Dar es Salaam: Tanzania Education Network (TenMet) has asked the government to boost investment and strengthen financial management in the education sector if it is to achieve its ‘education for all' goal. In its new report on education financing in the country, TenMet also suggested that authorities should improve closely monitor us of the allocated funds by stressing accountability in the sector.
Speaking during the education stakeholders forum held in Dar es Salaam yesterday to discuss education financing, Mr Florence Francis, TenMent's programme officer, said education needs high budget allocation if the country is to development. "I suggest that the government allocate about 30 per cent of its annual budget to education because the development of the country depends on highly trained manpower," he argued.

The report said despite the government efforts to increase the education budget from Sh701.1 billion in 2005/06 to Sh2 trillion in 2010/11, but financial resources allocated to primary education had slumped from about 56 per cent to 47 per cent of the national budget during the same period. "This gap is a clear manifestation of deterioration of procedures to control capital grants allocation to the schools and poor accounting system at central and local government," the report states.

It argues that this massive decrease of the budget will impact heavily on efforts to improve primary education standards in the country. The report added that the shortage of teachers was manifestation of many factors, including inadequate funding and poor financial management.

But the principal economist in the ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Mr Beatus Gwakakuza, said the government was in the process of reviewing its 1995 education policy in a bid to solve challenges facing the sector. He was speaking on behalf of Mr Martin Mwalukuzi, director of policy and planning in the ministry.

"I suggest that the government allocate about 30 per cent of its budget to education because the development of the country depend on highly trained cadre," said Florence Francis, TenMent's programme officer for policy analysis and advocacy While the Government struggles to boost funding of the education sector which has risen from

Sh701.1 billion in 2005/2006 to Sh2 trillion in 2010/11, resources allocated to primary education has decreased from about 56 per cent to 47 per cent during the same period.