One goal – education for all

All stakeholders sit at the same table

District Executive Officer in Kiteto Andrew Juma sees the big advantages on working together with civil society.

- We saw we were not performing well on education in our district. We had to do something, says District Administrative Secretary (DAS), Alfred Shayo in Kiteto District.
A development organisation in the district KINNAPA had the idea of forming an education board with all stakeholders sitting around the same table.
The stakeholders should not only be local government representatives and KINNAPA, but also traditional and religious leaders, other NGOs and pressure groups and the business community.
- KINNAPA works that way. We can’t do everything alone, the Local Government can’t do everything alone, but each of us has knowledge and resources and when we combine them, we achieve something, explains Seraphine Qorro, Programme Officer for education in KINNAPA.

Diverse problems

Education faces many and diverse problems in Kiteto:

• The cultural resistance from the pastoralist community
• The geographical vastness of the district
• The lack of school buildings and teachers
• And many more

The education board will try to find solutions to all the problems:

·        It will sensitize the pastoralist communities on the importance of education

·        It will collect money to a fund to build schools

·        It will monitor and evaluate the government spending on education

·        It will put together all forces to enhance education 

The pastoralists in Kiteto District meet once a month to discuss problems and development. And education in on the agenda every meeting.

The traditional leader of all Maasai in Kiteto District is a member of the board and founding member of KINNAPA.
- I rather use my strength to persuade the pastoralists personally to send their children to school than the Local Government shall force them and fine them, says Laigwanani Mbambire Oleikurukur.
He uses the traditional gift he received when elected leader as rationale to work for education.
- I received a cow and a bull, meaning that my responsibility is to be leader for both women and men and their children, he tells.
He has started a tradition of meetings twice a month, where all the Maasai come together and discuss their problems, and the importance of education is always on the agenda.

Vast distances

At the District Education Office one of the problems is the huge distances of the Kiteto District.
- We are 11 officers in the department, but we only have one car and we can’t communicate to all corners of the district, explains Coordinator Omar Mlekua.
But through the members of the board communication has become easier. The Maasai elders have access to all the villages and communities and they can teach the message much better than an officer from the district office.
The board hopes by referring to good role models, local Maasai people with education whom today make a difference in the community, to change the attitude among the pastoralist towards education.

Sustainable through taxes

But not only are the Maasai elders represented, also religious leaders, Councillors, business people and Teachers’ Union have joined the board.
- Everybody has from the start accepted the idea and because everybody is on board we trust each other. We are now struggling to make the board economically sustainable, tells KINNAPA Officer, Julius Ole Nairinga Ole Keiya.
The resources promised to this date are TSH 400.000 monthly from the local taxes, TSH 1.6 million from the council and TSH 10.000 from every Maasai family.

Democracy education

Sitting on the board will also benefit democracy in general and understanding of decentralization and local government in particular.
- The board has eliminated some of the confusion around the responsibilities of different departments in the Local Government Authorities. It is now clearer what is for the teachers, what is for the District Education Office and what is for the Councillors to decide, tells DAS, Alfred Shayo.
His hope is, that this knowledge will benefit planning and implementation of development in general in the Kiteto District.