In early education, we were taught the Swahili adage Elimu ni Ufunguo wa Maisha, or education is the key to life. This adage resonates with the widespread belief that higher education is the ultimate pathway to success. 

There has been the expansion of universities and increasing enrollment. According to the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU), there were 50 registered universities in the country, enrolling more than 500,000 students in the academic year 2023/2024. 

Despite the expansion and increasing enrollment, many students enter the highly demanding labour market unprepared and ill-equipped to break free from the cycle of poverty.

Over the past two decades, Tanzania has moved from elite to mass education, emphasising everyone’s right to college education. However, the move raised concern from stakeholders about the ability of the universities to deliver quality education to the mass of students they are enrolling. 

Universities struggle to align their academic offerings with the economy’s needs, leaving many students without the appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes. 

One of the root causes of this problem is an outdated curriculum that fails to produce full-backed graduates through a rigorous academic process. While students may leave universities with attractive certificates, they struggle to secure stable jobs or create opportunities.

Pedagogy of Poverty

This dilemma echoes the concept of the Pedagogy of Poverty, coined by renowned educationalist Professor Martin Haberman in 1991. The term describes the didactic, teacher-centred teaching form often found in low-income urban schools. 

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The pedagogy of poverty is characterised by teacher-centred instruction, rote memorisation, and rigid curricula prioritising compliance and standardised testing over critical thinking and creativity. 

It provides minimal opportunities for experiential learning or student agency, fostering low expectations and a narrow definition of success focused solely on grades and obedience. 

This approach often disregards students’ socio-economic and cultural contexts, leaving them ill-equipped to address real-world challenges or pursue personal growth. Emphasising control over engagement perpetuates poverty cycles, failing to provide students with the skills and mindset needed to thrive in dynamic environments.

Are our learning modalities in Tanzania fundamentally different from the characteristics outlined in the pedagogy of poverty? No. 

When I was a bachelor’s student, I recall some professors penalising us for deviating from the standard answers in our notes. You won’t score a reasonable mark if you do not regurgitate the lecture notes during exams. 

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These practices have oversimplified the definition of education by emphasising rote memorisation of facts and figures instead of understanding underlying concepts and opening opportunities for critical thinking or knowledge application. 

False achievement

Also, our overreliance on exam practices, which are becoming increasingly irrelevant, has made us deceive ourselves into thinking that higher grades reflect one’s intellect and ability to solve problems. In this way, we have become a nation perpetuating a false sense of achievement.

In the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, do we still need to cram facts and spit them in the examination room, only to forget them after weeks of an exam? In this modern era, where information is rampant, we will thrive by knowing how to analyse, draw insights, and make sense of it.

Yet, traditional pedagogy, emphasising teacher-centred instruction, has stifled creative thinking, confidence, and curiosity. This system, which relies on a lecturer as the primary authority and source of knowledge, has created the “Demigods” in the university who claim ownership of the courses. 

As a student, you cannot challenge “the course owner.” This creates students who cannot question the status quo and students who are not curious. Students are also required to follow strict rules and procedures without questioning them. 

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The over-reliance on obedience rather than autonomy and independence has been the modus operandi. How do you expect these students to take leadership roles or be innovative in their chosen fields? Is this practice not contributing to the rise of today’s prevalent chawa personalities—individuals who follow blindly or align themselves with others solely for personal gain?

Stumbling blocks

Standardised and rigid curricula are stumbling blocks to effective learning. A one-size-fits-all curriculum does not respond to students’ varying needs and interests. While studies have shown that curricula that include students’ voices are highly likely to succeed, our curricula offer little or no say to students. 

The situation is exacerbated by limited real-world applications of concepts taught in class. It is rare to see practices such as project-based learning or community engagement. The rigid curriculum, minimal student agency, and lack of experimental learning contribute to a “study for exams” culture emphasising standardised tests and exams over a lifelong learning culture.

For a long time now, we have failed to define education. We measure educational achievements using the wrong metrics. Our definition of success in academic achievement is narrow, especially in academia where success is defined in terms of grades, GPAs, or modest compliance with institutional standards. 

Also, our education system ignores students’ socioeconomic and cultural contexts and fails to provide knowledge and skills relevant to local challenges. This inability to provide appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes manifests in high unemployment and underemployment rates among graduates. 

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Employers frequently cite deficits in critical thinking, problem-solving, and practical skills as key weaknesses. Additionally, many graduates lack an entrepreneurial mindset, leaving them ill-prepared to create opportunities for themselves.

It’s time for universities to stop deceiving graduates that they have offered them proper education, as demonstrated in their certificates. Thanks to the government, the commission for universities, and the universities for ongoing curriculum review initiatives, a robust curriculum review process will be part of the solution. 

However, the reviewed curriculum’s success will depend on individual universities’ creativity in integrating innovative pedagogies that emphasise 21st-century skills in the curriculum and collaboration with industry. 

The collaboration will facilitate mentorship, internships, and job placement to provide students with practical skills. Even the best curriculum from heaven will fail if it is not delivered by the right people and environment. The universities should also allocate adequate resources and set the optimal environment for curriculum delivery.

The current state of higher education does not adequately prepare graduates to fight poverty. Traditional education methods will not produce graduates who can withstand the harsh labour market. 

Concerted efforts are needed to equip universities to produce graduates with appropriate knowledge skills and attitudes for prosperity. A paradigm shift in education is urgently needed—one that empowers students to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Allen Temba is a Tanzanian academician and education activist. He is available at allentemba11@gmail.com. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chanzo. If you are interested in publishing in this space, please contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.