Tanzania: pupils work on teachers’ farms

  1. Posted on Thursday 26 May 2011 - 17:53
    Mugini Jacob Mwera
    Image of Mugini Jacob Mwera
    Mugini Jacob, VoicesofAfrica mobile reporter in the Mara region, Tanzania
    School children in public primary schools in the Tanzania Northern Tarime District spend many hours to work on their teachers' farms during class hours.
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    The pupils have expressed concerns over heavy duties, saying that they deny them sufficient time to attend class lessons, hence affecting their academic performance.

    ‘Working on teachers farms is dangerous and you can even be attacked by snakes’, Petronia Nyamsekela, 14, a standard six pupil at Kibumaye primary school laments.
    Another pupil Kabula Charles, 9, says: instead of attending classes we spend many hours working on teachers farms and collecting firewood for them.

    Some primary school teachers are also not happy with the habit which is common in rural areas of Tanzania.

    ‘These kinds of jobs have negative effective academically and pupils cannot manage to cover topics as it required by the ministry of education’, Mr Gabriel Ikorongo, teacher at Buhema primary school says.

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