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The Graça Machel Trust-Mara Alliance Out-of-School Project to integrate more than 11,000 out-of-school children back into the Tanzanian education system
Musoma, Tanzania – March, 13th 2017
A study of five districts in Tanzania’s Mara region has identified 11,666 children aged between 7 to 17 years old as not going to school and needing to be reintegrated back into the school system. The study was commissioned under the ambitious Graça Machel Trust Mara Alliance Out-of-school Children (OOSC) Project that aims to reintegrate a total of 20,000 children in the region back into the country’s education system over a two year period.
The results of the study were announced at a workshop held on March 13th in the rural Lake Zone town of Musoma, and was attended by the project’s core implementing partners. Mrs. Graça Machel, Founder of the Graça Machel Trust, together with the Mara Regional Commissioner, representing the government of Tanzania, and Bishop Michael Msonganzila of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Musoma, a representative of a coalition of non-governmental organisations and faith-based organisations that form the Mara Alliance were on hand to hear the tangible progress of the project thus far.
20,000 children to be brought back into the school system
The Mara Project aims to reintegrate a total of the targeted 20,000 children currently of school back into the country’s education system by removing barriers that keep children out of school and by improving the quality of basic education being provided.
The quantitative and qualitative study was carried out in five of the nine District and Town Councils of the Mara Region. The research will be now extended to the remaining four districts to identify the rest of the targeted 20,000 children.
Key findings
Announcing the research findings was lead researcher Dr. Fortunate Makene, of the Economic Social Research Foundation (ESRF). Dr. Makene reported that, of the 11,666 children identified in the five District and Town Councils, 33% were from Bunda, 31% from Tarime, 26% from Butiama and only 10% from Musoma Municipal Council. Of these children, more boys than girls were brought forward by community members.
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Poverty a key factor in dropout rates
The top five reasons of these school drop outs were found to be poor economic conditions, illness of the child or parent, disabilities and long distances travelled by the children to and from home and school. The study also revealed that the vast majority of these out-of-school children did not have birth certificates and had dropped out of school.
Seventy two percent of the households with children not in school earn their living from agriculture. These households live on two meals per day. Another ten percent survive on one meal per day. Only 39% of schools have school feeding schemes.
In addition to these poverty-related factors, the study also looked into other vulnerability factors, including substance abuse, domestic violence, discrimination and physical disability. Of significance was that no therapies were found to be available for children living with disability.
The Mara School Project will also be leveraging other best practice models to improve school access by children. Once such model is the SADC Care and Support for Teaching and Learning Framework (CSTL) which proposes 12 essential elements that create a caring, supportive and inclusive school environment. These elements attract enrolment, maintain retention and promote school achievement. They include safety and protection, social welfare services, nutrition, curriculum support, teacher development, leadership and structures, health, community participation, infrastructure, material support, psychosocial support and water and sanitation.
Challenges and solutions
Of the 377 schools visited during the study, a number of challenges were identified, including a high prevalence of sexual harassment suffered by girls. Other challenges that were identified by the study included poor water and sanitation facilities in schools, the lack of comprehensive sexuality education in most schools and limited access to training in psychosocial care and support for teachers.
The ESRF report recommends addressing harmful practices such as gender discrimination, improved social protection programmes for vulnerable households, the need to strengthen community-school cooperation and improved services to children and families through government, private sector and non-governmental sector partnerships.
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On the supply side of the education system, they recommend, a more rigorous school curriculum, better infrastructure, as well as greater investment in the Complementary Basic Education for Tanzania (COBET), a programme intended to benefit children who have missed the opportunity to enrol in formal schools or have dropped out of school for various reasons. The reintegration of COBET into basic education rather than adult education, will lead to more inclusive schools for children vulnerable children and children with disabilities and generally better resourcing for schools.
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More about the Project
The Graça Machel Trust-Mara Alliance OOSC Project is currently in its first phase of a multi-year project that will follow up on the re-integration the identified out of school children through their life’s journey. The project is supported by a US$2 million grant from Educate A Child of Qatar and an in-kind contribution of US$2 million from the Graça Machel Trust and the Mara Regional Government. The current two-year funding phase started in July 2016 and is expected to end in July 2018.
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ABOUT:
The Graça Machel Trust The Graça Machel Trust is an advocacy organisation that works across the continent to drive positive change across women’s and children’s rights, as well as governance and leadership. Through our support of local initiatives and connecting key stakeholders at a regional, national and sub-national level, we help to catalyse action where it is needed. By using our convening power the Trust seeks to amplify the voices of women and children in Africa; influence governance; and promote women’s contributions and leadership in the economic social and political development of Africa. Learn more at: www.gracamacheltrust.org/new
For technical / project information contact:
Fortune Thembo
Graça Machel Trust – Children’s Rights Programme Manager
Email: fortunet@gracamacheltrust.org
Tel: +255 68 978 8377 (from 13-17 March 2017 only)
Tel: +27 60 986 7253 (after 17 March)
Godfrey Wawa
Project Manager, Mara OOSC Project Manager
Email: godfreywawa777@yahoo.com
Tel: +255 752 420 116/ +255 784 265 785
Issued by:
Graça Machel Trust
Communications Department
Email: info@gracamacheltrust.org
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting children’s rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.