Through CIDA’s International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) program and Algonquin College I am working as a Communications and Outreach Officer for an NGO in Zanzibar, Tanzania called the Social Awareness Organization (SAO). After obtaining my Bachelor of Arts in International Development and focusing my Master of Social Work thesis on mental health in international development, this paid internship is providing me with the practical experience to launch my career. Despite my academic knowledge as well as a volunteer experience with Youth Challenge International in Guyana, my time on Zanzibar thus far has been an invaluable learning experience.

By Melanie McGinnis

As the young teacher reads from the science textbook, some of the 80 students that make up his class listen with rapt attention, trying to follow the lesson despite the fact they are sitting four or five to a desk and do not have books, pencils or other supplies of their own. Others look bored, perhaps because they are bored, perhaps because they've given up trying to follow along when they are at such a disadvantage.

For not only the east African island of Zanzibar, but Tanzania and Africa itself, this class represents the future. Unfortunately, it is a future that is mired in doubt. Not only are these young students missing the supplies they need to succeed, but the school itself is dilapidated and missing resources, teachers are underpaid and overworked; in short, the education system on Zanzibar is in poor shape.

It is well known in international development that education is considered a major factor in lifting people and entire countries from poverty. "It (education) empowers individuals to participate in the transformation of their own lives and of society at large," wrote Malone in 2002.

I arrived two and a half months ago on Zanzibar to work with the Social Awareness Organization, or SAO. Composed entirely of volunteers, the primary goal of SAO is to help Zanzibari high school students prepare for two different high school examinations.

If students fail either exam on their first attempt, they must pay to continue their education or to repeat the exam. The majority of students, however, are too poor to consider paying to continue their studies.

Furthermore, those who do not pass the first of the two exams, called a Form 2, are not legally entitled to work in any formal sector.

Only 40 per cent of students who write the first of the final exams pass, according to figures from Issa Ziddy published last year. The percentage of students who pass the second exam is even lower. The result is that there are many "gangs" of youth with nothing to do who are draining resources from their often already poverty stricken families.

The SAO staff which is composed almost entirely of Zanzibari teachers, all of them in their 20s, are providing an important service as the majority of high school students fail their exams due to inadequate preparation. The members of SAO literally work around the clock, sacrificing their own free time and many hours of sleep to help students. It is not uncommon for me to arrive at the office to find that several members had been up all night tutoring students.

Of course, the failure of so many students to pass these exams is emblematic of problems that afflict every aspect of the education system on Zanzibar. Since the majority of members at SAO are teachers, I have been able to spend time observing their classes at a local school. It was this scene that was described above.

Essentially, I have seen that there is a severe lack of physical and human resources. Class sizes are much too big (between 80-100 students), with four or five students often sharing one desk. There are only one or two textbooks per class, and most teachers did not have textbooks from which to teach. There is a severe shortage of certified teachers and teachers' assistants. Those that are chemistry and biology teachers complain that there is a lack of lab resources from which to teach the higher levels.

The teachers are extremely frustrated with the lack of resources with which they must contend. They say the large class sizes means only the strongest students stand a chance of succeeding. The weaker students, or those that need extra help, are simply left behind. Furthermore, class sizes make it difficult to conduct interactive classes and there are often not enough teachers aides for the number of students.

Teachers are also concerned about the disparity between the numbers of boys and girls that attend school.  Because girls are often valued for their domestic roles, boys are more likely to obtain an education. This becomes increasingly apparent as the grades progress.

As an outsider observing the state of the education system on Zanzibar, it seems obvious that many changes need to be made before education can contribute in a meaningful way to poverty reduction. 

Tanzania is one of Canada's development partners. Education has been identified not only by the Canadian government as extremely important, but by all donor countries. The importance of education to developing countries, who are striving to pull themselves out of the vicious circle of poverty, cannot be understated.

The state of the education system begs numerous questions for those working in international development. How can we address the inadequacies? What can Canadians do to help Zanzibaris improve the education system and therefore reduce poverty? Is it even our place to try? Would it be more beneficial to let the Tanzanian education system develop at its own pace or to attempt to impose a Western ideal of effective education? At what cost to students? 

I will grapple with these questions for the next two and a half months as an intern on Zanzibar, and likely for a very long time after that. Hopefully, donor countries, including Canada, will do the same.   

back to Interns' Stories