CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Tanzanian Government urged to cut down on illiteracy

Tanzania, March 2, 2010. - The government has been urged to go back to the principles set by the Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere to fight against increasing illiteracy in the country.

The Acting Director of the Institute of Adult Education, Mr Edward Lugakingira told the 'Daily News' in Dar es Salaam today that it was shameful for illiteracy rate to reach 30 per cent now when Mwalimu contained it at less than 10 per cent in 1980s.

“It is hard to explain this, because it is like we are moving backward, the government should re-introduce the strategies employed by Mwalimu Nyerere through our institute to check this problem,” he said.

He, however, commended the 28bn/- project being executed jointly between Tanzania and Cuba that offers the illiterate people chance to learn the ‘soft’ way, to be conducted in four regions of Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Ruvuma and Mwanza.

The acting director said that the project dubbed ‘Yes I Can’ would, to a large extent, supplement the work of the institute and perhaps reduce the illiteracy rate.

“Cuba is known for their good records in fighting illiteracy and from such a background we believe that the programme will have good impact,” Lugakingira said.

The Principal Education Officer in the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Mr Valentino Gange was quoted as saying: “We are very excited about this unique project that will be using audio visual equipments to teach people how to read, write and count.”

Cuba has an illiteracy rate of less than 0.8 per cent.

Presently scripts of 65 lessons have already been prepared and actors will soon start being trained and later be filmed in Cuba on how best to drive the message home. Each lesson will have duration of 30 minutes and 15 others for discussion of the lessons and the lessons will be completed in three months whereby a person will then have learnt how to write, read, count and have other skills. (Cubaminrex - Embacuba Tanzania)

 

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