UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS, MANAGEMENT AND

LIFELONG LEARNING

EA 624: POLICY MAKING AND POLICY ANALYSIS

HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVES APPROACH IN RESEARCHING

EDUCATIONAL POLICY

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Definition of Terms

Policy, according to Dye (2000) defined as whatever what Government chooses what to do or

not to do. According to Robert, W.A (2000) Educational policy is the principles and

Government policy-making in Educational sphere, as well as the collection of laws and rules that

govern the operation of education systems.

Getao (1996) defines Comparative education as a discipline that studies educational systems in

which one seeks to understand the similarities and differences among educational Systems.

Comparative education is a discipline in the social sciences that involves the analysis and

comparison of educational systems, such as those in different countries. People in this field are

interested in developing meaningful terminologies and standards for education worldwide.

According to Harold J Noah and Max Eckstein (1993) Comparatives Education has four

purposes:

1. To describe educational systems process or outcome

2. To assist in the Development of Educational Institutional and practices

3. To highlight the relationship between education and society

4. To assist in the Development of Educational Institutional and practices

5. To highlight the relationship between education and society

6. To establish a generalization statement about education those are valid in more than one

country.

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Purposes of studying comparative Education

i) Description, the most basic utility of comparative Education is to describe Education

Systems /Learning communities within their social context

ii) Understanding /Explaining on the next level comparative education also satisfies the

need to understand educational systems are explained or understood from surrounding

contextual forces which shape them.

iii) Evaluation comparative education serves the purposes of evaluating education

systems, the own education system as well as universal evaluation of education

systems.

iv) Practicability, we are living in a practical age in which education is regarded as a

consumer good, the pattern of education which loses its practicability, goes on being

replaced by such a pattern.

Importance of comparative education

I. The study helps students to improve their education in their home country.

II. Helps students to acquire a better understanding of the education system of other

countries and borrows some aspects for better improvement of education at home.

History of education in Tanzania

In the late 1800’s Tanganyika (present day Tanzania mainland) became a colony under German

control in 1893, the first government schools were established. Prior to this, education was

informal, taught by elders in the community, and focused on building good citizenship and life

skills.

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In 1914, war broke out between German occupying troops and British troops in Tanzania

causing the collapse of the entire education system. The German troops were defeated, leaving

Tanganyika to Great Britain.

Shortly after this, the war missionary and government education system resumed and the first

Director of Education was appointed in 1920 and throughout the next 40 years, local powers

were mandated to oversee the provision education.

Overview of the question

The shapes and directions of the education system depend on the following; geographical area,

ethnic groups, and religious structure, the need of the government etc. The system of governance

and its educational, economic demographic, political and cultural parameters.

All education systems adopt the characteristics of the society in which they exist and reflect the

society’s values. By having a strong command of these characteristics, we can find evidence that

helps to evaluate correctly the truths behind the success of effective processes in an education.

Comparative approach in researching educational policies copes with time and space for

understanding particular education phenomena.

Historical comparative in researching education policies, this involves comparing different

time-frames or just comparing the same thing over time to see if a policy effects differ over

stretch time.

THE POLICY OF DIRECT RULE (1800s-1918)

The German government declared German East Africa proctor in 1885. These were needed to

ensure that colonial policies were accepted and implemented by the people. This was necessary

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for colonial regime because it was in need of cheap labor, raw materials, market and investment

outlets.

The objectives of the policy of education were to make maximum use of Africans who would

serve, produce and consequently, enrich the German colonial government.

THE POLICY OF INDIRECT RULE (1919-1961)

After the world was taken over by the British colonial government as a trusteeship territory

under the League of Nations in 1919.Sir Horace Byalt the first British governor continued the

Germany policy of having a separate government education system which ignored the

missionary one and ways in direct competition with it.

Former German government schools were revived and mission schools were strengthened with

the return of missionaries. The British colonial government comes out with explicit policies on

education and adult education for African communities, including east Africa. The policy was

designed to enable the individual to improve his or her life and that of his or her community as a

whole.

Also, during the British colonial rule implemented the plan for education, the plan of 1947-

1956.this plan was introduced in 1947 especially the plan put emphasis on;

⮚ Expansion of primary and middle schools

⮚ Expansion on teachers training for providing teachers to primary and middle schools and

lower classes of secondary school.

⮚ Enrolment of girls in schools

⮚ Establishment of technical education with well-equipped trade schools.

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The education ordinance (1962): This was the policy initiated by the ministry of education. The

strong factor for introducing this policy was to focus on education as a tool to produce man

power in Tanzania because there was a problem of shortage of manpower in Tanzania after

attaining independence.

Education for self-reliance (1967-1980). This policy created during Arusha declaration of 1967

with the aim of building a nation guided by the fundamental principles of equity, respect for

human dignity, democracy, work by all and exploitation by none, this policy is different from

those of colonialist during colonial time.it also supposed to change the values inherited from

colonialism.

Musoma resolution (1974), This was the largest reform on education takes place during

Musoma resolution which brought Universal Primary Education (UPE) it has the aim to provide

education to all is one of its several resolutions of the party (TANU), also the aim was to

increase enrolment of students in primary schools.

program ESDP from 1997-1998 also SEDP I and SEDP II this policy come up with the

Education and training policy (1995),This policy went into different programs like Education

Sector Development many ideas like coast sharing in education, which aimed to improve in

education through money which will be collected from parents to be used in improving

infrastructure and purchasing learning material. Introduced Private school this school introduced

so as to enroll the students who were not given a chance to government school to be enrolled in

those private schools.

Education in information and technology (1996), this policy also was constructed from the

society because the society left behind in terms of technology due to that government introduced

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that policy and aims of this policy were to help the country to undergo changes with the

development of science and technology by producing experts within our institution. Example

government introduced schools like Moshi tech. Mtwara tech, this policy was created due to

technological advancement in a world hence the country lacked experts to operate in different

technological aspects then they came up with such a policy.

Educational and vocational training(1997) policy this policy also was created due to changes of

the world economy due to industrialization where by a society in a country become

backwardness in economic aspects Hence a government introduced that policy, government want

to produce expert who will be employed to run different industries introduced in a country and

other industries which left by colonies.

National Higher Educational policy (1999), there was rapid changes and advanced in the world

of science and technology, this has been a result of the doubtful quality and relevance of the

diverse and unco-ordinated training programmes’, the limited knowledge base. The introduction

of this policy in 1999 was the high demands for education, specialized skills, entrepreneurship

etc. All this demand made the government of Tanzania to adopt National higher education

policy.

Educational and vocational training policy (2014) This is currently policy under the slogan of

free-education this policy has been created due to problem emerged in society like cost sharing

in education , different contribution in education, due to that some of families failed to send their

children to school because they lacked fee to send the children to school. Hence, many children

in society did not join school , hence the number of enrolled students decreased. Due to that

government introduced free education so as to make all people in a country who deserve to get

education to join school free from pre- primary to ordinary level. This policy helped to solve the
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problem of cost sharing in education and under the policy they regulated the fee structure to

private schools so that to be at the minimum amount where now even people with low income

will afford to send their children in private school.

Examples

Curriculum issues, the school curriculum was changed, Swahili language was given more

prominent status and became the medium of instruction throughout primary schools replacing

English as a medium of instruction in the middle school, main objective at that time was to

provide education with more meaningful and relevant to national need. For example, educational

policy for self-reliance of 1967 has brought changes on curriculum, although the curriculum was

there even before educational for self-reliance.

Educational system on the British and Germany was based on the assumption of capitalist

and colonialist society, the system emphasized and encouraged the individualist instincts of

mankind instead of cooperative instincts, and colonial education did not impart the knowledge of

Tanzanian societies. But was attempt to change those values and to replace them with colonial

values, the education was bookish, elites and gross inappropriate to Tanzanian reality.

Free education policy in Tanzania

Universal primary education policy of (1971) introduced free education which categorized by

the following features, food, learning material such as (books and exercise books, pens, pencils),

Uniforms, travelling warrants were total free. Parents were not contributing anything concerning

education. While

The Free education policy of (2014) has different characteristics with the mentioned above as

follows it has the fee free character and other school contributions parents have to contribute on

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buying school uniforms , transport fairs, buying students’ needs like books , exercise book, pens

and other needs also parents have to contribute on food to some community day schools.

Education system of Tanzania and Kenya

Both Tanzania and Kenya before independence were having the same education system whereby

the main purpose of education was to train youth for adulthood, emphasized unit consensus also

had a holistic approach that emphasizes social responsibility , job orientation ,political

participation , spiritually and moral values.

Free primary education in 1971 in Kenya, the government started the primary education by

passing the presidential decree that had to abolish the primary school tuition fee. The main aim

was to provide more opportunities for schooling especially for the poor communities. This was

basically for standard one up to four for the whole country but standard five to eight uniforms

were provided to pupils. While the experience of Tanzania in 1971 was different to that of

Kenya, it was giving education totally freely parents were not contributing anything at all.

Free tuition secondary education (FTSE 2008) introduced in Kenya having the following features

Government meets tuition fees while the parents meet other requirements like lunch, transport

and boarding fees for boarding students. While this policy is the same as Tanzanian policy of

2014 where the government pays for tuition fees for students and parents have to incur other

student requirement costs like transport and books.

Previously East African countries had the same Education system which is 7-4-2-3 which means

seven years for primary school, four years for secondary school, two years for high levels and

three years for universities but after the collapse of east African community each country

adopted her own education system. Kenya adopted 8-4-4, eight years for primary, four years for

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secondary education and four years for university while Tanzania and Uganda retained the

system.

Also education system of Tanzania and Ghana

Soon after independence in 1960 Ghana introduced the policy of free education in primary

levels, the aim of introducing this was to increase enrollment and giving more opportunity for

children to acquire education. For example in 1961 they introduced the act no 87 as was initiated

by president of Ghana by then president Kwame Nkrumah. This act aimed at achieving free

universal primary education. The act made education compulsory and free for all children. In the

act especially section 20(2)emphasize on the provision of fee education, and other payments for

the provision of essential books or stationary materials required by pupils for use in practical

work were provided by the government. Also the education system of Ghana was six years for

primary school, four years for secondary school and at the end of four years suitable students

went on to do two –years sixth form course that could lead to a three year University course, and

students who were not suitable to continue ,completed two years of pre-vocational classes. This

to some extent is similar to the education system of Tanzania as explained above. The education

system of Tanzania was totally free for primary school and each and every thing was provided

by the government to primary levels. Also the organization of the education system differs in

form from that of Ghana as Tanzania is applying the format of seven years for primary school,

four years for secondary school, two years for advanced levels and three to four years for

university levels.

Conclusion

Historical and comparative approach in education help the policy makers to make improvement

of education policy after looking on the weakness and strength of the same policy that applied to

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a certain country and compared with what is going to be implemented in the home country, by

taking all measures which makes those policy to be implementable and then to apply those

measures in their home country, so that to make policy to be effective. Historically policy can be

effective by looking how it was applied before independence and after monitoring and evaluation

it can lead to make the policy to be effectively in use. For example, those policies applied before

independence can be used after independence after improving the previous one example; fee free

education of 1960s and the new one of 2014.

REFERENCE:

Mosha H.J (1990)” Twenty years after education for self-reliance; Acritical review”
International journal of educational development.

Mushi P.A.K (2016) History and Development of Education in Tanzania, Dar es salaam, dar es
salaam university press.

Sifuna, N.D (1990).Development of education in Africa; The Kenya experience

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