The real National service: Value addition

[FairPlayer]

Hi all, Just got this somewhere. I believe the author has some points....

Mchango yangu baadaye.

To our dear President,

Thanks for this opportunity to address you, Sir.

We are by now, way over 36M strong as a people, and your Human Resource is your strongest asset. It is not your vast natural minerals or tourism. It is your PEOPLE.

I have a serious problem with how you are building and utilizing this key resource.

You have a limited number of teachers. The void is especially apparent at your secondary and tertiary levels of education. The performance at these public schools reflects this (Ref. form V & VI results at these schools for 2008 vs. 1998 vs. 1988 vs. 197. Look at the changing top twenty performing schools over the same period. It too tells a story.

So my questions are these.

Can you give us four good reasons as to why you are sending our form six leavers to the armed forces for one year to, in essence, exercise?

If they must have a year off, why not send them to teach their siblings what they have learnt?

Do you not feel that if they covered forms 1-2, then your small population of certified teachers can better cover and focus on forms 3-6?

Can this not be considered value adding national service?

Incidentally, how do you intend to feed them in their off year, while you could barely feed all of them while they were at school (Ref. televised Bunge debate on school closures as a result of lack of food)?

I believe the current initiative to open our boarders to our loving neighbors, is reflective of the peace and trust we enjoy. If this is so, isn't the resuscitation of the national service program a contradiction to the current EAC direction. Why was the national service abandoned in the first place?

If the re-start of the one year national service is a bad rumor, then my questions on utilization of form six leavers can refer to the periods that they are ‘at home' waiting for their results to be published and their school to be allocated! Can we not better use this pool of potential talent?

I am glad that I am not in your shoes, but if I were

• National Service would be voluntary
• Form six leavers who take a year off to assist in teaching district and village level schools would get one year off their educational grant at college
• Same would apply for those who graduate from post graduate (university) institutions and choose to go teach, at any of those village schools we built (I contributed) with no desk, chairs or windows but are flooding with pupils. By the way, the incidence of unemployed graduates is increasing. This is a growing resource that owes you money!
• Lastly but most importantly, Teachers would be exempt from paying income tax. If I honestly need what we collect monthly, I would still find away to do lump sum tax return to them, at year end.

And what a legacy it would be….

This email was originally sent to swalikwarais@yahoo.com. Ila sidhani kama lilijibiwa.

 

[Josh Michael]

There are really demanding on kwa jinsi gani tunaweza kufanya taifa letu liwe na maendeleo lakini kuliko kubaki nyuma kama hivi

 

[Shishye]

There was no one to allow such difficult questions to get to the platform! Besides the question was in english, and the president was entertaining in kiswahili - and most likely the question didn't arrive on time for answes to be prepared (cooked). Was the programme live? 🙂

Otherwise these are the sort of questions which need answers from his excellency, seriously. I'm sure there's a lot more which were sent and we will never hear about them.

 

[FairPlayer]

My take is the email was set for screening some difficult questions. Prez wetu hakutakiwa awe na maswali magumu.

Nionavyo, dhana ya Jeshi la kujenga taifa inatakiwa liwe productive, kuliko kuwapa wahitimu wa kidato cha sita chakula cha bure kwa muda wa mwaka kwanini usiwewapeleke wakafundishe kwenye shule zetu tulizojenga (fundisha form one mpaka hata two) kisha ujira wao iwe kuwalipia vyuoni angalau kwa mwaka?

Hapo muuliza swali alikuwa na point. Prez anahitajika kuwa na sehemu za kupata mawazo yetu haya!!

Hivi kati ya watanzania laki kadhaa waliomsikiliza ni asilimia ngapi walipata kuuliza maswali live??, tuacheni uongo jamani kama tunataka kweli kuijenga nchi

 

[Zakumi]

FP:

Mbona mnapenda kurudia rudia makosa yaliyofanyika. Teaching is a profession.

Huu mpango wa kila mwenye elimu anaweza kufundisha umelifikisha taifa pabaya.

Kama kuna ukosefu wa waalimu, basi vyuo viongezwe vya kutoa nafasi ya kufundisha hii profession.

 

[Nyadundwe]

Sababu kubwa ya elimu yetu kuwa duni ni pamoja na watawala kuto ijali hii taaluma (profession). Hilo limesababisha watu wenye uwezo hafifu kitaaluma ndio kuishia kusomea ualimu, ukiacha madudu kama 'UPE', 'Operation weak f4 kuwa mwalimu kwa miezi 6 nk. Kwa maoni yangu, ni afadhali hao f.VI wakalime mahindi huko Mafinga badala ya kupewa vichwa vya watoto wetu wafanyie mazoezi. Watoto wanapaswa kufundishwa na professionals sio ilimuradi tu!