THE PROCESS OF ADOPTING EDUCATIONFOR ALL (EFA) IN EDUCATIONAL POLICYMAKING IN TANZANIA
18th October, 2007

Prof E.P Bhalalusesa
University of Dar es SalaamTanzania

1Introduction
Background to the study
A comparative study of three countries
1. Tanzania
2. Kenya
3. Ethiopia
In collaboration with:
National Graduate Institute for Policy
Studies (GRIPS Japan)

EMERGING THEMES 1. Conceptualisation of Education For
All: Definitional issues

No universal or standardized
definition of the term existed. EFA
is variously conceived as:
 inclusive education that must bemade available to all specific groups a right

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Conceptualisation of EFA Cont.
 basic education: narrowly taken tomean primary education and/or
basic literacy skills for adults
 an education fundamental to one’s
life that more or less resembles
lifelong learning

2.Knowledge of EFA goals:

Who knows what and why?
The degree of knowledge varied
depending on the position
Not all of the six goals receive equal
attention
Priority is on primary education

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EFA goals: Where is the priority
Cont.
The aspect of gender equity isalso being effectively brought
to the foreOther aspects like earlychildhood care and adulteducation are mentioned but
remain marginalised

3.EFA goals: Where is thepriority and Why? Cont.3.
Contributing reasons:Consciously and/or unconsciously
Lack of strong political will?
Conflict of interest/power?
(“Who pays the piper also calls thetune”).

44. EFA goals: Are they new?
 EFA goals were not new (justre-affirmed) except
9 the specific articulated conceptof EFA and collective global
effort to fight ignorance
9 Goal on quality ed. and socialand life skills

EFA goals: Old wine in newbottles?
Examples of efforts before 1990
Plans to fight ignorance justafter independence
Adult literacy campaign in 1970
UPE in 1974
The 1978 National Education Act
No. 25 to consolidate UPEefforts.

55. Integration and adoption ofEFA goals
At surface level EFA goals have been
integrated into educational policies
9 Education and Training Policy (ETP)1995
9 Tanzania Development Vision 2025
which accords high priority toeducation.
9 The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper(PRSP) MKUKUTA
9 The Primary Education Development

6. What influences adoption
and integration?
Factors:
 The global movement.
Tanzania is part of the world logical that it conforms to global
movements
 Financial/donor dependency
Developing partners take part inmeetings and influence decisions

6Conclusion: What big picture
can we draw?
1.

Education For All is not
something entirely new in
Tanzania.
Although, the concept is associatedwith the 1990 Jomtien Conference andthe later 2000 Dakar Framework For
Action, the mission of achieving
education for all has long existed

Conclusion cont.
Therefore, the current global
movement is indeed a renewalof these early initiatives

7Conclusion cont.
 Regardless of this, threenotable issues have also
emerged:1. Lack of policy continuity in thehistory of education development
which necessitated changes togovernment policy and/or shifts
in emphasis.

Conclusion Cont.
2.Human and structuralcomplications in the process ofdecision-making
The practice of EFA is not valuefree, natural concept, but rather aconstruction through struggle forand conflict of power/interest

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Conclusion Cont.
3.Difficulty of conceptualizing
EFA and its effect onprioritization and translationof policies into practice.

Conclusion Cont.

What is the way
Forward?

 It is recommended that to achieve EFA
goals, Tanzania has to ensure that
resources are equally distributed toencompass ALL segments of thepopulation. Otherwise, educating all
will remain to be a vision than reality ifother segments of the population areleft on the periphery.

9THANK YOU FOR YOURATTENTION

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