino Ramadhani has advised South Africa to make the Declaration required under Article 34 (6), to allow non-governmental organisations and individuals to access the court directly. Justice Ramadhani made the call recently when responding to questions from participants who attended the one-day sensitisation colloquium on AfCHPR which was organised by the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA). More than 70 lawyers and human rights organisations attended the colloquium. Judge Ramadhani, Tanzania’s former Chief Justice, described South Africa as one of the nations on the continent which ratified the Court’s protocol 13 years ago. He said the challenge is that the country hasn’t made the Declaration required under Article 34(6), to allow non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and individuals to access the court directly. “The need for NGOs and individuals to directly access the Court is critical for the realisation of the objectives of the Court,” he stressed.  Nic Swart, Chief Executive Officer, Law Society of South Africa (LSSA), said that the legal fraternity has recognised the need to raise public awareness about the existence, functions, and accessibility of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. “The colloquium will help to create a better understanding of the Court and its procedures to the public,” he said.  The LSSA and its six constituents (National Association of Democratic Lawyers, Black Lawyers Association, Law Society of the Northern Provinces, Law Society of the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal Law Society and Cape Law Society) were among the attendees. Since the adoption of the Protocol in 1998, only 29 Member States of the African Union have ratified it. These are: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Libya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Niger, Uganda, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Tunisia. As at October 2015, only seven of the 29 State Parties to the Protocol had made the Declaration recognizing the competence of the Court to receive cases from NGOs and individuals. The seven States are Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Rwanda and Tanzania.

Govt underscores need of ICT in public primary schools

The government has underscored the need of applying Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in public primary schools in the country, saying that it will help facilitate the Literacy and Numeracy Education Support Programme (LANES) currently being undertaken in public primary schools. The programme was instituted in public primary schools with a view to increase knowledge based for pupils by use of ICT so as to reduce the increased high rate of illiteracy whereby some pupils graduate without knowing how to read, write and counting The Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Administration in-charge of education Zuberi Samataba said last Friday  in Dar es Salaam that, there is no way the government can do in order to reduce the high rate of illiteracy in primary schools if the LANES programmes would not be driven by ICTs. He said use of ICTs would reach many pupils and at a much faster speed if their education curriculums are designed properly and documented in database. “Tanzania will not skip the ICT use at this time when the world is highly technologically developed in digital form as the knowledge based on ICT use has become part and parcel of our everyday life’, he said. However, he further noted that, it was imperative to undergo various research studies to see how ICT can be used in primary schools so as to bring changes within a short time. The deputy PS was closing a week long ICT exhibition in the city which was organized by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) and attended by about 38 education stakeholders and some other civil society groups. On her part, the Commissioner for Education in the ministry Professor Eustella Balalusesa said that, it is high time that Tanzania must introduce ICT in teaching methodologies in primary schools so as to attain changes that could enhance the education system in the country. Prof. Balalusesa noted that, the use of ICT ion primary schools will build a strong foundation of knowledge based as the application is quicker and much faster to reach a large audience in far flung areas if applied correctly. She said the programme under the Swahili version known in short form as KKK which stands for ‘Kusoma, Kuandika na Kuhesabu’ will not succeed if communication technology is not applied among stakeholders to save the nation.

UDOM to come up with ICT solution for primary schools

Despite efforts by the government to enhance education by use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in primary schools, about 3,334 out of 16,343 numbers for both public and private registered schools have reliable access to the Information Technology in teaching. This account for only 20 percent of the total number of primary schools in the country which have managed to use ICTs in teaching curriculum since the programe of ICT in education was first introduced in the country in early 2000. Education experts said yesterday in Dar es Salaam that, with the statistics available, it shows that the use of ICTs to enhance education is still very low in the country mainly due to inadequate electricity supply coupled by poor skills mostly in rural areas a phenomenon that renders ICT application. Speaking at the just ended ICT exhibition, lecturers from the Education Unit of the University of Dodoma (UDOM) said in an exclusive interview at their show stand that, schools which have managed to conduct such programmes have been connected to the national grid or have installed renewable energy such as solar to drive ICT related tools in their schools. Earlier the three lecturers had written a paper titled, “Enhancing primary school teachers and students in engaging with e-content on Literacy and Numeracy” a joint work presented by Placidius Ndibalema, Ayoub Sanga and Fredrick Msangi. The three noted in their paper presentation that, UDOM has come up with a solution to help enhance education by use of ICT in primary schools in the country under the programe known as “Edmodo’. According to Ndibalema, this is a learning management system to be connected with teachers and training colleges in the country as part of online programme for primary school teachers’ professional development. He said UDOM as developers has produced e-contents for interaction to enable teachers and their students to access learning materials from the database to be created in online. The UDOM has come up with the establishment of the programme that is optimistic to be inspired by a number of increasing concerns among primary school teachers, bearing the fact that it has a great potential to lead ICT application in primary schools. “This is a project for primary schools in the country”, he said adding that for the start the university has started with 2000 primary schools as a pilot project following recommendations from research reports that the use of ICT among primary school teachers in Tanzania is in a critical dilemma. He noted that teachers and their students will be registered and given a password with which will enable them access information posted that will contain learning materials.

University don calls for ICT use to leverage education

Education stakeholders in both public and private sectors have been asked to cope with the evolving technological change whereby the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is growing at much faster speed in the county. The Vice-Chancellor of the Open University of Tanzania Professor Elifas Bisanda made the call in an exclusive interview during the week long ICT in education exhibition which ended on Friday last week in Dar es Salaam. The exhibition which was organised by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) had attracted education stakeholders in the country including public higher learning institutions to show case the use of ICT as a basic methodology of teaching. He said as the world is emerging with new technological changes now and then, it was therefore important to make use of ICT tools with a view to develop education curriculum in higher learning institutions in the country. Citing an example which is being applied in non-conventional learning centers, Prof. Bisanda noted that ICT is widely used to access various educational information and quite a good number of students have acquired in-depth knowledge through self-learning.

Professor Elifas Bisanda of the Open University of Tanzania

Prof. Bisanda who is a long serving academician and a senior university lecturer noted that, students in higher learning institutions use more time to educate themselves by collecting study materials by themselves, and in view of this ICT helps them facilitate their learning programmes. However, he noted that sometimes students have to use their smart phones connected with internet bandwidth at any time wherever they are and could easily google information relevant to the topics required of them. “This is cost effective learning methodology bearing the fact that, with the help of digital technology most books can now be read online”, he said adding that students have ample opportunities to prefer accessing their reading materials through online. Elaborating more, the don noted that an academic book that could be bought at Sh. 30,000/- can now be accessed in a CD that costs at a minimal price rate of Sh. 2,000/- and moreover this can carry soft copies of over 20 books required of a student to read for a particular course work. In view of the cost effectiveness, Prof Bisanda has urged higher learning institutions and the education stakeholders in general to make use of the modern ICT tools that helps to facilitate the technology for easier access of education materials needed for academic purposes.

SUMATRA pledges to end drivers’ problems

The Director General of the Surface and Marine Transport Authority (SUMATRA) Mr. Gilliad Wilson Ngewe has pledged to end the long standing drivers’ problem which has been a cause of instigation into forcing them to go on strike. Ngewe made on Saturday last week in Dar es Salaam in a meeting with drivers which was organized by Tanzania Drivers Workers Union (TADWU) whereby President Jakaya Kikwete graced the occasion as a guest of honour. The call of Ngewe of making a pledge came after President Kikwete had pointed an accusing finger to the authority while addressing the congregation saying that it was directly responsible for the delays of the long standing claims which drivers had lounged and yet none of them is already solved. “SUMNATRA you ar creating problems with drivers as you tend to discriminate them of their associations, an aspect that you are inciting chaos among them as some see that are not given special attention they deserve’, he said while directing the authority to be in the forefront to look after the welfare of all drivers. 

Stranded passengers at Ubungo upcountry bus terminal in Dar es Salaam pondering their move forward  during the recent drivers' strike that shocked the nation for seven hours.

In his pledge, the SUMATRA boss assured the drivers and other transport stakeholders who attended the meeting that, ‘he will meet with the ministry of labour officials on Monday (Tomorrow)and others from the ministry of transport to deliberate the already presented problems facing drivers in the country and come out with a solution. Drivers for long had filed their problems complaining about the employment contracts and better remunerations such as salaries and allowances which are not paid to them satisfactorily by their employers. Other problems were related with payments of their terminal benefits upon their retirement or at the time they leave or have their job suspended that are poorly paid. Earlier President Kikwete thanked the drivers for having established a single association that looks after their problems ad was happy to hear that the Kinondoni District Commissioner Pauil Makonda is the custodian of the association. He has also contributed Sh. 100 million to the association, while the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Sadiq Meck Sadiq pledged to buy for the association office equipment such as computers and some furniture as a way to consolidate the association.