JCI Outreach Program 2011
JCI mission is to empower youth to bring positive change to the society and to them. In implementing this mission, JCI members are supposed to offer solutions to the societal problems that are within their reach. In doing so, the JCI collaborate with the government and non-government institution in making the world a better place to live.
Tanzania is still facing an acute shortage of teachers especially at secondary level. The government is making a lot of efforts to improve the educational sector. Among the challenges that are facing is to have enough teachers to teach students in the newly opened schools.
JCI UDSM has taken lack of teachers as societal problem. It is a societal problem due to the fact that, students complain of lack of teachers, thus resulting to poor education basis.
JCI UDSM Outreach Program 2011 Committee (JOPC) has decided to extend assistance to the government by sending some student teachers to some places in Tanzania. These student teachers will teach various subjects in the secondary schools that will be decided upon by the District Educational Council with cooperation of JCI-JOPC. The students teachers will volunteer though there will be some assistance to them as it will agreed upon between the District Education Council and the JCI-JOPC.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Since independence 1961, Tanzanian government has been working day and night to improve the education sector. There are several declarations and policy papers emphasizing on improving education sector. One of the famous Policy Paper was that of, Education for “Self-Reliance.” The government made primary education as Universal Education that was a basic right for every Tanzania to acquire.
For the past two decades, Tanzania government has put more efforts to make sure that every Tanzanian child acquires primary and certainly secondary education. This program has been evidenced by building of new primary and secondary schools in almost every ward in Tanzania. There has also been opening of new teachers for the newly opened schools. The challenges come that, despite the fact that new schools have been opened and students enrolled in, there are no enough teachers. For this reason, JOPC has decided to help the society by sending some temporal teachers to said places in Tanzania. These student teachers will teach and provide a good academic ground for these secondary students suffering from teachers shortage.
This Outreach Project will insist on the universal purpose of education according to our Statesman Nyerere, J.K. “to transmit from generation to the next, the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of the society, and to prepare the young people for their future membership of the society and their active participation in its maintainance or development.”
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Main objective:
The JOPC main objective is to provide student teachers to reduce the shortage of teachers in some secondary schools.
Specific objectives:
To implement the JCI mission of empowering youth to bring positive change to their communities and to themselves To promote the spirit of volunteering among the youth. To reduce the gap between the intellectuals (University Students) and the rest of the society To raise society awareness that government efforts to bring about development should be backed up by the members of the society To sensitize other civil societies to engage in similar programs so as to accelerate positive changes of the societies. To bring about cordial relations between JCI UDSM, UDSM and other institutions such as Munster University from German and For Fair Education Organization from GermanPROJECT JUSTIFICATION
The current studies shows that most secondary schools from the JOPC selected areas have no enough teachers. This will result into secondary students with poor education background and hence poor competence. To reduce the impact of having poor secondary school leavers with poor educational competence, JOPC has decided to embark in Education Outreach Program in the selected places.
JOPC decided to choose few places to act as catchment areas. The success of this project in the selected places will lead JCI to extend the project to other places. JOPC vision is to make this programme a Nationwide Project, but it must start small and grow big to make it very
successful. JOPC adhere to the father of Nation’s argument, “it is absurd for a government to continue wasting money on pretence of educating everyone and thus being unable to give good education to anyone-even to a critical mass of youngsters.” (Refer, English –Secondary Michael Scott memorial lecture, African Educational Trust, London, 4th June, 1997). The logic of Mwalimu Nyerere argument is attractive. To minimize the impact of what Mwalimu Nyerere predicted, JCI has decided to engage on this outreach program concentrating on Education starting from last year, 2010.
METHODOLOGY
In order to come out with good results to fulfil the JOPC objectives, a number of methods will be adopted by JCI UDSM.
The main method that will be used is based on the volunteers attending classes on the respective subjects that will be allocated to them by the headmaster/mistress of the respective schools. The volunteers will take as much time as possible to teach the respective subjects in the particular class. JOPC propose that the subjects to be allocated to the volunteers in the respective schools to be the ones with severe teachers shortage. JOPC will send volunteers to the selected schools depending on the demanding subjects. JOPC will assess the academic background of the volunteers to assign them subjects to ensure high quality performance for the short time in the working areas.
JCI will use other methods to sensitize students on ways that can make their academic life simpler. JOPC will send a special group of volunteers to concertize students on the ways that can be used to make sure that they achieve their goals. JOPC will conduct seminars, video and cinema shows where possible to boost up the educational morale of the students in the respective areas.
JCI believe that for this project to attain its goal; volunteers should be eager and well prepared to deliver high quality materials meanwhile the students should be psychologically and physically prepared to receive. If this (delivering and receiving) take place well, teaching will be very successful.
TIME FRAME:
JOPC has proposed that the volunteers will be in the field (schools) from August to October. The timing has put into consideration that during this time volunteer will be for their holidays. This will not affect their academic life. From next year, JOPC may be able to set different periods the outreach depending on the annual time frames of the colleges. For this year, JCI UDSM will recruit volunteers from UDSM-Tanzania. JCI UDSM in collaboration with For Fair Education-German will send some students teachers from German Colleges especially from Munster University to volunteer in Tanzania. For Tanzanian volunteers, they will volunteer for an average of ten (10) weeks starting from August, 2011. For Fair Education volunteers, they will volunteer for an average of eight (8) weeks depending on the agreement between JOPC and FFE management.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DISCUSSING THE PROJECT BETWEEN JOPC AND THE DISTRICT EDUCATION OFFICER
1. Accommodation of volunteers
2. Transport of volunteers to and from the field area
3. Meals
4. Teaching facilities
5. Precaution allowance
6. Allowance if any
7. Coordination allowance
