Pedagogy and Leadership in a Tanzanian Primary School: a Whole School Approach exploring Classroom Realities in an Urban Setting
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Date
2013
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Abstract
Ten years since the initial commitment to universal primary education, a recent midterm
report (MDG: 2010) shows that considerable strides have been achieved towards
the goal and that more and more children are accessing primary education. Key
initiatives such as the abolition of school fees at primary school level have led to a
surge in enrolment in a number of sub-Saharan African countries. In the Republic of
Tanzania, the enrolment ratio jumped to 99.6 per cent by 2008 (MDG report: 2010),
as the country makes considerable efforts to provide access to more and more children
in primary school. Although this progress is laudable and a success story at one level,
there are a number of consequences and short-comings such as the shortage of trained
teachers, the lack of primary schools to cater to the demand, the lack of resources, the
shortage of teaching materials, and over-crowded classrooms. It appears that quantity
not quality has taken over (Sifona, 2007). What the quantitative data do not show is
what is actually happening in reality on the ground. This chapter describes an
intensive two-year case study that was conducted in a primary school in Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania from February 2009-2011. The aim of the study was to engage in a
research and development initiative with a ‘typical’ urban primary school and to
gather detailed evidence of how the school was functioning and coping with the
challenges exacerbated by the impact of MDG targets. In particular, the research
looked at pedagogical practices and the role of leadership from a whole school
perspective. It explored context-specific challenges and discussed culturally relevant
approaches of how pedagogy could be improved through the perspectives and actions
of local teachers in a sustainable and cost-effective way.
Description
Keywords
Pedagogy and Leadership, Primary School, Classroom Realities, Urban Setting, Tanzania
Citation
Wyse, D., Fentiman, A., Sugrue, C. and Dachi, H., 2013. Pedagogy and language in a Tanzanian primary school: a whole school approach exploring classroom realities in an urban setting.